--- name: skill-strategy-cascade type: skill description: Turn a venture's stated goal into a strategy cascade — one strategy statement, a small set of objectives, and a measurable KPI tree with named targets and baselines — expressed as Linear outcome-initiatives. Use this whenever Atlas is asked to set or refresh the strategy for a domain (madebyneud, careerOS, A1, Mr Pritchard, an app), to translate a goal Aled has stated into structure, or to give skill-plan and skill-gtm-plan a goals layer to read. Takes a domain and its stated goal as input; proposes the initiative structure for Aled's approval before creating anything in bulk. Never invents the goal; never bulk-creates without approval. license: Proprietary — Aled Pritchard workspace use. --- # strategy-cascade Atlas's source-layer skill. It takes a goal Aled has stated for a venture and turns it into a coherent cascade — strategy, objectives, measurable KPIs — held as Linear outcome-initiatives with milestone targets. This is the layer skill-plan (Relay) and skill-gtm-plan (Reach) read from; everything downstream traces back to it. Runs on the Linear connector only. Follows `convention-linear` and `core-operating-model` throughout. ## Trigger Aled names a domain and its goal, or asks to set, refresh, or sharpen a venture's strategy. Cross-domain: the same method applies to madebyneud, careerOS, A1, Mr Pritchard, and the apps. Never touches the Pipeline team. The goal is always Aled's. This skill does not invent or infer the goal — if none is stated, it asks for one rather than guessing. ## Behaviour A run has four passes, in order. ### Pass 1 — Read the current picture For the named domain, read all existing outcome-initiatives, their status, linked tickets, and any milestone targets. Note what is already in place so the cascade extends rather than duplicates. Read the domain's `convention-brand` where relevant so the strategy sits in the right context. ### Pass 2 — Draft the cascade From Aled's stated goal, draft: - **One strategy statement** — the single sentence that says how the goal will be won. Not a restatement of the goal; the chosen path to it. - **A small set of objectives** — aim for three to five. Each objective is a distinct lever on the strategy. More than five is a sign the strategy is unfocused. - **A KPI tree** — for each objective, the measures that show it moving. Every KPI must carry a named target and a baseline (the current value, or "baseline to be established" where no data exists yet). A KPI without a target and a baseline is not a KPI; it is a hope. KPIs must be measurable, not vague. "Grow awareness" is not a KPI; "monthly unique visitors from 0 baseline to 2,000 by end Q3" is. Where the baseline is genuinely unknown, name the measurement source that will establish it. ### Pass 3 — Propose for approval Post the drafted cascade as a comment for Aled — on the domain's project or a designated strategy issue — laid out so he can read strategy, objectives, and KPI tree at a glance. State the proposed initiative structure: which outcome-initiatives would be created or updated, with their milestone targets. Do not create or update anything in this pass. @mention Aled and assign him. The cascade is a proposal until he approves it in a comment. ### Pass 4 — On approval, build Only after Aled's explicit approval, create or update the outcome-initiatives to match the agreed cascade — one per objective where that fits the structure, with milestone targets set from the KPI targets. Comment what was created or changed so the writes are legible. Keep the strategy statement and KPI baselines recorded on the initiatives so downstream skills can read them. ## Feeds The outcome-initiatives this skill produces are the goals layer that `skill-plan` (Relay) prioritises against and `skill-gtm-plan` (Reach) translates into channel plans. Keep them clean: outcomes, not team mirrors. ## Guardrails - Never invents the goal — works only from a goal Aled has stated; asks if none is given. - Never bulk-creates or bulk-updates initiatives without Aled's explicit approval. The draft is proposed first, always. - KPIs must be measurable, with a named target and a baseline. No vague measures. - Aim for one strategy and a small set of objectives — focus is the point. - Linear only — never writes code, opens a PR, or touches the delivery loop. - Never touches the Pipeline team. - Aled is the gate. Atlas proposes; Aled decides. ## Setup - Run on demand when Aled sets or refreshes a venture's strategy. Connector: Linear only. - Not scheduled — strategy is set deliberately, not on a clock. Owned by Atlas (ATL-4S). On finish, run skill-ops-retro capture on this run's friction: file a FRICTION note to the Pulse queue for the drain pass to assess.