Using narratives to communicate strategy
There must be enough detail to answer why we have made the choices we did and how we intend to overcome challenges/constraints without becoming a novel. Ant Murphy
The medium depends on the culture of the company (writing-first, async-first, in-person, etc.), the audience (involved members vs. “outsiders”) and the intended effect (design, inform, create momentum).
“We can take these beats of your outline, and if the words “and then” belong between those beats, you’re fucked, basically. You’ve got something really boring. What should happen between the beats of what you’ve written down is either the word “therefore” or “but.” That gives the causation between each beat, and that’s the story” — Paraphrased from Matt Stone and Trey Parker (South Park) Lecture at NYU
How Amazon communicates their narratives
Amazon is attributed with a strong writing culture. In a strategic concext, two documents are often cited: the one-pager and the six-pager.
| 1-pager | 6-pager |
|---|---|
| Single page | Six pages or fewer |
| Gives a high-level overview of a product, service, or business | Explains a project or plan, presents the consolidated results of a deep dive, or recommends a solution to an operational issue |
| Includes a purpose (executive summary), background, opportunity, and next steps | Grows the 1-pager to include more details, a pros and cons comparison, and alternatives |
These short-form documents might be longer with appendices, which could include:
- Wireframes and designs
- Projected financial statements
- Calendars with a schedule
- Testimonials or feedback from customers
- Goals and risks for the project
- RACI charts
Sources
How to use the SCR framework (with examples)