> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.rytz.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Court Readiness Matrix
> A three-tier dashboard showing how prepared your evidence is for each stage of the court process. Stage by stage, it tells you what's covered and what's missing.
import { Card, CardGroup, Steps, Step, Frame, Note, Tip, Warning } from '@mintlify/components'
The **Court Readiness Matrix** is the dashboard view of the Evidence Portfolio. It answers one question at a glance: **how prepared is my evidence stack for each stage of the matter?**
You'll find it at `app.rytz.com.au/evidence-portfolio/court-readiness`. It also appears on the main dashboard as a summary card.
## The three tiers
The matrix has three levels of detail, each accessible by clicking deeper.
### Tier 1 — Overall stats
The top of the matrix shows three numbers:
* **Overall readiness** — a weighted percentage across all seven court stages
* **Active stage** — the stage your matter is currently in (driven by the [Case Roadmap](/case-roadmap/overview))
* **AI suggestions** — number of unresolved AI proposals waiting in [Stage Review](/evidence/stage-review)
These give you a 5-second status check whenever you open the platform.
### Tier 2 — Stage cells
Below the overall stats sits a six-cell grid (one cell per court stage, plus a Pre-action cell at the start):
| Stage | What the cell shows |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pre-action | Material to support your s60I attempt + initial position; readiness % |
| Application | Initiating Application affidavit annexures readiness % |
| First court event | Material the registrar may need readiness % |
| Interim hearing | Interim parenting / property orders evidence readiness % |
| FDR / conciliation | Mediation / conciliation conference disclosure readiness % |
| Trial preparation | Evidence-in-chief, cross-examination preparation readiness % |
| Final hearing | What gets tendered or referenced at trial readiness % |
Each cell shows a percentage, a colour band (red \< 40%, amber 40–75%, green > 75%), and the count of evidence items assigned to that stage.
The percentage is calculated from a stage-specific checklist. The platform knows what a typical stage of that type needs (parenting affidavit annexures need: changeover history, communication patterns, schooling continuity, medical relevance, family-violence record where applicable). The percentage reflects how much of that typical checklist your evidence covers.
### Tier 3 — Expandable stage cards
Click any cell and it expands into a detailed card showing:
* **The stage-specific checklist** — what the platform considers a complete evidence stack for that stage
* **Items already assigned** — your evidence, grouped by checklist category
* **Gaps** — categories where you have nothing assigned (or weak coverage)
* **AI suggestions for gaps** — proposals about what evidence might fill the gap (e.g. "consider adding school attendance records to support schooling continuity")
* **One-click bundle creation** — turn the stage's evidence into a court-ready bundle (see [Bundles for court](/evidence/bundles-for-court))
## How readiness is calculated
The percentage is a weighted score, not a simple count of items.
For a parenting interim-hearing stage, for example, the weighting is roughly:
| Category | Weight | What counts |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- |
| Changeover history | 20% | Communications + photos + notes about handovers |
| Communication patterns | 20% | Substantive parent-to-parent comms (good and bad) |
| Schooling | 15% | School reports, attendance, parent-teacher comms |
| Medical | 10% | Medical records relevant to parenting |
| Family-violence overlay | up to 25% (if disclosed) | FV records, FVO, police reports |
| Other relevant material | 10% | Anything else marked relevant to interim hearing |
Hit the threshold within each category and the weighted sum gives the cell percentage. The platform shows you the working when you click "Why this score?".
The weights are derived from a typical FCFCOA interim-hearing pattern and recent-decision analysis. Your matter may legitimately weight things differently — a property-only matter has a different parenting-evidence importance, for instance. The matrix gives you a structured starting point, not a final answer.
## Reading the matrix tactically
Three patterns the matrix is designed to surface:
You're about to file (or be filed against) and your foundational evidence is thin. Address before action — a strong pre-action stack often resolves matters before filing.
The first court event will likely set the interim arrangements. Thin interim evidence means weaker interim orders, which then become the new status quo for months.
Common pattern. You've prepared for the filing but haven't built the trial-strength stack. If trial is even possible, the gap closes the runway. Run Stage Review focused on Trial.
Less common but worth noting. The court will look poorly on a party who comes to FDR under-prepared. Build the FDR disclosure stack.
## Updating the matrix
The matrix updates in real time as you work in the Portfolio:
* **Add evidence** → unassigned counter increments; matrix unchanged until you assign stage
* **Run Stage Review** → percentages tick up as you accept proposals
* **Manually assign a stage to an item** (from the vault view) → percentages tick up immediately
* **Create a bundle from a stage** → bundle status appears on the stage card (cosmetic; doesn't change %)
The matrix recalculates within seconds of any change.
## What the matrix won't do
A few honest constraints:
* It does **not** replace a lawyer's review of your evidence. The matrix shows whether you have enough material in each category; it does not assess whether the material is admissible, properly authenticated, or strategically wise to file.
* It does **not** project outcomes. A 95% Trial-readiness percentage does not predict the trial outcome. It just means you have evidence in each category the platform tracks.
* The weighting is **average**, not your-matter-specific. If your matter is unusual (substantial business interests, international elements, contested mental-health considerations, complex blended family) the standard weights underweight what actually matters.
A pattern that works well: take the Court Readiness Matrix to your first lawyer consultation. It's a fast way for a lawyer to see your evidence position without trawling the vault, and it gives them a clear hook for "the gaps the platform identified are the gaps I'd identify too — let's address X first".
## What's next
Resolve un-decided AI proposals to drive readiness percentages up.
When a stage hits high readiness, turn it into a bundle for filing.
The matrix mirrors the Case Roadmap stages — see each stage in detail.
The matrix's stage-resolved evidence flows into the Master Case File evidence matrix.