compound-engineering-plugin-mirror/plugins/compound-engineering/skills/ce-strategy/references/strategy-template.md

Strategy Template

Loaded by SKILL.md after the interview is complete. Fill it in using the captured answers and write to STRATEGY.md.

Rules for filling in

• Use the user's own language where possible. Do not paraphrase into generic PM-speak.
• Each section stays compact. The whole doc should read in under 5 minutes.
• Section order is locked. Do not add new top-level sections.
• Optional sections: delete entirely if unused. Do not leave empty headers.
• Set last_updated in the YAML frontmatter to today's ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD). Do not duplicate the date in prose.
• Set name in the frontmatter to the product or initiative name (the same value used in the H1 title).

Template

The block below is the literal file to write (minus this line and the fences). Replace every {{placeholder}} with the captured answer. Delete any optional section whose placeholder wasn't answered.

---
name: {{product_name}}
last_updated: {{YYYY-MM-DD}}
---

# {{product_name}} Strategy

## Target problem

{{1-2 sentence diagnosis. Names the user situation and the crux that makes it hard. No solution language.}}

## Our approach

{{1-2 sentence guiding policy. What this product commits to, so that the target problem becomes tractable.}}

## Who it's for

**Primary:** {{Persona name}} - {{one-sentence JTBD, e.g. "They're hiring {{product_name}} to..."}}

<!-- Duplicate the block above for additional personas only if truly necessary. Fewer is better. -->

## Key metrics

- **{{metric 1 name}}** - {{one-line definition; where it's measured}}
- **{{metric 2 name}}** - {{...}}
- **{{metric 3 name}}** - {{...}}

<!-- 3-5 total. Stop at 5. -->

## Tracks

### {{Track 1 name}}

{{One line: what this track is - the investment area, not a feature list.}}

_Why it serves the approach:_ {{one line}}

<!-- Duplicate the block above for 2-4 tracks total. If you can't keep it to 4, something is wrong - fold related tracks together. -->

## Milestones

- **{{YYYY-MM-DD}}** - {{milestone}}

<!-- Optional. Delete the section if unused. Only externally visible milestones: launches, fundraises, conferences, renewals. -->

## Not working on

- {{one line per item}}

<!-- Optional. Delete the section if unused. Use only for things the team keeps being tempted by. -->

## Marketing

**One-liner:** {{single-sentence pitch}}

**Key message:** {{2-3 lines if useful}}

<!-- Optional. Delete the section if unused. -->

Post-write checklist

Before confirming the write, scan the draft for:

• Frontmatter present at the top with name and last_updated keys.
• last_updated carries today's date in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD).
• No section has more than 4 sentences except Tracks (where each track has its own short block).
• No placeholders remain ({{...}}).
• Optional sections with no content have been deleted, not left empty.
• Metric count is between 3 and 5. Track count is between 2 and 4.
• Target problem and Our approach are connected - one clearly responds to the other.