Phase 5 (Implementation) deep-dive playbook for an initiative shepherd. You are not doing the implementation. You enable teams, maintain consistency, ensure the initiative completes, and step back when it does. Time budget: 2–6 months wall clock, 10–20 hours/month of shepherd time. Composes Skill(running-work-transitions) in bitwarden-delivery-tools for the originating-side Support Period, Pulse Check, Retrospective, and Closure phases of the Work Transition Playbook.

The funnel doc's mental model:

Think of the shepherd as:

A guide ensuring teams stay aligned with the initiative's vision

A coordinator managing cross-team dependencies and communication

A subject matter expert available for questions about the approach

A reporter keeping leadership informed of progress

Not a project manager micromanaging day-to-day work

Not doing code reviews on every PR (unless specifically needed for approach validation)

Establishing Communication Channels (Before Implementation Starts)

Set up the coordination mechanisms before teams begin. The funnel doc specifies:

coordinating-implementation-across-teams

Establishing Communication Channels (Before Implementation Starts)