strategy-doclisted

Write strategy that forces hard choices. A strategy that doesn't say "no" to something isn't a strategy — it's a wish list. Strategy is not goals, not aspirations, and not a list of things you want to do. It's a coherent set of choices about where to play and how to win. ## The Strategy Kernel (Richard Rumelt) Every strategy document must contain these three elements: ### 1. Diagnosis What's actually going on? Name the challenge clearly. A good diagnosis simplifies complexity by identifying the critical factors. - "Our activation rate is 23% because new users don't understand the product's value in their first session." - NOT: "We need to grow faster." (That's an aspiration, not a diagnosis.) ### 2. Guiding Policy The overall approach for dealing with the challenge. This is the big directional bet — it rules things in AND rules things out. - "Focus entirely on time-to-first-value for solo users before expanding to teams." - NOT: "Improve the product across all dimensions." (That's not a choice.) ### 3. Coherent Actions Specific, coordinated actions that execute the guiding policy. Actions should reinforce each other. - "Rebuild onboarding as a guided first-project flow. Remove the team invite step from signup. Add inline tooltips on the three core features. Measure activation at 'first project completed' not 'account created.'" ## Playing to Win Framework (Lafley/Martin) Structure the strategy as five cascading choices: 1. **Winning Aspiration:** What does winning