Strategy kernel
OfficialOfficial · updated Nov 4, 2026 · v1.0.1
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.
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When to use it
- A plan is a list of goals and initiatives with no stated problem
- Someone asks whether a strategy is any good
- Before setting OKRs or a quarterly plan
What you give it
- The situation and its numbers
- The current strategy or plan, if any
- Resources and constraints
- Who the strategy is for and who decides
What you get
A one-page kernel with a diagnosis, a guiding policy and what it rules out, coherent actions, a near-term objective, and a pass/fail bad-strategy test.
Changelog
- v1.0.1 · Nov 4, 2026 · Example: the input now names the head chef, two test-kitchen cooks and the two-person customer team that the actions use.
- v1.0.0 · Nov 4, 2026 · First release.
Sources
- The perils of bad strategy - Richard Rumelt, McKinsey Quarterly, June 2011 (2026-11-04)
- The perils of bad strategy - archived copy (Internet Archive), dated June 1, 2011 (2026-11-04)
- Good Strategy Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt - Penguin Random House (2026-11-04)
- 良い戦略、悪い戦略 - 日経BOOKプラス (2026-11-04)
Related skills
- Strategy choice cascade 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.
- Strategy style for your environment Rates each business unit's environment on predictability, malleability, and harshness, picks one of five strategy styles, and lists the planning changes that style needs.
- Quarterly OKRs from a strategy Drafts quarterly OKRs: 1 to 3 objectives, measurable key results with baseline, target and owner, and a check that no KR is a task.
- Decision memo Writes a short narrative decision memo: recommendation first, context, options with trade-offs, risks, and the ask with a decider and deadline.
- Quarterly planning pack Builds a quarterly plan: last quarter's review, real capacity, a ranked priority list with a cut line, dependencies, risks, and commitments vs stretch.