Assess organizational doctrine and universally useful patterns
Assess organizational doctrine using Simon Wardley's 24 universally useful patterns across four phases: stop self-harm, situational awareness, strategic play, and leadership. Use this when you need to evaluate organizational effectiveness, identify gaps in foundational practices, or create improvement roadmaps for better strategic execution.
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Assess organizational doctrine using Simon Wardley's universally useful patterns for organizational effectiveness.
Use this skill when:
Before assessing doctrine:
docs-management skill for doctrine patternsDoctrine = Universally Useful Patterns
These are principles that:
- Apply regardless of context
- Are valuable in any organization
- Don't depend on landscape position
- Support strategic effectiveness
Doctrine ≠ Strategy
- Strategy: Context-dependent positioning
- Doctrine: Universal best practices
FOUNDATIONAL DOCTRINE:
1. KNOW YOUR USERS
- Understand who you're serving
- Research actual needs (not assumed)
- Regular user engagement
Assessment: Who are your users? When did you last talk to them?
2. USE A COMMON LANGUAGE
- Shared vocabulary across organization
- Maps as communication tool
- Avoid departmental jargon
Assessment: Can everyone understand strategic discussions?
3. CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS
- Question "obvious" truths
- Test beliefs with evidence
- Avoid sacred cows
Assessment: When did you last challenge a core assumption?
4. FOCUS ON USER NEEDS
- Start with user need, not solution
- Needs before wants
- Outcomes over outputs
Assessment: Do you start projects with user need or technology?
5. BE TRANSPARENT
- Share information openly
- Visible decision-making
- Accessible reasoning
Assessment: Can anyone understand why decisions were made?
6. REMOVE BIAS AND DUPLICATION
- Consolidate duplicate efforts
- Remove cognitive biases
- Single source of truth
Assessment: How much duplication exists in your organization?
AWARENESS DOCTRINE:
7. USE APPROPRIATE METHODS
- Agile for genesis, Six Sigma for commodity
- Match method to component evolution
- No one-size-fits-all
Assessment: Do you use different methods for different components?
8. UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING CONSIDERED
- Clarity on scope and boundaries
- Explicit about what's included/excluded
- Clear problem definition
Assessment: Is scope clearly defined before decisions?
9. THINK SMALL
- Small, focused teams
- Incremental delivery
- Fail fast, learn fast
Assessment: What's your typical team/project size?
10. FOCUS ON HIGH SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
- Know where you are on the map
- Understand competitive landscape
- Recognize evolution patterns
Assessment: Do you know your position relative to competitors?
11. USE STANDARDS WHERE APPROPRIATE
- Adopt standards for commodity components
- Build standards for emerging patterns
- Avoid reinventing wheels
Assessment: Where are you building vs. buying/standardizing?
12. MANAGE INERTIA
- Recognize resistance to change
- Address sources of inertia
- Plan for transition
Assessment: What organizational inertia are you fighting?
STRATEGIC DOCTRINE:
13. THINK FAST, INEXPENSIVE, RESTRAINED, ELEGANT (FIRE)
- Speed over perfection
- Cost-effectiveness
- Minimal viable solutions
- Elegant simplicity
Assessment: Is your default fast and cheap or slow and expensive?
14. EXPLOIT THE LANDSCAPE
- Use map position for advantage
- Leverage evolution dynamics
- Time moves appropriately
Assessment: Are you using position strategically?
15. BE HUMBLE
- Acknowledge uncertainty
- Learn from failure
- Accept you might be wrong
Assessment: How does your org handle being wrong?
16. MOVE FAST
- Speed as competitive advantage
- Reduce decision latency
- Enable rapid iteration
Assessment: How long from idea to production?
17. DESIGN FOR CONSTANT EVOLUTION
- Assume everything changes
- Build for adaptability
- Embrace continuous improvement
Assessment: Is your architecture ready for evolution?
18. USE A BIAS TOWARD ACTION
- Decide and act over analyze and wait
- Good enough decisions quickly
- Course-correct in motion
Assessment: Analysis paralysis or action bias?
LEADERSHIP DOCTRINE:
19. DISTRIBUTE POWER AND DECISION MAKING
- Push decisions to edges
- Empower teams closest to work
- Reduce bottlenecks
Assessment: Where are decisions made in your org?
20. PROVIDE PURPOSE, MASTERY, AUTONOMY
- Clear purpose alignment
- Enable skill development
- Grant appropriate freedom
Assessment: Do teams have purpose, mastery, autonomy?
21. SET DIRECTION BUT ALLOW FREEDOM
- Commander's intent over detailed orders
- What, not how
- Align on outcomes, not activities
Assessment: How prescriptive are your directions?
22. THINK BIG
- Ambitious vision
- Long-term thinking
- Transformational goals
Assessment: How ambitious is your vision?
23. SEEK THE BEST
- Hire great people
- Continuous learning
- Excellence as standard
Assessment: Is excellence the default expectation?
24. LISTEN TO YOUR ECOSYSTEMS
- External awareness
- Partner feedback
- Community engagement
Assessment: How connected are you to your ecosystem?
Assessment Scoring:
1 = Not practiced
2 = Occasionally practiced
3 = Regularly practiced
4 = Consistently practiced
5 = Cultural norm
PHASE I: STOP SELF-HARM
□ Know your users [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Use common language [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Challenge assumptions [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Focus on user needs [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Be transparent [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Remove bias and duplication [1][2][3][4][5]
PHASE II: SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
□ Use appropriate methods [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Understand what's being considered [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Think small [1][2][3][4][5]
□ High situational awareness [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Use standards where appropriate [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Manage inertia [1][2][3][4][5]
PHASE III: STRATEGIC PLAY
□ Think FIRE [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Exploit the landscape [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Be humble [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Move fast [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Design for constant evolution [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Bias toward action [1][2][3][4][5]
PHASE IV: LEADERSHIP
□ Distribute power [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Purpose, mastery, autonomy [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Set direction, allow freedom [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Think big [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Seek the best [1][2][3][4][5]
□ Listen to ecosystems [1][2][3][4][5]
| Level | Score Range | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Chaos | 24-48 | No consistent practices, reactive |
| 2: Emerging | 49-72 | Some awareness, inconsistent application |
| 3: Practicing | 73-96 | Regular practice, gaps remain |
| 4: Mature | 97-110 | Consistent practice, cultural integration |
| 5: Exemplary | 111-120 | Cultural norm, continuous improvement |
Doctrine Development Path:
Phase I ───► Phase II ───► Phase III ───► Phase IV
(Foundation) (Awareness) (Strategy) (Leadership)
Rules:
- Must achieve Phase I before Phase II is effective
- Phases build on each other
- Gaps in lower phases undermine higher phases
- Most orgs skip phases (unsuccessfully)
# Doctrine Assessment: [Organization/Team]
## Assessment Date: [Date]
## Assessor: [Name/Role]
## Executive Summary
### Overall Maturity: [Level 1-5]
### Total Score: [X/120]
### Primary Gaps: [Top 3 gaps]
### Recommended Focus: [Phase to prioritize]
## Phase Scores
| Phase | Max Score | Actual | Percentage |
|-------|-----------|--------|------------|
| I: Stop Self-Harm | 30 | [X] | [%] |
| II: Situational Awareness | 30 | [X] | [%] |
| III: Strategic Play | 30 | [X] | [%] |
| IV: Leadership | 30 | [X] | [%] |
| **TOTAL** | **120** | **[X]** | **[%]** |
## Detailed Assessment
### Phase I: Stop Self-Inflicted Harm
| Doctrine | Score | Evidence | Gap Analysis |
|----------|-------|----------|--------------|
| Know your users | [1-5] | [What you observed] | [What's missing] |
| Use common language | [1-5] | [What you observed] | [What's missing] |
| Challenge assumptions | [1-5] | [What you observed] | [What's missing] |
| Focus on user needs | [1-5] | [What you observed] | [What's missing] |
| Be transparent | [1-5] | [What you observed] | [What's missing] |
| Remove bias/duplication | [1-5] | [What you observed] | [What's missing] |
[Repeat for Phases II, III, IV]
## Improvement Roadmap
### Immediate Actions (0-30 days)
1. [Action for critical gap]
2. [Action for critical gap]
### Short-term (1-3 months)
1. [Phase I improvements]
2. [Quick wins]
### Medium-term (3-6 months)
1. [Phase II development]
2. [Cultural changes]
### Long-term (6-12 months)
1. [Phase III/IV development]
2. [Organizational transformation]
## Success Metrics
| Doctrine Area | Current | Target (6mo) | Measure |
|---------------|---------|--------------|---------|
| [Area] | [Score] | [Target] | [How to measure] |
## Review Schedule
- Monthly review: [Dates]
- Quarterly assessment: [Dates]
PHASE I FAILURES:
- Assuming you know users without research
- Jargon-heavy communication
- "We've always done it this way"
- Building features, not solving needs
PHASE II FAILURES:
- Agile everywhere (ignoring evolution)
- Scope creep without boundaries
- Large programs and teams
- Copying competitors blindly
PHASE III FAILURES:
- Over-engineering everything
- Analysis paralysis
- Arrogant certainty
- Slow, expensive, complex defaults
PHASE IV FAILURES:
- Central command and control
- Micromanagement
- Vague direction with no freedom
- Small thinking, fear of failure
How Doctrine Supports Strategy:
DOCTRINE (Universal) STRATEGY (Context-Dependent)
──────────────────── ─────────────────────────────
Know your users ───► Who specifically to target
Use common language ───► Map the competitive landscape
Challenge assumptions ───► Test strategic hypotheses
Think small ───► Incremental strategic moves
Move fast ───► Time strategic plays correctly
Manage inertia ───► Address specific resistance
Doctrine enables strategy execution.
Poor doctrine undermines even brilliant strategy.
When assessing doctrine:
For detailed guidance:
Last Updated: 2025-12-26