Module template
The 11-section structure every module ships against. Tier 1 → Tier 2 → Tier 3, decision scenarios, blind spots, self-check.
Module Template — Executive Curriculum
Phase 1 deliverable · v0.1 · 2026-05-20
Every module in modules/M[NN]-*.md ships against this structure. Section order is fixed. Section content is module-specific. The template is the contract — the reader can move between modules without re-learning the layout.
Frontmatter
YAML frontmatter at the top of every module file. The schema matches the existing Astro content collection at ~/HiON Training Module/web/src/content.config.ts, with two exec-specific fields:
---
module: M[NN]
phase: [A · The Business | B · The Model | C · How sites get built and run | D · The rails]
title: [module title in sentence case]
study_minutes: [integer — total self-study time]
audience: Executive (Will, Jim, Joe Lewis, future exec hires)
prerequisites: [list of module IDs that must be completed first, or "none"]
contains_internal_only_numbers: [true | false]
source_documents:
- [doc path, section, or external reference — each tagged primary or [CONFIRM]]
version: v0.1
last_reviewed: YYYY-MM-DD
---contains_internal_only_numbers: true triggers a visual flag in the eventual web app — a non-public marker so an exec who’s about to paste a passage into an outbound email gets a warning.
Section 1 · Tier 1 — The 60-second brief
The most compressed version of the topic. Designed to be read in under two minutes and held in working memory.
Format:
- One short opening paragraph that frames the topic.
- 5–8 numbered bullets that capture the operative facts.
- A closing one-line “what you must be able to say without notes.”
No adjective stacking. No “we believe.” No hedging. Two facts. The reader fills in the implication.
The Tier 1 brief is what an executive uses to walk into a counterparty conversation having read nothing else. It is not a teaser. It is a load-bearing summary.
Section 2 · Tier 2 — Source map
The map of canonical sources for this topic. The executive who needs more than Tier 1 — but less than the full Tier 3 mechanics — uses this section to navigate.
Format inside the section:
- Canonical documents. Specific files with paths, sections, and version dates. Not vague “the deck.”
- Live dashboards / portals. Partner Portal locations, BI dashboards, monitoring tools.
- Owners. Named person + email + scope of authority for this topic. Who you call before you brief externally.
- External references. Public-facing sources (NREL reports, Tesla press releases, Akerman publications) used as authority.
- Related curriculum modules. Cross-references to other modules in this curriculum and to the Franchisee Training Program where overlap exists.
Every source entry has a one-line “when to open this” — so the executive knows whether to read the source or just cite it.
Section 3 · Tier 3 — Deep dive
The full mechanics. The teaching content.
Organized into 3–6 numbered sub-sections, each with a one-line subhead in sentence case.
Each sub-section delivers:
- The rule, mechanism, or framework.
- The numbers behind it (dollars, percentages, day counts, port counts — sourced).
- The specific document or system where the executive finds it day-to-day.
- The most common executive blind spot and its consequence.
Density target: dense enough that a sophisticated reader finds new substance on a re-read, loose enough that nothing reads as procedural cut-and-paste from the underlying source.
Citation discipline: every claim that involves a specific number, deadline, structural fact, or procedure gets a parenthetical source tag — (hion-context.md §3) or (FDD Item 19) or (Investment Deck p. X) or [CONFIRM] for anything paraphrased without primary-source verification.
Section 4 · The numbers
A standalone block — table or numbered list — of every named figure in the module. Pulled out of Tier 3 so the executive can find them quickly without re-reading prose.
For modules with contains_internal_only_numbers: true, this section is split into two clearly labeled groups:
| Public-safe | Internal-only |
|---|---|
(figures from hion-context.md §3 public-safe set) | (figures from hion-context.md §3 internal-only set) |
The internal-only block carries a header: “Do not reproduce in any public-facing material without Akerman review.”
Section 5 · Why this matters
One to two paragraphs. The strategic case for why this module is non-optional for an executive. Anchored to specific stakes: capital partner credibility, FDD compliance, brand-redline violations, franchisee-recruitment outcomes, regulator interactions.
This section is not motivational. No “we’re excited,” no “imagine.” It names the obvious objection (“isn’t this just a refresher for what we already know?”) and dispatches it with a fact — the assumption that gets misstated most often, the redlined phrase that still appears in stray decks, the number that was wrong in last week’s email to a prospective franchisee.
Section 6 · Decision scenarios
3–5 realistic executive moments. Each scenario:
- Describes a concrete operating moment in 3–6 sentences. Specifics — who’s emailing, what they said, what the deadline is, what’s been promised — not abstractions.
- States the executive’s available actions.
- Asks the reader for a specific decision and the reasoning behind it.
- Includes a model answer immediately below (in this curriculum the reader is the assessor — answers are visible, not hidden in facilitator notes).
Scenario format examples (all hypothetical — concrete in each module):
- A prospective franchisee asks, on a Tuesday call, “what’s the actual payback on this — 3 years or 5?” What does the executive say, with which compliance constraint cited?
- A regional journalist emails for a quote on “Tesla’s most dominant network.” Does the executive respond, and if so with what phrasing?
- A capital partner asks for the 10-location portfolio EBITDA target in writing. What does the executive send, in what form, and what is the routing path?
Decision scenarios are where the curriculum builds judgment, not just memory. Treat them as the heart of the module.
Section 7 · Common executive blind spots
A short numbered list (3–6 items) of the most predictable mistakes executives make in this module’s domain. Drawn from:
- Explicit Akerman redline entries (where exec speech has historically drifted).
- Misstatements that have appeared in real founder calls, decks, or marketing.
- Patterns that show up when execs brief externally without a compliance check.
Format per item:
- The blind spot, named in one sentence.
- The consequence (legal exposure, brand redline violation, capital-partner credibility, franchisee miscommunication).
- The discipline that prevents it.
This section overlaps slightly with Tier 3 but earns its keep — it’s the executive’s pre-flight checklist for the topic, separable from the teaching flow.
Section 8 · Self-check
8–10 questions. Mix of closed-form (multiple-choice or short answer) and one open-ended scenario question.
Answer key immediately below — this is self-study, not facilitated assessment. The reader checks their own work.
Pass threshold (self-imposed): 80%. If a question gets missed, the reader is directed back to the specific Tier 3 sub-section that covers it. Sub-section anchors are linked in the answer key.
For modules touching the compliance redline (M03, M05, M06, M09): at least three of the self-check questions ask the reader to identify a redlined phrase and replace it with the compliant version, verbatim.
Section 9 · Cross-references
Two lists:
Modules: Which other exec curriculum modules this one connects to, with one-line context on why. (Example for M03 Tesla relationship: M01 — what HiON is anchors the role split; M07 — the Tesla relationship governs how sites get built; M09 — the redline includes Tesla-relationship phrasings the executive must use precisely.)
External documents: Full citation list for the module — every doc, section, and external reference used in Tier 2 and Tier 3. With paths or URLs.
Franchisee curriculum overlap (where applicable): Pointer to the Franchisee Training Program modules at ~/HiON Training Module/Curriculum-Rebuild/modules/ that cover the same domain at operator depth. Useful when an executive wants to know how a topic is being taught to franchisees.
Section 10 · Source verification log
A table tracking every [CONFIRM] tag in the module:
| Claim | Current source | Primary source needed | Status | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (specific claim with tag) | (hion-context.md §X / Investment Deck p. X / etc.) | (FDD / MSA / cap table / Canvas Program agreement) | unverified | (Jim / Bill / Joe Lewis / Kevin Hein) |
| … | … | … | … | … |
Updated as primary sources are obtained. The full set across all modules consolidates into reference/Source-Verification-Log.md.
For an executive-codified curriculum, the verification owner is almost always one of the named principals. The point of the log is not just to catch errors — it’s to convert tacit knowledge (“Jim knows”) into documented knowledge (“Jim said, on date X, citing doc Y”).
Section 11 · Change log
| Version | Date | Author | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| v0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | Claude | Initial draft |
What the template prohibits
Some patterns are excluded by template, not just by voice:
- No “Introduction” section beyond what Section 5 (Why this matters) already does. Introductions are filler.
- No “Conclusion” or “Summary” section. Tier 1 is the summary.
- No motivational framing. “As HiON grows, executives need to…” is not a learning objective.
- No restatement of the voice playbook inside modules. The playbook is the rubric; modules execute against it without reciting it.
- No public-marketing claims without the redline applied. Even though this curriculum is internal, drift into non-compliant phrasing pollutes downstream documents.
What the template requires
- Every module ends with Section 11 (Change Log) — even if the only entry is v0.1.
- Every claim with a number is sourced or
[CONFIRM]-tagged. - Every Tier 1 fact maps to a Tier 3 sub-section.
- Every decision scenario in Section 6 has a model answer below it.
- The
contains_internal_only_numbersflag is set honestly. False-negative on this flag is a redline risk. - Modules touching compliance phrasings (M03, M05, M06, M09) include at least three self-check items that drill the redline replacements.