The Claude strategy engagement pack: 10 skills for consultants
Ten structured strategy workflows for moving from the decision question to the executive recommendation: Frame, Map, Choose, Execute, and Communicate. This editorial explains the sequence and how to apply it in Claude.
Why strategy teams need structured AI workflows
Most teams interact with Claude the same way: paste a question, read the answer, refine by feel. That works for isolated tasks such as summarizing a document or drafting a section. It breaks down at the engagement level.
At the engagement level, quality depends on how well the problem was framed before analysis began, how rigorously the issue was decomposed, and whether the decision criteria were made explicit or stayed instinctive. Ad hoc prompting does not enforce these steps. Skills do.
A Claude Skill can contain a structured analytical workflow. This page presents the workflow logic as an editorial playbook: give Claude the brief, the data, the decision, and the named step you want it to run. Claude applies the framework in sequence, while your team reviews the evidence and decides when to move forward.
The Claude strategy engagement pack: the 5-phase backbone
The 10 skills are organized into 5 phases that mirror how a structured strategy engagement runs from kickoff to recommendation. Each phase has a clear objective and a handoff to the next.
Frame
Lock the work to one decision question. Separate the presenting symptom from the underlying problem. Align on what resolved looks like for the decision-maker.
Map
Build a MECE issue tree. Find where the value sits across the branches. Produce a prioritized research agenda before analysis work begins.
Choose
Generate a structured set of options. Evaluate each on economic impact, implementation risk, and strategic fit. Stress-test the leading option before a recommendation is formed.
Execute
Turn the chosen option into named initiatives with owners, dependencies, and a phased timeline. Define the first 90-day milestones that signal the strategy is on track.
Communicate
Structure the recommendation as a Pyramid Principle argument: situation, complication, key question, answer. Draft the executive summary that a senior stakeholder reads before the full deck.
The phases are sequential. The quality of the output at Phase 5 depends directly on the rigor applied in Phases 1 and 2. Running the pack in sequence is the most direct route to a structured recommendation that holds up to a senior audience.
All 10 skills, by phase
Each phase contains two skills: one that sets up the analytical structure and one that deepens the output. Below is what each skill does, in order.
Phase 1: Frame
Lock the decision question
Decision Framing
Defines the exact question the engagement must answer. Separates the presenting symptom from the underlying problem. Aligns the team on what a resolved question looks like for the decision-maker, before any analysis begins.
Scope Definition
Sets the analytical boundaries up front: time horizon, geographies in scope, functions covered, and assumptions that are fixed versus open. Prevents scope creep and makes prioritization decisions explicit.
Phase 2: Map
Build the issue tree and find the value
MECE Issue Tree
Decomposes the decision question into mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive sub-questions. Each branch is distinct; the set is complete. Assigns a priority signal to each branch based on expected impact.
Value Driver Analysis
Identifies which branches of the issue tree hold the most value. Produces a prioritized research agenda so the team focuses analytical effort where it will move the answer, not where it is easiest.
Phase 3: Choose
Weigh options on economics and risk
Option Generation
Builds a structured set of strategic options against the decision criteria. Each option is internally coherent and genuinely distinct. Avoids the common failure mode of presenting variations on a single idea as separate choices.
Option Evaluation
Scores each option on economic impact, implementation risk, and strategic fit. Flags key sensitivities and stress-tests the leading option under adverse assumptions before a recommendation is formed.
Phases 4 and 5: execute and communicate
Phase 4: Execute
Turn the choice into owners and a timeline
Initiative Roadmap
Translates the chosen option into a set of named initiatives with clear owners, dependencies, and a phased timeline across three horizons. Output is structured for direct use in an initiative tracker or a roadmap slide.
First 90 Days
Defines the concrete milestones that must be true in the first 90 days for the strategy to be on track. Separates early leading signals from lagging outcome indicators so progress can be tracked from week one.
Phase 5: Communicate
Package the answer as a Pyramid Principle storyline
Storyline Builder
Structures the final recommendation as a Pyramid Principle argument: situation, complication, key question, answer. Produces a tight logical flow that a senior stakeholder can follow without reading every supporting slide.
Executive Summary
Drafts the single-page summary that a C-suite audience reads before the full deck. Answer-first, no narrative warmup. Structured to survive being read in isolation and still convey the complete recommendation.
If you want to go deeper on one of the core analytical techniques, the MECE issue tree skill is available as a standalone resource with worked examples and a step-by-step walkthrough.
How to use the ten workflows with Claude
This page does not include a verified downloadable pack. Use the ten workflow descriptions as a structured operating sequence in Claude, and keep a human review between phases.
Choose the phase that matches the work
Start with Frame for a new engagement, or select the specific phase that matches an existing piece of work. Copy the workflow objective and output requirements into your working brief.
Provide the engagement context
Give Claude the brief, decision-maker, time horizon, available evidence, fixed assumptions, and open questions. Follow your organization's rules before sharing confidential material.
Name the workflow and required output
Tell Claude which named workflow to apply, the tests it must run, and the format you expect. Ask it to distinguish confirmed facts, assumptions, evidence gaps, and recommendations.
Review before advancing
Check the logic, calculations, sources, and missing evidence. Resolve material gaps before treating the output as the input to the next phase.
Move through the phases in sequence
Carry the approved output forward: the decision question feeds the issue tree, the issue tree feeds option evaluation, and the chosen option feeds execution planning and the final storyline.
Tip. You do not need all 10 skills on every engagement. The Frame and Map skills work well as a standalone pair for scoping work. The Communicate skills work on their own for structuring a storyline after analysis is complete. Use what the situation requires.
Getting to board-ready slides with Oria
The engagement pack takes a strategy team from an undefined problem to a structured recommendation: scoped question, issue tree, evaluated options, implementation roadmap, and Pyramid Principle storyline. The final step is converting that structured output into a deck a board or executive committee can read.
Oria handles that step inside PowerPoint. It is an AI add-in that takes a rough outline or detailed text and produces fully editable, on-brand slides with the dense, multi-element layouts that strategy work requires: initiative tables, roadmap visuals, option comparison grids, and executive summary layouts. Every element is native PowerPoint and stays editable after generation.
For the full path from analysis to slides, including how to structure each handoff, the consultant's guide to Claude covers the end-to-end workflow with concrete steps and prompts at each stage.
Claude handles
- Problem framing and scope definition
- MECE issue tree and value driver analysis
- Option generation and evaluation
- Initiative roadmap and 90-day plan
- Pyramid Principle storyline and executive summary
Oria handles
- Converting analysis output to slide layouts
- Dense framework and comparison slides
- Initiative roadmap and timeline visuals
- On-brand, fully editable PowerPoint output
- Multiple design options per slide
Frequently asked questions
What makes the engagement pack different from a single Claude skill?
A single skill covers one analytical move, such as building an issue tree or structuring a storyline. The engagement pack covers the full lifecycle in sequence: Frame, Map, Choose, Execute, and Communicate. Each skill hands off to the next, so the output of one phase becomes the input of the next. The pack is designed for a full engagement, not a single task.
Do I need to use all 10 skills on every engagement?
No. Each skill works independently. The Frame skill is useful on its own even if the rest of the engagement stays manual. For shorter or more tactical projects, you might activate only the Map and Communicate skills. Use the full sequence on larger or more complex strategy work where structural rigor matters most.
How do I add the skills to Claude?
This page is an editorial guide to ten strategy workflows, not a downloadable skill pack. Use the relevant workflow as a structured brief in Claude: name the step, provide the engagement context and evidence, specify the output, and review the result before moving to the next phase. If you later author these as Claude Skills, add each validated SKILL.md through Claude Settings, Skills, Add, and Upload a skill.
What does Claude produce at the end of the pack?
A complete analytical output: a scoped decision question, a MECE issue tree, evaluated strategic options with risk and economic scores, an initiative roadmap with a first 90-day plan, and a Pyramid Principle storyline. The slides come separately. Oria converts the structured output into fully editable, board-ready PowerPoint slides inside your corporate template.
Can I customize the skills for a specific engagement?
Yes. Adapt the workflow instructions to your sector, client context, available evidence, decision criteria, and constraints. Keep the five-phase sequence intact, but change the inputs and tests to fit the engagement. This page does not provide downloadable skill files.