Handshake

01

In plain English

What it is

A simple way for a supplier or client to confirm one project decision through a limited link.

How it works

You would send a request, such as confirming a delivery date. The recipient sees only the relevant details and replies. If those details change, they must review the new request.

Why it matters

To get small decisions made without bringing every external contact into the whole project.

02

The product film

A small decision should be a small ask. A task, a deliberate gesture and its result, inside a reconstructed Signal Studio. It plays on its own while it is on screen; pause it, scrub it, slow it down, or read it as stills.

03

What it is worth

One clear yes. One less loose end.

A supplier shouldn’t need to learn your project system just to confirm a delivery. Give them the one decision they need to make, and keep their answer beside the work.

• One focused requestThe date, place and decision are together.
• Just the details they needInvite them into the decision with a limited view.
• An answer the team can findKeep the confirmation with the exact request it covers.

04

How it is built

One external person confirms one fact through a limited link. The gesture crosses a boundary — from a project, to a stranger, and back — and the animation has to make that crossing visible.

05

The working model

The request binds an allowed action to a revision. A response is meaningful only while that exact context remains current.

The boundary that matters Server-side scope controls every read and write. An expiring opaque link grants no general workspace access; required identity checks remain separate.

06

How it fits together

A person acts, the system checks, a result follows — and one other path, for when the check does not pass. This describes proposed responsibilities and decisions, not deployed infrastructure.

%% Director-friendly architecture. Maturity and limits are recorded in accDescr.
flowchart TB
  accTitle: How Project Handshake works
  accDescr: A project manager sends one clearly scoped request. An expiring link shows the supplier only that request, with recipient verification when required. The supplier responds. Signal records the answer only while permission, expiry and request details remain valid. A changed or expired request needs a new decision. This is a proposed concept, not an implemented access guarantee.
  A(["Project manager<br/>Requests one decision"])
  B("Private link<br/>Only this request visible")
  C(["Supplier<br/>Reviews and responds"])
  D{"Request and access<br/>still valid?"}
  E("Decision recorded<br/>For these exact details")
  X("Request no longer valid<br/>Ask again")
  A --> B
  B -->|Verify when required| C
  C --> D
  D -->|Valid| E
  D -->|Changed or expired| X
  classDef human fill:#faf7f2,stroke:#bf8c53,color:#24211c;
  classDef work fill:#ffffff,stroke:#a3a5ad,color:#25262a;
  classDef decision fill:#f3efff,stroke:#967bcb,color:#30244c;
  classDef result fill:#f0f6ff,stroke:#7b9dca,color:#1d365b;
  classDef exception fill:#fff5ec,stroke:#ce9b63,color:#64431e;
  class A,C human;
  class B work;
  class D decision;
  class E result;
  class X exception;

07

The case study

Participation can be a narrowly bounded capability instead of a new user account.

Responsibilities

Project decision

One action bound to a specific resource revision.

Scoped request

Opaque token, expiry, revocation, and minimal visible context.

External response

Recipient verification depends on the action’s sensitivity.

Atomic validation

Record the response only while scope and revision remain valid.

The boundary

A request permits one defined action on one revision. Every read and write is scoped server-side; possession of a URL does not confer general project access.

The trade-off

A bearer link is convenient but can be forwarded. Sensitive actions need additional recipient verification, trading a little friction for stronger identity assurance; read-only link previews must never consume the action.

When it fails

Evidence Design proposal · local demonstration uses synthetic data

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