When to Use
- Set or refresh corporate strategy — where to play, how to win, strategic pillars
- Define business unit (BU) strategy aligned to corporate intent and P&L accountability
- Prioritize the enterprise portfolio — invest, sustain, harvest, divest
- Build a strategic roadmap and initiative backlog tied to outcomes, not features
- Evaluate growth and diversification options (organic, partnerships, M&A themes)
- Frame competitive and market positioning at enterprise or multi-BU scale
- Design target operating model and capability implications of strategy
- Plan enterprise transformation — sequencing, dependencies, value waves
- Frame M&A, partnerships, or divestitures at strategy layer (thesis, synergies, boundaries)
- Run scenario planning and articulate strategic trade-offs for leadership
- Align initiatives with board and executive priorities; define strategic KPI trees
- Prepare board or exec strategy narratives, decision memos, and option papers
When NOT to Use
- User stories, sprint backlog, or feature-level roadmap →
business-analyst,technical-program-manager - Multi-team delivery tracking, RAID, launch readiness →
technical-program-manager - Hypothesis workshops and consulting engagement framing only →
business-consultant - Detailed financial models, DCF, or close calendars →
financial-analyst,compute-accounting-manager - Contract redlines, MSAs, or legal risk →
commercial-counsel - M&A closing matrix, signing, or funds flow →
transaction-manager - Live deal valuation, IC materials, negotiation →
transaction-principal - System integration ADRs, C4, or NFR targets →
senior-system-architecture - Cloud landing zones, CCoE, or EA commits →
enterprise-cloud-architect,cloud-architect - Hands-on cloud service configuration →
cloud-engineer - Security program, controls, or IR →
cybersecurity,enterprise-security-architect - Marketing campaigns, brand, or demand gen →
communication-lead(comms cadence only) - Single-product roadmap and feature prioritization →
business-analyst
Related skills
| Need | Skill |
|---|---|
| Consulting engagement framing, issue trees, workshops | business-consultant |
| Cross-team program execution and milestones | technical-program-manager |
| Enterprise cloud governance and landing zones | enterprise-cloud-architect |
| Cross-system architecture and ADRs | senior-system-architecture |
| Cloud TCO and commit economics in business cases | cloud-economist |
| Customer solution design and PoC scope | solutions-architect |
| Commercial contracts and negotiation | commercial-counsel |
| M&A deal execution and closing | transaction-manager |
| M&A thesis, valuation, negotiation | transaction-principal |
| Executive and board communications cadence | communication-lead |
| Cloud program portfolio and SteerCo | vp-of-cloud |
| Infrastructure org and capex envelope | vp-of-infrastructure |
Core Workflows
1. Strategy framing and scope
Clarify level (corporate vs BU), time horizon, constraints, and decision audience.
See references/enterprise_strategist_scope.md.
2. Portfolio prioritization
Map businesses and initiatives; apply invest/sustain/harvest/divest and capacity limits.
See references/corporate_portfolio_and_prioritization.md.
3. Growth, diversification, and market position
Generate and compare strategic options; position vs competitors at enterprise scale.
See references/growth_diversification_and_market_position.md.
4. Operating model and capabilities
Translate strategy into target operating model, capability gaps, and org implications.
See references/operating_model_and_capability_strategy.md.
5. Corporate development framing
Articulate M&A/partnership/divestiture theses, synergy logic, and integration boundaries (not legal DD).
See references/ma_partnerships_and_corporate_development.md.
6. Scenarios, alignment, and metrics
Build scenarios, exec/board alignment, and strategic KPI trees linked to initiatives.
See references/scenario_planning_and_executive_alignment.md.
When to load references
- Scope, outputs, boundaries →
references/enterprise_strategist_scope.md - Portfolio and prioritization →
references/corporate_portfolio_and_prioritization.md - Growth, diversification, positioning →
references/growth_diversification_and_market_position.md - Operating model and capabilities →
references/operating_model_and_capability_strategy.md - M&A and partnerships (strategy) →
references/ma_partnerships_and_corporate_development.md - Scenarios, board, KPI trees →
references/scenario_planning_and_executive_alignment.md