It does not control it. Preparation, any filing, a visa step where one applies, admission, and the lawful start of work happen in their own order and on their own timing. Build the household and launch plans so a slip at any of those points does not strand people or deliverables.
Identify what must be true before travel
Work backwards from the first deliverable that genuinely needs someone on site, and list what must be complete before that person can lawfully begin work there. Confirm the qualifying employment period abroad early, since it is a fact about the past that no amount of urgency changes. Where the launch cannot wait, discuss which parts of the deliverable can be done from the current location instead.
Give the qualifying employment question its own slot at the very front of the schedule. It concerns the past, so urgency cannot alter the answer, and it is the item most likely to end or reshape the plan entirely. Where the record includes a secondment, a transfer between group entities, a period on a different payroll, or earlier time spent in the United States, surface those facts at the first meeting rather than letting them emerge during drafting.
Hypothetical example: a propulsion control specialist spent nine months seconded to a customer's project team, and whether that period counts is exactly the sort of question to ask in week one rather than discover in week seven, once a launch date has already been promised to a receiving team.