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The Field Guide to the Terrain Doctrine

How to Use MD-386 in Practice · Step-by-Step · Live Reference
MD-386 is the map. This document is how you use it. Not for reading — for doing. You have a person. You have a gap. This guide tells you how to match them. When to move someone. When to hold. When to split a role. When to wait.
Companion to: MD-386 — The Terrain Doctrine → · Staffing Hub → · MD-385 — Verification Gap →
GUIDE SECTIONS
Step 1 · Find the Person Step 2 · Run the Test Step 3 · Match the Territory Step 4 · Confirm the Fit Step 5 · Give the First Job Territory Movement Cross-Territory Dependencies Dos and Don'ts Full Link Index
The Rule Before You Start
MD-386 describes what the territories are. This guide describes how to use them. The difference matters. A map tells you where things are. A field guide tells you how to move through them. Use MD-386 when you need to understand a territory in depth. Use this document when you are holding a person in one hand and a gap in the other, and you need to know what to do next.
12
Territories Available
4
Active Territories
5
Partial Territories
3
Planned Territories
1
Critical Gaps
4
Total Current Urgencies
1
Find the Person
Before you place anyone — be clear about who they actually are
You do not start with a vacancy. You start with a person. What have they actually done? Not on a CV. In real life. Before they knew you were watching. The person who always ends up organising things is an Internal person. The person who always ends up asking questions about how systems work is a Depth person. The person who always sends things before being asked is an Army Physical person. Start with behaviour. The territory follows.
THINGS TO OBSERVE — BEFORE THE TEST
What do they do when no one asks?
What have they already built or fixed on their own?
What kind of tasks do they naturally gravitate toward?
Do they prefer working alone or coordinating with others?
Do they prefer structure or openness?
How do they respond to confusion — do they ask or do they figure?
2
Run the Three-Question Test
Three questions. Honest answers. The territory reveals itself.
Q1 — What have they already done?
Past behaviour is the most honest signal. Not ambition. Not potential. Done. Delivered. Showed up.
3+ examples = high confidence · 1–2 examples = possible fit · 0 examples = start them at Army Verifiable first
Q2 — What lights them up without being asked?
The territory they gravitate toward for free is the territory they will excel in. No prompting. Natural pull.
Clear answer = strong fit · Uncertain = run a trial in multiple territories · No answer = they need more time in Army Verifiable
Q3 — Can they work without hand-holding in this area?
If you have to manage every step, they are not in the right territory. The right fit produces self-management.
Yes = confirm placement · Partially = fit with a check-in structure · No = not ready for this territory yet
3
Match the Territory
Use the test results to find the territory. The table below maps signals to territories.
IF THEY ARE...MATCH TO TERRITORYFIRST JOB
Organised, reliable, follows through without being chasedInternal (T3) — promote from Army firstWatch army performance for 4 weeks. Promote if consistent.
Patient with paperwork, understands legal, talks to regulatorsCompliance (T1)Assign one EPR or PPT research brief from Army Verifiable pool.
Writer, storyteller, doesn't mind rejectionGrants (T2)One grant research brief first. Then an application draft if research is strong.
Hands-on, can lift/sort/drive/operatePhysical (T6)Assign when Unit 18 keys arrive. No point placing them yet.
Analyst, researcher, likes monitoringResearch & Intelligence (T12)CBM monitoring brief first. One-week trial before retainer.
Family or trusted circle, phone/email/visitsArmy Physical (T9)FIND brief first (£80). Assess response quality before bigger jobs.
Coder, system-builder, ships without fussDepth & Digital (T5)QR system task or agent brief first.
Anyone new, unproven, eagerArmy Verifiable (T8)Start with a research brief. Let the work reveal the territory.
Relationship manager, explains the system wellGrowth & Franchise (T11)Partner outreach brief first. Territory expansion research.
Educator, enjoys teaching what they knowLearning & Dev (T10)Curriculum design brief. One course module to start.
4
Confirm the Fit
One trial job before full territory assignment
Never assign a territory based on a test alone. Give them one job in the target territory. A real job. Paid. With a real deadline and a real deliverable. Watch what happens. Not the output. The behaviour. Did they ask good questions? Did they manage themselves? Did they deliver without being chased? Did they notice things that weren't in the brief? That's confirmation.
IF THEY...
Delivered without being chased
Confirmed fit — proceed to full territory assignment
IF THEY...
Delivered but needed follow-up twice
Possible fit — run a second trial before committing
IF THEY...
Did not deliver on time
Not ready for this territory — return to Army Verifiable
IF THEY...
Delivered and noticed things not in the brief
Exceptional fit — may be suitable for Internal territory fast-track
IF THEY...
Delivered but quality was low
Wrong territory — run the test again with a different territory match
5
Give the First Job
The first job is not just work — it is the territory introduction
The first job should be simple, paid, clearly specified, and have an obvious success condition. Not too small that it doesn't reveal anything. Not too large that failure demoralises. One research brief. One data entry task. One targeted outreach. One page build. The first job tells you more about a person than a hundred conversations.
FIRST JOB CHECKLIST
✓ Clear brief — what, when, how to submit
✓ Paid — even small amounts signal real contract
✓ Defined deliverable — not "help with" but "produce X by Y"
✓ No hand-holding once brief is given — watch what they do
✓ Feedback after delivery — what was good, what needs improving
✓ Link to territory — explain why this job exists in this territory
TERRITORY MOVEMENT — WHEN AND HOW
MOVEMENTWHEN TO MOVEHOW TO MOVE
Army Verifiable → Internal3+ jobs delivered. No quality issues. Self-managing. Proactive.Offer Internal role verbally first. Start with one Internal sub-area. Full transition after 2 weeks.
Army Verifiable → Compliance/Grants2+ strong research briefs with good quality and zero chasing.Offer dedicated retainer in target territory. Keep one army job open until confirmed.
Physical (when keys arrive)Unit 18 keys received. Physical operations beginning.Assign operators immediately. First week: sorting and baling only. Verification from week 2.
Army Physical (Family)Family member available and willing. Trust established over time.Start with FIND brief (£80). Explain the split (85/8/7). Set clear expectation: this is real work, real pay.
Growth & FranchisePhysical territory proving. First tonnes verified.Assign growth researcher first. No partner conversations until dPRN is minting.
Learning & DevInternal territory has enough cover. University curriculum needed.Commission one course module first. See if it lands with real learners before building the full curriculum.
CROSS-TERRITORY DEPENDENCIES — WHAT FEEDS WHAT
Territories are not isolated. They feed each other. Gaps in one territory create pressure on connected territories. When placing people, consider where the flow breaks if this territory is weak.
Compliance (T1)
Feeds Physical, Grants, Growth, Surface. Every other territory depends on compliance being correct.
Grants (T2)
Funds Learning, Physical, Internal. Weak grants = fewer resources for expansion.
Internal (T3)
Monitors all 11 other territories. Weak Internal = blind spots everywhere.
Research & Intel (T12)
Feeds H.BLUE. Feeds Compliance. Feeds Growth. The nervous system.
Physical (T6)
Source of all value. Every other territory validates what happens here.
Army Verifiable (T8)
Pipeline for Internal. Pipeline for Compliance. Pipeline for Grants. The entry level.
Learning & Dev (T10)
Feeder for all territories. Course completion → territory placement.
Surface (T4)
Makes everything visible. Proof that the rest is real. Yours only.
DOS AND DON'TS — THE PLACEMENT RULES
✓ DO
✓ Start everyone at Army Verifiable unless proven otherwise
✓ Run the 3-question test before any territory assignment
✓ Give one trial job before committing to a territory
✓ Watch behaviour — not just output
✓ Explain the territory to the person when you place them
✓ Build Internal territory from within — never hire externally first
✓ Keep family in Army Physical territory (per MD-385)
✓ Move people when they are ready — not when you are desperate
✓ Review territory placement every 30 days for new placements
✓ Let the territory reveal the person — the right fit is obvious
✗ DON'T
✗ Assign someone to Internal territory without army track record
✗ Give digital army Army Physical (FIND/SEND/REPLY/CALL) jobs
✗ Place someone in Growth territory before Physical is proven
✗ Create a role because you like the person — create it because the territory needs filling
✗ Move someone to a new territory without explaining why
✗ Fill Internal with external hires before internal promotion
✗ Assume Surface territory can be delegated — it cannot
✗ Place someone in two demanding territories simultaneously
✗ Bypass the trial job step — it always reveals something
✗ Confuse job title with territory — territories are broader than titles
📖
MD-387 · THE FIELD GUIDE
Companion to MD-386 — The Terrain Doctrine
Sealed 30 April 2026 · Sovereign Only · Library Only · 75% Operator / 25% AI
← Terrain Doctrine Staffing Hub → Library →
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