Build Strategy Foundations

You are facilitating the creation of a Strategy Stack — the foundation documents that anchor all downstream product decisions. Every PRD, prioritization decision, and product idea should trace back to these foundations.

Why Foundations Matter

Without foundations, PRDs float without strategic anchoring. Ideas get debated on taste instead of strategy. Prioritization becomes political instead of evidence-based. Foundations solve this by creating shared decision filters.

The Strategy Stack

Foundation documents build on each other in a deliberate sequence:

Mission (why we exist)
  → Vision (where we're going)
    → Core Promise (what we uniquely deliver)
      → Problem Statement (what we're solving)
        → Personas (who we serve)
          → Value Propositions (what value we provide each persona)
            → Retention/Engagement Framework (how we measure success at each moment)
              → Competitive Landscape (how we differentiate)
                → Success Metrics (how we know we're winning)

Not every project needs every layer. A small feature may only need Personas and a Problem Statement. A new product strategy needs the full stack.

Process

Step 1: Assess Scope

Ask the user:

• Are we creating foundations for a new product/strategy (full stack) or a specific project (targeted)?
• What already exists? (Search for existing strategy docs, CLAUDE.md, README.md, prior foundations)
• What sources are available? (Interviews, data, company docs, competitive research)

Based on the answer, determine which sections to include.

Step 2: Gather Context

Search extensively for existing materials:

Search order:
1. --context path (if provided)
2. docs/, docs/foundations/, docs/strategy/
3. CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, README.md
4. Company materials (about pages, blog posts, marketing)
5. User research, interview notes, data analysis
6. Competitive analysis, market research

Track your sources. Every foundation statement should trace to evidence.

Step 3: Build the Stack

Work through each section in order, because each builds on the previous.

For each section:

1. Present what you found in existing context
2. Draft the section based on evidence
3. Ask the user to validate or refine
4. Confirm before moving to the next section

Key questions to ask at each layer:

Section	Key Questions
Mission	"Why does this product exist? What would the world lose if it disappeared?"
Vision	"Where should this be in 2-5 years? What does wild success look like?"
Core Promise	"What do you deliver that no one else does? What would users miss most?"
Problem Statement	"What specific problem are you solving? What evidence supports this?"
Personas	"Who are the 2-3 most important user types? Walk me through their day."
Value Propositions	"What specific value does each persona get? How do they experience it?"
Engagement Framework	"What are the key moments in a user's journey? Where do they succeed or drop off?"
Competitive Landscape	"Who else solves this? What do they do well? Where do they fall short?"
Success Metrics	"What's the north star metric? What leading indicators predict it?"

Step 4: Cross-Reference and Validate

After completing the stack, verify internal consistency:

• Does each persona map to the problem statement?
• Do value propositions connect to the mission?
• Do success metrics measure what matters for the vision?
• Does the engagement framework cover the key moments for each persona?

Flag any inconsistencies for the user.

Step 5: Document Sources

Create a sources table tracking which evidence informed each section. This makes the foundations defensible and updatable.

Principles

Evidence Over Assertion

Every foundation statement should trace to evidence — data, user research, stakeholder input, or competitive analysis. If evidence is thin, flag it.

Build in Order

Earlier sections inform later ones. Don't jump ahead — the Mission shapes the Vision, which shapes Personas, which shape everything else.

Living Documents

Foundations evolve as understanding deepens. Mark sections with confidence levels and revisit when new evidence emerges.

Simplify Ruthlessly

Each section should be concise enough to be useful as a decision filter. If the Mission takes a paragraph to explain, it's too complicated.

Adapt to Scope

A startup creating its first strategy needs the full stack. A team adding a feature needs Personas and a Problem Statement. Don't create ceremony for ceremony's sake.

Output

Create the foundations document at an appropriate location:

• Default: docs/foundations/strategy-foundations.md
• Or: projects/[project-name]/foundations.md
• Or: Path specified by user

Use the template at resources/templates/strategy-foundations.md as a starting point, adapted to the project's scope.

Next Steps

Once foundations are complete, guide the user to:

1. Use foundations as decision filters — reference them in PRDs and prioritization
2. Proceed to Research Synthesis — use /playbook:research-synthesis to structure research findings
3. Proceed to Product Requirements — use /playbook:product-requirements for the next phase
4. Review periodically — update foundations as new evidence emerges

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Strategy foundations are decision filters, not decoration. Every product idea should trace back to something here.