81 — Strategy (Analytics & Intelligence)
Strategy is deciding what NOT to do as much as what to do.
What Lives Here
The thinking layer of the enterprise — market intelligence, competitive analysis, OKRs, strategic plans, and the decision frameworks that guide where you invest attention and capital.
- Strategic plan — annual/3-year business vision, goals, and roadmap
- OKRs — objectives and key results by quarter
- Market intelligence — industry trends, competitive landscape, opportunities
- Decision frameworks — how you evaluate big choices (hire, build, invest, exit)
- Strategic reviews — quarterly/annual strategy retrospectives
- Research — market research, customer research, trend reports
Suggested Folder Structure
81 Strategy/
├── strategic-plan.md ← 1-3 year vision with key goals and initiatives
├── okrs/
│ └── YYYY-QN-okrs.md ← Quarterly OKRs with progress updates
├── market-intelligence.md ← Industry overview, trends, key players
├── competitive-analysis.md ← Direct competitors: strengths, weaknesses, positioning
├── decision-frameworks.md ← How you make big calls (hiring, building, investing)
├── reviews/
│ └── YYYY-QN-strategic-review.md ← Quarterly strategy retrospective
└── research/
└── [topic].md ← Market or customer research notesZeus’s Note
I do a full strategic review every quarter. Not a progress update — a strategy review. Questions like: is the market moving in a direction that changes our approach? Are the things we said mattered 90 days ago still the right bets?
The OKRs file is the operating contract for each quarter. When someone asks why we’re doing something, the OKR is the answer. When we’re considering adding something new, the OKR is the filter.
Competitive analysis is often neglected. I’m not obsessed with competitors — but ignoring them is arrogance. I do a light review each quarter: who’s gaining, who’s losing, what they’re shipping that I should know about.