Explore the full range of categories to build, analyze, and communicate your strategy
Strategy Cards includes a wide variety of templates and frameworks organized into specific categories. Each category groups related card types to help you find the right tools for every step of your strategic processm from setting purpose to analyzing markets to planning action. Below is an overview of each category and its card types:
Action Plan
Use these cards to define and track work at different levels of detail:
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Portfolio – A collection of initiatives managed together
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Program – A group of related projects
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Project – A specific piece of work with defined scope and goals
Competency
Capture the skills and capabilities your organization needs:
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Benchmark – A standard or reference point for comparison
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Capability – A high-level ability your organization must develop
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Skill – A specific area of expertise
Element
Document strategic components, considerations, and insights:
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Assumption – Something believed to be true without proof
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Focus Area – A priority area for action
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Guardrail – A boundary or rule that guides decisions
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Perspective – A viewpoint or lens for interpreting information
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Pillar – A foundational element supporting your strategy
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Risk – A potential threat to success
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Strategic Challenge – A critical issue to address
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Strategic Option – A potential course of action
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Strategic Theme – A unifying idea or goal
Entity
Describe external and internal stakeholders:
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Competitor – An organization you compete with
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Customer – The audience you serve
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Portfolio Company – A business within your portfolio
Improvement
Identify problems and define ways to solve them:
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5 Why’s – A technique for root cause analysis
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Countermeasure – An action to address a problem
Innovation
Capture ideas and inspiration:
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Idea – A concept for potential development
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Observation – An insight from experience or research
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Spark – A freeform space to jot down early thoughts or brainstorms before converting them into another card type (for example, turning a Spark into a Project or Objective later)
KPI
Track performance against goals:
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KPI – A key performance indicator
Market
Understand the external environment:
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Force – A factor that influences your market (e.g., Porter’s Five Forces)
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Industry – The sector you operate in
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Market Segment – A group of customers with shared traits
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Signal – An early indicator of change
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Trend – A longer-term pattern
Objective
Define what you aim to achieve:
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Annual Objective – A goal set for the year
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Breakthrough Objective – A transformational goal
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Objective – A specific result you’re working toward
Organization
Clarify structure and ownership:
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Business Unit – A distinct operating unit
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Department – A functional group
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Division – A large segment of the organization
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Organization – The overall entity
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Team – A group collaborating on shared goals
Process
Map and improve how work gets done:
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Process – A series of steps to produce a result
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Step – An individual activity within a process
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System – A set of processes working together
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Value Stream – All activities that create value
Product
Describe what you deliver:
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Brand – The identity and promise to your market
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Product Line – A group of related products
Purpose
Define your overarching direction and values:
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Mission – Why your organization exists
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Value – Core beliefs that guide behavior
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Vision Statement – What you aspire to achieve
Retrospective
Reflect on past performance to improve:
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Improvement Opportunity – An area for growth
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To Do – Action items from the review
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What Didn’t Work – Lessons learned from failures
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What Worked – Successes to repeat
Review
Capture and share feedback:
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Action – A follow-up required after review
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Note – A general comment or observation
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Review – A summary assessment
Strategy
Test and explore your options:
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Experiment – A trial approach to learn what works
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Option – A potential path you could choose
SWOT
Analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats:
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Strength – An internal advantage
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Weakness – An internal limitation
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Opportunity – An external possibility to pursue
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Threat – An external risk
Tip:
Spark cards are especially useful at the beginning of the strategy process to capture unstructured ideas quickly. Later, you can convert a Spark into a more specific card type, like a Project, Objective, or Strategic Option, as your thinking becomes clearer.