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Lesson 92: Mid-Train Escalation Dry-Run - War-Room Deck May Use Only the Lesson 91 Rollup Packet as Source Input in RPG Live-Ops

Direct answer: A mid-train escalation dry-run is a time-boxed rehearsal where the only approved source for the projected war-room deck is the signed Lesson 91 lesson78_days_8_14_cumulative_drift_rollup_packet.csv row and its appendix hash list - not a refreshed roadmap, not a “competitive context” drop-in, and not a narrative PDF that never appeared in the drift chain. The dry-run exists so real escalation minutes do not become a slide swap that severs governance evidence from executive attention.

8-bit phone suggesting a single approved screen of truth while other feeds stay dark during the dry-run

What this lesson solves

Real escalation meetings reward storytelling confidence. Rollup packets reward trend truth. This lesson gives you a rehearsal law: if a slide is not derivable from the rollup packet row and its source_drift_row_ids closure, the facilitator ejects it before the team practices decisions.

Prerequisites: Lesson 91 complete with a signed rollup_evidence_hash, plus read access to the underlying Lesson 90 drift rows for spot checks. Expected time: about eighty minutes including a fifteen-minute “smuggled slide” tabletop.

What you will build

  1. lesson78_mid_train_escalation_dry_run_policy.md (sections below)
  2. lesson78_mid_train_escalation_dry_run_war_room.csv (one row per dry-run cycle)
  3. A five-slide maximum deck template where each slide title maps to a named column or appendix block from the rollup packet schema

Step 1 - Define dry-run gate classes

gate fail signal facilitator action
W1 – Deck contamination any slide body cites metrics not reproducible from rollup columns + cited drift ids remove slide; log violation code
W2 – Shadow narrative someone shares a second screen, doc link, or offline deck during decision moments pause; require upload into appendix under signed waiver
W3 – Role drift decision prompts addressed to roles not listed as required attendees on the row reschedule slice
W4 – Hash mismatch exported deck hash ≠ dry_run_deck_hash_expected computed from rollup appendix fail dry-run; no external escalation comms

Step 2 - Author lesson78_mid_train_escalation_dry_run_policy.md

Minimum sections:

  1. Purpose – rehearse escalation posture without laundering alternate narratives.
  2. Scope – mid-train window after Lesson 91 sign-off and before any stakeholder-facing escalation send.
  3. Deck derivation rules – each slide must declare rollup_column_refs and source_drift_row_ids_subset visible on-slide footers.
  4. Facilitation authority – facilitator may halt the meeting; cannot override R1–R4 rollup gates from Lesson 91.
  5. Attendance minimums – divergence owner, incident command delegate, release liaison (names intentionally generic roles).
  6. Recording rules – transcript optional; deck export + roster checksum mandatory.

Step 3 - Author lesson78_mid_train_escalation_dry_run_war_room.csv

column purpose
dry_run_id stable identifier
train_cycle_id matches Lesson 89 / 91
rollup_packet_id_ref Lesson 91 packet row
scheduled_at_utc rehearsal start
facilitator_handle neutral chair
deck_slide_count integer; cap five unless waiver documents complexity
slides_removed_for_w1 count
alternate_doc_attempts_blocked integer count of W2 blocks
dry_run_verdict pass / defer / fail
participant_roles_checksum sha256 over sorted roster roles
dry_run_deck_hash_expected derived from canonical slide export + rollup appendix
dry_run_evidence_hash sha256 over prior hashes + verdict

Step 4 - Run the dry-run agenda (35 minutes)

  1. Truth minute (5) – read rollup_packet_id_ref, trend_severity, blocks_mid_train_escalation verbatim from Lesson 91.
  2. Deck trace (10) – walk each slide footer; spot-check two source_drift_row_ids against Lesson 90 exports live.
  3. Decision rehearsal (15) – only decisions allowed are those implied by intervention_bundle_ids and incident-command constraints from Lesson 91.
  4. Stop-the-line drill (5) – facilitator introduces a smuggled benchmark slide; team practices rejecting under W1.

Step 5 - Tabletop - the roadmap PDF arrives

A stakeholder drops a sixteen-page roadmap PDF into chat “just for context.” Outcome: facilitator invokes W2, captures alternate_doc_attempts_blocked, and refuses decisions until the doc is either excluded or appendixed with explicit waiver ids that name which rollup columns it replaces—usually none.

FAQ

Does this replace the Lesson 85 incident bridge packet?

No. Lesson 85 handles live signals. This dry-run handles deck hygiene before external escalation.

What if marketing insists on brand slides?

Brand slides are allowed only if they contain no net-new metrics beyond the rollup packet; otherwise they fail W1.

Who picks the facilitator?

Someone without P&L incentives for the outcome—often release liaison from another train.

Lesson recap

Escalation rehearsals fail when teams practice conflict theatrics instead of evidence routing. Derive the deck from the rollup packet or admit you are not ready.

Next lesson teaser

Continue to Lesson 93: External Escalation Messaging Packet to draft copy whose paragraphs cite dry_run_verdict rows and forbid claims that did not survive Lesson 92—so public language stays chained to rehearsal truth.

Related learning

Treat the dry-run as signal rehearsal, not a morale meeting.