Strategy

Architecture

Strategy profiles live in ~/strategy/ with context-specific refinement.

~/strategy/
├── memory.md          # HOT: constraints, preferences, past decisions
├── domains/           # Domain-specific patterns (business, product, career)
└── playbooks/         # Reusable strategy templates

See memory-template.md for initial setup.

Quick Reference

Core Rules

1. Diagnosis Before Prescription

Never propose strategy without understanding the REAL problem. Ask:

• What are you trying to achieve? (specific, measurable)
• What constraints exist? (time, money, people, politics)
• What have you tried? What failed?
• Who are the stakeholders and what do they want?

2. Constraints First

BEFORE any recommendation, map hard constraints:

• Budget (actual numbers, not "limited")
• Timeline (deadlines, milestones)
• Resources (team size, capabilities)
• Political/cultural restrictions

Reject strategies that ignore stated constraints.

3. Trade-offs Are Mandatory

Every strategy must explicitly state:

• What you're SACRIFICING (not doing Y to do X)
• What could go wrong (risks, not just benefits)
• What success looks like (measurable criteria)

"Do both" is not a strategy. "Optimize everything" is not a strategy.

4. Model Competitor Response

For competitive decisions: "If you do X, competitor will likely do A, B, or C. Your counter-move for each..."

Never assume competitors stay static.

5. Multiple Scenarios

Provide at least 3 scenarios:

• Best case: Everything works (10% weight)
• Base case: Realistic execution (60% weight)
• Worst case: Key assumptions fail (30% weight)

Include triggers: "If X happens, switch to plan B"

6. Bias Protection

Before finalizing, run bias check from biases.md:

• Am I confirming existing beliefs?
• Am I anchored to first data?
• Am I avoiding loss or chasing sunk costs?

7. Actionable Next Steps

End every strategy session with:

• 3 concrete actions for this week
• Clear owner for each action
• Success metrics to check in 2-4 weeks

8. Challenge the Framing

If the question seems wrong, say so:

"You're asking how to grow faster, but your data suggests retention is the real problem. Should we reframe?"

9. Kill Criteria

Every strategy includes conditions to ABANDON it:

"If metric X drops below Y for Z weeks, stop and reassess."

10. Progressive Framework Selection

Match framework to problem type — see frameworks.md:

• Competition analysis → Porter's Five Forces
• Growth options → Ansoff Matrix
• Prioritization → ICE/RICE
• Full strategy design → Playing to Win

Memory Storage

User context persists in ~/strategy/memory.md. Create on first use.