A go/no-go process is a structured decision — made before you commit hours to a proposal — on whether a pursuit is worth chasing. Only about 40% of AEC firms run one formally, which means most decisions happen informally, inconsistently, and often too late. A weighted scorecard with pre-set thresholds turns what's usually a 45-minute argument into a 30-minute meeting with a clear answer.
Why run a formal process instead of just deciding as a group?
Because an informal debate re-litigates the same disagreement every time, and it's vulnerable to whoever's most persuasive in the room rather than whoever has the best information. A scorecard separates the inputs (project fit, client quality, capacity, risk) from the debate, so the meeting is about scoring facts, not arguing opinions.
What should the scorecard actually measure?
The same core factors covered in qualifying which projects to turn down: strategic fit, capacity, client quality, payment history, scope certainty, and schedule risk. Score each 1–5. A go/no-go framework just adds the mechanism — a fixed meeting format and pre-agreed thresholds — that makes the scoring stick instead of getting overridden by enthusiasm for one interesting detail.
What thresholds actually make the meeting fast?
Set three bands before you ever score a real opportunity: a high band that's an automatic go, a middle band that's a conditional go pending a specific fix (a named decision-maker, a clarified scope), and a low band that's a no by default. One commonly used split is roughly 80–100 as go, 65–79 as conditional, and below 65 as no-go — the exact cutoffs matter less than having them fixed in advance, so the meeting scores against a standard instead of negotiating one in real time.
How do I actually keep the meeting to 30 minutes?
Score before the meeting, not during it. Whoever surfaced the opportunity fills out the scorecard ahead of time; the meeting is for disagreement on specific scores, not for building the scorecard from scratch. If nobody disagrees with a score, it stands — the meeting only needs to resolve the parts people see differently.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of AEC firms have a formal go/no-go process? Only about 40%, meaning most firms decide informally on every pursuit.
What factors should a go/no-go scorecard include? Strategic fit, capacity, client quality, payment history, scope certainty, and schedule risk, each scored consistently.
What are typical go/no-go score thresholds? A commonly used split is roughly 80–100 as an automatic go, 65–79 as conditional, and below 65 as no-go — treat the exact numbers as a starting point to adapt, not a fixed industry standard.
How do I keep a go/no-go meeting short? Score the opportunity before the meeting rather than during it, so the meeting only resolves genuine disagreement instead of building the assessment from zero.
About the Author
Kitae Kim
Architect with 10 years of experience in design and client communication. Co-founder of Foveate, the Pursuit Intelligence Platform for AEC firms. Former studio lead who saw too many winning designs lose to worse proposals.
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