Goal
Log the request as a numbered ticket and understand the problem and why it matters now — before promising anything.
Inputs → outputs
Inputs
- Client request (form, email, referral)
- Public information about the client organisation
Deliverables
- Numbered intake ticket
- One-page call notes: problem, goals, constraints, open questions
- Signed NDA (when needed)
Teams & roles
- Sales & Presalessingle point of contact, leads the call
- Business Analysis (BA)joins the call, captures needs and open questions
- Solution Architectureconsulted on technical feasibility questions
- Legal & FinanceNDA, data-processing notice
- Client (Product Owner / sponsor)describes the problem, names the decision-maker
RACI matrix
R — does the work · A — accountable, final sign-off (exactly one A per activity) · C — consulted before · I — informed after.
| Activity | Sales | BA | Arch | PM | Legal | Client |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receive request, assign ID, acknowledge | A | · | · | I | · | · |
| Record consent & sign NDA | R | · | · | · | A | C |
| First consultation call | A | R | C | · | · | C |
| Summarise problem & open questions for client confirmation | A | R | · | · | · | C |
Sales = Sales & Presales; BA = Business Analysis (BA); Arch = Solution Architecture; PM = Project Management / Scrum Master; Legal = Legal & Finance; Client = Client (Product Owner / sponsor)
Quality gate
Ticket has the minimum information; both sides agree on the problem and move to qualification.
Entry criteria
- A valid contact channel and the sender’s consent to process contact data
- The request is a product type we take on (web, mobile, internal tool, AI, IoT)
Exit criteria
- Intake ticket has an ID and all mandatory fields
- Call notes sent and confirmed by the client by email
- Decision-maker, end users and target deadline are known
- NDA signed if confidential information will be shared
Activities
- 1.Receive the request via the web form or email, assign a ticket ID (e.g. YC-2026-0001), acknowledge within 1 business day
- 2.Record the contact’s consent to personal-data processing (timestamp, notice version) before storing anything
- 3.30–45 min call: context, users, business goal, deadline, budget range
- 4.Ask "why" repeatedly to separate the real need from a pre-imagined solution
- 5.Sign an NDA before the client shares sensitive documents or data
Checklist
Tick to self-review — 0/6. Ticks stay in this browser only and are not sent anywhere.
Document templates
Markdown (.md) files: open in any editor, or paste into Word / Google Docs. Each states its purpose, who fills it in and when.
Client involvement
- Describe the problem in their own words, with real examples
- Name the decision-maker and the actual users
Tools
- Biểu mẫu yêu cầu trên web
- Google Meet / Zoom
- CT Work
Reference standards
- PMI — PMBOK® Guide 7th ed.
- Stakeholders performance domain: identify and understand stakeholders
- ISO 21502:2020
- Project management guidance — pre-project and initiation activities
- Luật Bảo vệ dữ liệu cá nhân 2025 (91/2025/QH15) và Nghị định 356/2025/NĐ-CP
- Personal data protection — data-subject consent before processing
Common pitfalls
- Quoting a price on the first call before understanding the problem
- Notes scattered across chats, no ticket → requests get lost
- Talking only to the requester without knowing who decides and who uses it
- Accepting confidential documents before an NDA
Real example
On cuongthai.com, a request sent through the "Discuss a project" form is stored as a ticket YC-<year>-<no.> with a consent flag, timestamp and notice version; once approved it becomes a CT Work (/work) project whose first card is the request itself.
Where to learn
Subjects and courses on cuongthai.com that teach this stage’s work.