{
  "schema": "vedokrok.public-item.v1",
  "release_id": "MHC-RPUB-20260920-75ad787a",
  "url": "/knowledge/write-the-alternative-before-you-negotiate",
  "id": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0323",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "title": "Write the alternative before you negotiate",
  "summary": "You negotiate differently when 'no deal' has an actual next step.",
  "kind": "protocol",
  "body": "Define your BATNA—the best realistic course you can take if this negotiation produces no acceptable agreement. Name the action, timing, dependencies and evidence that it is genuinely available. Compare any proposed deal with that alternative instead of comparing it with the discomfort of saying no.",
  "limits": [
    "A fantasy option is not a BATNA; verify availability and important constraints before relying on it."
  ],
  "topics": [
    "union-negotiation-deal-design"
  ],
  "intents": [],
  "source_ids": [
    "RS-AD8C9A4D5490AE7D"
  ],
  "evidence": [
    {
      "claim": "The Program on Negotiation recommends identifying the best alternative to a negotiated agreement, or BATNA, during preparation.",
      "source_id": "RS-AD8C9A4D5490AE7D",
      "role": "supports",
      "note": "A BATNA is an alternative if no agreement is reached; it should not be confused with the preferred negotiated outcome.",
      "locator": "Question 9"
    }
  ],
  "use_when": [
    "A negotiation matters enough that a bad agreement could feel easier than walking away."
  ],
  "avoid_when": [
    "A fantasy option is not a BATNA; verify availability and important constraints before relying on it."
  ],
  "example": "Before negotiating a project assignment, identify the best available alternative role or work arrangement you can actually pursue.",
  "check": "You can describe what you will do after walking away without using the phrase 'figure something out.'",
  "steps": [
    "You can describe what you will do after walking away without using the phrase 'figure something out.'"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "RS-AD8C9A4D5490AE7D",
      "title": "A Negotiation Preparation Checklist",
      "url": "https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/negotiation-skills-daily/negotiation-preparation-checklist/"
    }
  ],
  "relations": [
    {
      "from": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0323",
      "to": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0325",
      "type": "use_before",
      "url": "/knowledge/set-the-walk-away-point-before-the-room-gets-persuasive"
    }
  ],
  "collections": [
    {
      "id": "RC-4FEE20A8D0BD67A8",
      "title": "Prepare the walk-away, then negotiate the whole package",
      "url": "/collections/prepare-the-walk-away-then-negotiate-the-whole-package"
    }
  ]
}