Our review
Documents a strategic pivot or persevere decision with the evidence, analysis, and rationale.
Strengths
- Clear structure for guiding complex strategic decisions.
- Evidence-based approach reduces subjective bias.
- Includes analysis of multiple options and captures dissenting views.
- Actionable implementation plan.
Limitations
- Requires honest and comprehensive data to be effective.
- May overlook emotional or political factors.
- Relatively time-consuming for quick decisions.
When evaluating a major direction change based on significant market feedback.
For minor tactical adjustments or when insufficient evidence is available.
Security analysis
SafeThis skill is a documentation template for strategic decision-making. It does not execute any code, access external resources, or run any commands. It is purely an instructional guide for writing pivot-decision documents.
No concerns found
Examples
We launched our MVP three months ago and only 5% of users return weekly. Our original hypothesis was that users would pay for premium features, but most signed up for free and left. Help me document a pivot-or-persevere decision with analysis and next steps.I need a pivot decision document for our product direction. We invested 6 months in a B2C approach but enterprise customers are showing more interest. Include evidence, options (persevere, pivot to B2B, pivot to hybrid), and a recommendation.name: pivot-decision description: Documents a strategic pivot or persevere decision with the evidence, analysis, and rationale. Use when evaluating whether to change direction on a product, feature, or strategy based on market feedback. license: Apache-2.0 metadata: category: reflection frameworks: [triple-diamond, lean-startup, design-thinking] author: product-on-purpose version: "1.0.0"
Pivot Decision
A pivot decision document captures the analysis and rationale behind a strategic direction change—or the decision to stay the course. Based on the Lean Startup concept of "pivot or persevere," this artifact ensures major strategic decisions are made with evidence, communicated clearly, and preserved for organizational learning.
When to Use
- After significant validated learning suggests the current direction may not work
- At planned pivot-or-persevere checkpoints (e.g., after MVP launch)
- When key hypotheses have been invalidated by market feedback
- During strategy reviews when considering major direction changes
- When stakeholders are debating whether to change course
Instructions
When asked to document a pivot decision, follow these steps:
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Summarize Current State Document what you're currently doing, how long you've been doing it, what you've invested, and what results you've achieved. This grounds the decision in reality.
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Present the Evidence Compile all relevant data: metrics, user feedback, experiment results, market signals. Be comprehensive—include evidence that supports both staying and changing course.
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Review Hypotheses Revisit the original hypotheses that justified the current direction. Which have been validated? Which have been invalidated? Which remain untested?
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Define Options Articulate at least three options: persevere (continue current direction), and two or more distinct pivot options. Describe each option concretely—what would change?
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Analyze Each Option Evaluate options against key criteria: market opportunity, competitive advantage, team capability, resource requirements, and risk. Use evidence, not opinions.
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Make the Decision State the chosen direction clearly. Explain the rationale, acknowledging trade-offs. If the team disagrees, capture dissenting views.
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Plan Implementation Outline what happens next: immediate actions, resource needs, success criteria for the new direction, and communication plan.
Output Format
Use the template in references/TEMPLATE.md to structure the output.
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing, verify:
- [ ] Current state includes honest assessment of results
- [ ] Evidence is comprehensive, not cherry-picked
- [ ] Multiple options are analyzed fairly
- [ ] Decision rationale is clear and evidence-based
- [ ] Implementation plan is actionable
- [ ] Dissenting views are captured
Examples
See references/EXAMPLE.md for a completed example.