Hey!

Chris here. Welcome to Blueprint—the newsletter to help you build a winning engineering team.

Last week, I explained why most vision documents fail and how to create one-pagers that actually drive change.

But vision alone doesn't get you anywhere.

You can paint the perfect picture of the future, but without a clear path to get there, that vision just sits on a shelf collecting dust.

That's where strategy documents come in—the tactical plans that bridge the gap between your brilliant vision and actually making it happen.

Today, I'm breaking down exactly how to create strategy documents that turn vision into reality.

📒 DEEP DIVE

Turning Vision into Action

How to write strategy documents that prevent you from sliding back into old patterns.

You can't have 10 visions a year.

If you're cranking out vision documents every month, you're either too ambitious or something's broken. Your team can't absorb that many fundamental shifts.

But you can—and should—have multiple strategy documents. These are the tactical plans that actually execute your vision.

Vision paints the picture of where you're headed. Strategy defines how you get from today to that future state.

The good news? Strategy documents are surprisingly simple to create. In fact, they're one of the most straightforward documents you'll ever write as a CTO.

They're also one of the most valuable thinking tools at your disposal. Writing is thinking—forcing yourself to write a strategy document will make your strategy better because it requires clarity that doesn't exist when ideas just bounce around in your head.

The 3-step approach

1. Start with a Diagnosis

This is your problem statement, but more detailed than a one-liner.

I always make this H1 in my doc, then write about two small paragraphs that capture the totality of the problem. You want enough detail that when people read it, they're nodding their heads thinking, "Yeah, that's exactly the problem we have."

You're not pitching solutions yet—you're just ensuring everyone understands the problem we're solving.

This step is critical because it's much easier to get agreement on the problem than on the solution. If everyone agrees on the diagnosis, you've overcome a major hurdle before you even start talking about how to fix it.

2. Define Clear Policies

Policies are just rules—the guardrails that keep you on track both during and after implementation.

This section answers a critical question most strategy documents miss: How do we ensure we don't slide back into old patterns after we've fixed the problem?

You didn't get into the current mess by accident. Something in your existing approach created these issues. Without new rules, you'll fix the immediate problem but end up right back where you started.

I format this as a simple bulleted list:

• When X happens, you must do Y

• Never make changes to Z without reviewing A

• All new features must include B

These policies serve two purposes: they help you get to the future state, and they help you stay there once you arrive.

3. Define Action Items (But Don't Go Too Far)

This is where most people go wrong. They try to map out every single step from today until the vision is complete.

Don't do that. You can only see so far down the road—maybe 10 feet before it gets foggy. Trying to plan every step is a waste of time because you'll inevitably be wrong.

Instead, just identify the next 5-10 concrete actions that need to happen. These should be specific enough that people know exactly what needs to be done next, but not so detailed that you're planning months in advance.

The goal is to get far enough down the road that you can see the next part of the journey. Then, you'll update the strategy document as you progress.

The Strategy Document Lifecycle

Unlike vision documents, which might only change annually, strategy documents should evolve as you execute. I typically revisit strategy documents every 4-6 weeks. 

As you complete action items and see more of the road ahead, you update the document with the next set of actions. The diagnosis and policies typically remain stable, but the action items evolve as you learn and progress.

How Vision and Strategy Documents Work Together

The relationship between these documents is straightforward:

• Vision document: The one-pager that defines where we're going and why

• Strategy document: The tactical plan for how we get there

Your team needs both. Without vision, strategy lacks direction. Without strategy, vision remains a dream.

When executed correctly, this dual-document system solves the biggest communication challenge CTOs face: how to communicate complex technical changes in a way that resonates with both executives and engineers.

Your CEO gets the vision one-pager. Your engineering team gets both the vision and the strategy. Everyone understands their role in making it happen.

🎙 EPISODE OF THE WEEK

This week, Matt and I dig into how AI is changing the game for founders—and why most are still stuck on the sidelines.

We break down practical AI strategies I've seen cut down work by 90%. If you're not using AI daily in your business, you're falling behind. Your competition isn't waiting, and neither should you.

Listen wherever you listen to podcasts: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube

BEFORE YOU GO…

If there's one thing I've learned in my years as a CTO, it's that execution is where most technical initiatives fail.

It's not because the ideas are bad. It's not because the team isn't capable. It's because the path from vision to reality is foggy, and without a clear strategy document, people get lost along the way.

Your vision documents paint the destination. Your strategy documents are the map.

Start with a clear diagnosis everyone agrees on. Define policies that prevent you from sliding backward. Then focus only on the next steps you can clearly see.

Talk soon,

Chris.