Strategy

When strategy drifts, every downstream decision inherits the error.

This pillar governs how your business defines success—and how that definition remains current.

What strategy protects

Strategy prevents misaligned priorities, measurement frameworks that track the wrong signals, and positioning that becomes obsolete as markets shift. It guards against the expensive moment when you realize the last six months of execution were pointed in the wrong direction.

Strategic drift rarely announces itself. It accumulates in small decisions—a repositioned competitor, a channel that stopped converting, an audience that evolved. By the time the gap is visible in revenue, the correction required is measured in quarters, not weeks.

Constraints enforced

Market position clarityPrevents undifferentiated positioning that leaks budget
Measurement alignmentPrevents optimizing for vanity signals
Conversion logicPrevents spending without understanding what converts
Priority lockPrevents scope expansion without strategic validation

How strategy interacts with other pillars

Design cannot begin without positioning. Growth cannot scale without measurement frameworks. Engineering cannot prioritize without conversion logic. Strategy is the constraint that precedes everything.

Without continuous strategic oversight, design work becomes subjective, growth becomes reactive, and engineering priorities become political. The handoffs between pillars introduce drift that compounds monthly.