goal-setter

Goal Setter

Transform vague or precise objectives into structured, actionable goals.

Operating Model

Goals are the primary operating mode for LeanOS. All work should be goal-driven.

PROACTIVE (primary):  Goal → Plan → Threads → Artifacts → Learning → Canvas
REACTIVE (fallback):  Signal → Thread → Link to Goal (or create new goal)

Goal-setter reads:

• Canvas (strategy/canvas/*) - strategic context, assumptions, constraints
• Existing goals (strategy/goals/active/*) - avoid conflicts, find linkages

Goal-setter does NOT read:

• Threads (execution output, not input)
• Artifacts (deliverables, not context)

Canvas Reference

Goal-setter uses Canvas sections for context, constraints, and success criteria alignment.

Canvas Sections (15 files)

| Section | Purpose | Goal-setter Use | |---------|---------|-----------------| | 00.mode.md | VENTURE/BOOTSTRAP mode | Required - determines metrics, decomposition | | 01.context.md | Product, market context (KBOS) | Goal alignment check | | 02.constraints.md | Budget, time, resources | Goal constraints | | 03.opportunity.md | TAM/SAM/SOM, timing | Business goal sizing | | 04.segments.md | Customer segments | Target audience for goals | | 05.problem.md | Top 3 problems | Problem-focused goals | | 06.competitive.md | Competitors, positioning | Competitive goals | | 07.uvp.md | Unique Value Proposition | Messaging alignment | | 08.unfair.md | Unfair advantages, moats | Strategic goals | | 09.solution.md | MVP features | Product goals | | 10.assumptions.md | Hypotheses, validation status | Key - link goals to assumptions | | 11.channels.md | Acquisition channels | Channel strategy | | 12.revenue.md | Revenue model, tiers | Revenue goal targets | | 13.metrics.md | Key metrics, targets | Success criteria source | | 14.costs.md | Cost structure, burn | Profitability constraints | | 15.gtm.md | GTM strategy | Marketing/sales goals |

Canvas Reading by Goal Type

business goals:
  Required: 00-mode, 11-pricing, 12-costs, 13-metrics
  Context:  01-context, 03-opportunity, 04-segments
  Link to:  10-assumptions (revenue/growth hypotheses)

brand goals:
  Required: 01-context, 07-uvp
  Context:  04-segments, 14-growth
  Link to:  10-assumptions (audience/positioning hypotheses)

product goals:
  Required: 09-solution, 05-problem
  Context:  01-context, 02-constraints
  Link to:  10-assumptions (product/market fit hypotheses)

learning goals:
  Context:  01-context (what skills needed)
  Link to:  10-assumptions (capability hypotheses)

Linking Goals to Canvas Assumptions

Every goal should link to Canvas assumptions (10.assumptions.md):

## Canvas Links

**Validates assumptions:**
- A3: "Enterprise customers will pay $500/month" (10.assumptions.md)
- A7: "Content marketing drives qualified leads" (10.assumptions.md)

**Informs sections:**
- 13.metrics.md (success updates metrics)
- 12.revenue.md (if revenue assumption validated)

When goal completes:

1. Update linked assumption status in 10.assumptions.md
2. Update relevant Canvas section if assumption validated/invalidated
3. Log learning in goal file

Type Signature

GoalSetter : Objective × CanvasContext × Mode × ExistingGoals → Goal

Where:
  Objective     : string (user's stated intent)
  CanvasContext : strategy/canvas/* (beliefs, constraints, segments)
  Mode          : VENTURE | BOOTSTRAP (from strategy/canvas/00.mode.md)
  ExistingGoals : strategy/goals/active/* (avoid conflicts)
  Goal          : Objective × SuccessCriteria × Plan × Autonomy × State
  Plan          : [Subgoal] × [Milestone] × [Dependency]
  Subgoal       : Objective × SuccessCriterion × ThreadType

When to Use

• User expresses intent: "I want to...", "Goal is to...", "Need to achieve..."
• Starting a new initiative without clear structure
• Breaking down a large objective into actionable pieces
• Reviewing/refining existing goals

Process

1. Capture Objective

Extract from user input:

• What: The desired outcome
• Why: Motivation/context (optional but valuable)
• When: Deadline or timeline (required)
• Constraints: Budget, resources, dependencies

If vague, ask:

What does success look like specifically?
By when do you need this achieved?
What resources/constraints should I know about?

2. Determine Goal Type

Infer from context or ask:

| Type | Signals | Example | |------|---------|---------| | business | Revenue, customers, growth, market | "Reach $50K MRR" | | brand | Followers, reach, authority, audience | "Build LinkedIn presence" | | product | Features, launches, technical milestones | "Ship v2.0" | | learning | Skills, certifications, knowledge | "Learn Rust" | | custom | Anything else | User-defined |

3. Apply Mode (Business Goals)

For business type goals, read mode from strategy/canvas/00.mode.md:

| Aspect | VENTURE | BOOTSTRAP | |--------|---------|-----------| | Primary metrics | ARR, MAU, market share, runway | MRR, profit, cash flow, payback | | Success focus | Growth rate, scale | Profitability, sustainability | | Decomposition | Users → Activation → Monetization | Revenue → Margin → Reinvest | | Timeline | 7-10 year exit horizon | Profitable in 3 months | | Risk tolerance | Higher (burn for growth) | Lower (preserve cash) |

Mode-specific defaults:

VENTURE mode:
  Success criteria emphasize:
  - ARR growth rate (>100% YoY)
  - User/customer acquisition
  - Market share expansion
  - Acceptable burn for growth

  Subgoal order: Acquire → Activate → Retain → Monetize

  Autonomy default: hybrid (speed matters, but stakes high)

BOOTSTRAP mode:
  Success criteria emphasize:
  - MRR and monthly profit
  - Positive cash flow
  - LTV:CAC > 5:1
  - CAC payback < 6 months

  Subgoal order: First revenue → Unit economics → Scale

  Autonomy default: ask (cash preservation critical)

Non-business goals: Mode has minimal impact on brand, product, learning goals.

4. Define Success Criteria

Transform objective into measurable criteria:

Good criteria:

• Specific number or state
• Independently verifiable
• Time-bound (inherits from goal deadline)

Examples:

Objective: "Grow revenue"
Criteria:
- [ ] MRR >= $50,000
- [ ] Customer count >= 10
- [ ] Net revenue retention >= 100%

Objective: "Build LinkedIn presence"
Criteria:
- [ ] Followers >= 10,000
- [ ] Average post impressions >= 5,000
- [ ] 2+ inbound leads/month from content

5. Decompose into Plan

Subgoals - intermediate objectives that lead to main goal:

• Each subgoal has its own success criterion
• Identify dependencies between subgoals
• Link to thread types (business, sales, marketing, engineering)

Milestones - checkpoints with dates:

• Evenly distributed toward deadline
• Each milestone = measurable progress marker

Decomposition reasoning:

Goal: Achieve X by deadline D
  ↓
Ask: What must be true for X to happen?
  ↓
Identify 3-5 necessary conditions (subgoals)
  ↓
For each subgoal: What threads/actions achieve this?
  ↓
Order by dependencies
  ↓
Set milestones at 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% progress points

6. Set Autonomy Level

| Mode | When to Use | Behavior | |------|-------------|----------| | auto | Low-risk, well-understood domain | AI creates threads and executes without asking | | ask | High-risk, novel, or user preference | AI recommends, waits for approval | | hybrid | Default | Auto for impact <0.5, ask for impact ≥0.5 |

Default: hybrid unless user specifies otherwise.

7. Initialize State

Create initial state section:

• All metrics start at current values (0 or baseline)
• Gap = target - current
• Trend = "→" (neutral, no data yet)
• Trajectory = "Unknown" (insufficient data)

Output

Create file: strategy/goals/active/{goal-id}.md

Goal File Schema

---
id: g-{kebab-case-short-name}
type: business | brand | produc