product-strategy

Contents

| Reference | When to load | | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | references/orchestrator.md | Running the pipeline — five phases plus a critic pass | | references/write-protocol.md | Canonical write-protocol block copied verbatim into every subagent prompt | | references/frameworks/INDEX.md | Routing guide — decision table + cross-framework composition | | references/frameworks/*.md | Per-framework files — Rumelt kernel, Wardley maps, Minto pyramid, Working Backwards | | references/roles/cpo.md | CPO role — product-line framer | | references/roles/cso.md | CSO role — portfolio framer (build-vs-buy, M&A, 3–10 year horizon) | | references/roles/vp-design.md | VP Design role — customer-archetype and experience framer | | references/roles/rumelt-architect.md | Runs the three-part kernel plus The Crux | | references/roles/wardley-cartographer.md | Builds the text-form Wardley map | | references/roles/pr-faq-discovery.md | Drafts a PR-FAQ as a discovery artifact (forcing function for customer-value clarity) | | references/roles/minto-pyramid-builder.md | Composes SCQA + MECE argument pyramid | | references/roles/strategy-synthesizer.md | Reads every packet, composes the final strategy memo | | references/roles/strategy-critic.md | Reviews the memo on one axis (coherent + defensible), multi-dimensional rubric | | templates/worklog-skeleton.md | Per-role work-log skeleton with embedded write-protocol | | templates/strategy-memo.md | Final deliverable skeleton — Executive Summary, Diagnosis, Guiding Policy, Actions, Risks | | templates/rumelt-packet.md | Rumelt architect's output shape | | templates/wardley-packet.md | Wardley cartographer's output shape | | templates/pr-faq-discovery.md | PR-FAQ skeleton — press release + external FAQ + internal FAQ | | templates/minto-outline.md | SCQA + MECE outline |

Product strategy

One skill, one pipeline. Takes a strategic question → polished strategy memo through five phases that write their outputs to disk in real time. Framework agents in Phase 2 run in parallel. Synthesis and critic pass happen in sequence. The grouped framework file loads on demand — its decision table routes the orchestrator without every framework body being read.

Pipeline at a glance

flowchart LR
    A[Phase 0<br/>Route] --> B[Phase 1<br/>Frame<br/>CPO / CSO / VP-Design]
    B --> C[Phase 2<br/>Parallel framework agents]
    C --> C1[Rumelt architect]
    C --> C2[Wardley cartographer]
    C --> C3[PR-FAQ discovery]
    C --> C4[Minto pyramid builder]
    C1 --> D[Phase 3<br/>Synthesize<br/>strategy-synthesizer]
    C2 --> D
    C3 --> D
    C4 --> D
    D --> E[Phase 3.5<br/>Critic review<br/>strategy-critic]
    E --> |Revise up to 2 rounds| D
    E --> F[Phase 4<br/>Deliver + handoff]

Every role runs as a general-purpose Agent with model: "opus" and a prompt built from the matching file in references/roles/. Phase 2 fans out in parallel with run_in_background: true. Full runbook with prompts, check-in cadence, and stuck detection lives in references/orchestrator.md.

When to run which role

| User signal | Fan-out | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------- | | "Run a Rumelt kernel" / "what's the crux" / "our strategy feels fluffy" | rumelt-architect only | | "Build a Wardley map" / "should we build or buy X" / "platform strategy" | wardley-cartographer only | | "Draft a PR-FAQ for a new product idea" | pr-faq-discovery only | | "Structure this argument" / "build a Minto pyramid" | minto-pyramid-builder only | | "Write an executive strategy memo" / "full strategy read" | all four frameworks, full memo | | "Portfolio bet" / "build vs buy across the portfolio" | CSO framing + wardley + rumelt | | "Customer-centric new product" | CPO + VP-Design + pr-faq + rumelt | | "Review my existing strategy memo" | critic only | | Targeted question on one sentence / section | Inline — no subagents |

Run end-to-end with no approval gates between phases when the ask is clear. The pipeline is fully reversible — every file is on disk; nothing is published. Surface the plan inline, proceed. Use one AskUserQuestion only when audience, horizon, or deliverable shape is genuinely ambiguous.

Write-protocol discipline

Every role follows the same rhythm: one unit of thought → edit the output file → next unit. Partial work on disk survives timeouts and context pressure; state held in working memory does not. The canonical block lives in references/write-protocol.md and is copied verbatim into every role prompt and every task skeleton — one source of truth, no paraphrasing.

Output files in product-strategy/{{ slug }}/ are the source of truth: framing.md, rumelt-packet.md, wardley-packet.md, pr-faq-packet.md, minto-outline.md, strategy-memo.md, review-strategy.md. Nothing else is load-bearing.

Framework family

Four frameworks ship as one routing guide plus four per-framework files. The INDEX's decision table routes the fan-out; per-framework files load only when a role needs them.

• Rumelt Kernel + The Crux — diagnosis, guiding policy, coherent actions; the Crux names the single pivotal challenge. Use for: roadmap prioritization, "our strategy is fluff," portfolio bets with unclear diagnosis.
• Wardley Maps — user need + value chain + evolution axis (Genesis → Custom → Product → Commodity) + climatic patterns + gameplay. Use for: build-vs-buy, platform strategy, open-source decisions.
• Minto Pyramid — SCQA + MECE-grouped supporting arguments. Thinking structure for the memo; also runs standalone when the ask is "structure this argument."
• Working Backwards PR-FAQ — press release + five customer questions + internal FAQ. Used here as a discovery artifact (forcing function for customer-value clarity), not a publication-ready document.

Full decision table and cross-framework composition guidance in references/frameworks/INDEX.md. Per-framework canonical structure, When-to-use / When-to-skip, templates, and citations live in one file per framework under references/frameworks/ — rumelt-kernel.md, wardley-maps.md, minto-pyramid.md, working-backwards.md.

Narrative framework composition

• Strategy feeds discovery. strategy-memo.md is the upstream input to product-discovery's PRD derivation — HMW questions and job stories derive from the memo's customer framing and coherent actions.
• Strategy feeds long-form documents. `strateg