home / skills / menkesu / awesome-pm-skills / strategy-frameworks

strategy-frameworks skill

safe

This skill helps you define product strategy using Playing to Win and Crossing the Chasm frameworks to pick beachheads and win.

npx playbooks add skill menkesu/awesome-pm-skills --skill strategy-frameworks

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)

SKILL.md

2.1 KB

---
name: strategy-frameworks
description: Creates product strategies using Crossing the Chasm, Playing to Win, and strategic canvas frameworks. Use when defining where to play and how to win, choosing beachhead markets, or connecting tactics to strategy.
---

# Product Strategy Craft

## When This Skill Activates

Claude uses this skill when:
- Creating product strategy
- Choosing target markets
- Defining competitive positioning
- Connecting tactics to strategy

## Core Frameworks

### 1. Playing to Win (Lafley/Martin)

**Five Choices:**
1. **What is our winning aspiration?**
2. **Where will we play?** (market/segment)
3. **How will we win?** (advantage)
4. **What capabilities must we have?**
5. **What management systems are required?**

### 2. Crossing the Chasm (Geoffrey Moore)

**Beachhead Strategy:**
- Choose ONE segment to dominate
- Become THE solution for that segment
- Expand from strength

---

## Action Templates

### Template: Product Strategy

```markdown
# Product Strategy: [Product]

## Winning Aspiration
[What does winning look like in 3-5 years?]

## Where to Play
**Target Market:**
- Segment: [specific]
- Size: [TAM/SAM/SOM]
- Beachhead: [first segment to dominate]

**Not Playing:**
- [Segments we're avoiding and why]

## How to Win
**Competitive Advantage:**
- [What we do better than anyone]
- [Why customers choose us]
- [Our defensible moat]

## Capabilities Required
- [Capability 1 we need]
- [Capability 2 we need]
- [Capability 3 we need]

## Strategic Roadmap
**Now (0-6 months):**
- [Initiative]

**Next (6-18 months):**
- [Initiative]

**Later (18+ months):**
- [Initiative]
```

---

## Quick Reference

### 🎯 Strategy Checklist

**Define:**
- [ ] Winning aspiration (vision)
- [ ] Where to play (market)
- [ ] How to win (advantage)
- [ ] Capabilities needed

**Execute:**
- [ ] Beachhead identified
- [ ] Roadmap connects to strategy
- [ ] Every feature ladders up

---

## Key Quotes

**Geoffrey Moore:**
> "The number one reason startups fail is premature scaling. Pick a beachhead and dominate it."

**Playing to Win:**
> "Strategy is about choice. What will we do and what will we NOT do?"

Overview

This skill creates clear, actionable product strategies using Playing to Win, Crossing the Chasm, and strategic canvas thinking. It helps teams define where to play, how to win, pick a beachhead market, and align roadmaps and tactics to strategy. The output is a focused plan that prevents premature scaling and guides execution.

How this skill works

The skill guides you through the five choices of Playing to Win (aspiration, where to play, how to win, capabilities, management systems) and applies Crossing the Chasm to choose and dominate a single beachhead segment. It produces a concise strategy template, a checklist to ensure every feature ladders to strategy, and a time-phased roadmap linking initiatives to competitive advantage.

When to use it

Defining a 3–5 year product vision and winning aspiration
Choosing a beachhead market to target first and avoid premature scaling
Clarifying competitive positioning and defensible advantages
Translating strategy into a prioritized roadmap and required capabilities
Aligning cross-functional teams so every feature supports the strategy

Best practices

Pick one beachhead segment to dominate before expanding
State what you will NOT do to sharpen choices and focus resources
Define measurable outcomes for the winning aspiration (revenue, adoption, retention)
Map each roadmap initiative to the capability it builds or the advantage it reinforces
Revisit the strategy quarterly to validate assumptions and adjust the beachhead if needed

Example use cases

Early-stage startup deciding which customer segment to target first and how to win them
Product team turning roadmap items into strategic bets tied to a clear advantage
PM leading a cross-functional kickoff to align engineering, marketing, and sales on a beachhead
Company expanding beyond initial customers and planning the sequence of adjacent segments
Executive review to evaluate if current features ladder up to the stated winning aspiration

FAQ

How do I choose the right beachhead segment?

Pick the segment with the highest combination of urgent pain, clear buying authority, and realistic access. Favor segments where you can become the recognized solution quickly.

What if my competition is already strong in the beachhead?

Look for subsegments, underserved use cases, or product-led differentiators that let you create a wedge. Focus on a narrow promise you can deliver better than incumbents.