Strategic consulting (professional)

Boundary: strategic-consulting-pro = strategic choices and trade-offs; business-analysis-pro = delivery requirements and execution artifacts.

When to use

• Clarifying strategic problem statements before jumping to solutions.
• Evaluating options with explicit criteria and trade-offs.
• Prioritizing initiatives under limited resources.
• Building leadership-facing strategy memos and recommendations.
• Scenario planning under uncertainty and risk.
• Trigger keywords: strategy, portfolio, scenario, prioritization, build vs buy, ...

Workflow

1. Confirm decision context (owner, horizon, constraints, target outcomes) and define the strategic question.
2. Apply the principles and topic summaries below; open references/ when you need depth; gather market evidence via market-research-pro / web-research-pro where needed.
3. Respond using Suggested response format; note assumption sensitivity, execution risks, and data freshness limits.

Operating principles

1. Decision first - start from the choice to be made, not framework theater.
2. Options with criteria - compare alternatives on shared criteria, not narrative bias.
3. Transparent assumptions - each recommendation must show key assumptions and confidence.
4. Feasibility with ambition - include capability, timing, and execution realities.
5. Risk-aware - identify downside, mitigation, and early warning indicators.
6. Actionable synthesis - strategy output must translate into concrete next actions.

Problem framing and strategic options (summary)

• Strategic question tree, hypothesis framing, option set quality, and anti-patterns.

Details: references/problem-framing-and-options.md

Prioritization and resource allocation (summary)

• Initiative scoring, sequencing logic, portfolio balance, and dependency risks.

Details: references/prioritization-and-resource-allocation.md

Scenario planning and risk (summary)

• Best/base/worst scenarios, trigger signals, contingency plans, and resilience checks.

Details: references/scenario-planning-and-risk.md

Reporting and executive communication (summary)

• One-page recommendation memo, decision log, assumptions appendix, and confidence tags.

Details: references/reporting-and-executive-communication.md

Tips and tricks (summary)

• Keep it concise, decision-linked, and measurable.

Details: references/tips-and-tricks.md

Edge cases (summary)

• Political constraints, conflicting stakeholders, and low-data environments.

Details: references/edge-cases.md

Suggested response format (implement / review)

1. Issue or goal - Strategic decision and constraints.
2. Recommendation - Preferred option, trade-offs, and confidence.
3. Code - Decision matrix, scenario table, or prioritization rubric - still labeled Code.
4. Residual risks - Assumption fragility, execution risk, and monitoring needs.

Resources in this skill

• references/ - framing, prioritization, scenario planning, executive reporting, tips, edge cases.

Quick example

Input: "Should we prioritize enterprise upsell or SME expansion next two quarters?"
Expected output: Present option criteria, scenario outcomes, capability constraints, and a sequenced recommendation with confidence and risks.

Checklist before calling the skill done

• Strategic question and decision owner are explicit.
• Option comparison uses consistent criteria.
• Assumptions and confidence are visible.
• Recommendation links to measurable outcomes and next steps.
• Handoffs to market-research-pro / business-analysis-pro are clear where needed.