Strategy choice cascade
OfficialOfficial · updated Nov 4, 2026 · v1.0.0
Writes a strategy on one page as five linked choices, builds where to play and how to win as pairs, and tests the pair with a what-would-have-to-be-true list.
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When to use it
- A team needs a strategy on one page
- Leaders are choosing between strategic options and keep arguing
- The strategy is a vision plus a list of initiatives
What you give it
- The scope (company, unit, product, function)
- Facts on customers, channels, competitors, and your strengths
- The options on the table
- Who decides and by when
What you get
The five choices on one page, a what-would-have-to-be-true table with tests and owners, and a choice or a dated test plan.
Changelog
- v1.0.0 · Nov 4, 2026 · First release.
Sources
- Decoding the Strategy Choice Cascade - Roger L. Martin, 2023 (2026-11-04)
- On the Inseparability of Where-to-Play and How-to-Win - Roger L. Martin, 2020 (2026-11-04)
- What Would Have to be True? - Roger L. Martin, 2022 (2026-11-04)
- From Laudable List to How to Really Win - Roger L. Martin, 2020 (2026-11-04)
- Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works - Publishers Weekly review (2026-11-04)
- Five savvy questions for strategic success - Harvey Schachter, The Globe and Mail, February 2013 (2026-11-04)
Related skills
- Strategy kernel Writes a one-page strategy kernel (diagnosis, guiding policy, coherent actions) and tests it, or an existing plan, for the four signs of bad strategy.
- Generic strategy choice Chooses one of Porter's generic strategies on evidence, checks the stuck-in-the-middle risk, and writes the trade-offs the choice forces.
- Durable advantage check Tests each claimed moat for a benefit and a barrier, sorts it into one of seven types of durable advantage, matches it to the company's stage, and says what to build now.
- Positioning statement (5 components) Drafts positioning from April Dunford's 5 components: alternatives, unique attributes, value, target customer and category, then a one-line statement.
- Decision memo Writes a short narrative decision memo: recommendation first, context, options with trade-offs, risks, and the ask with a decider and deadline.