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Outline of Strategic Rules Articles

S-RULE ID Description
1.0 Strategic Positioning Eight rules regarding strategy as competitive positioning.
1.1 Position Paths Six rules regarding the continuity of strategic positions over time.
1.1.1 Position Dynamics Seven rules regarding all current positions as necessarily temporary.
1.1.2 Defending Positions Five rules regarding the required defense of current positions until new positions are established.
1.2 Subobjective Positions Four rules regarding how the subjective and objective aspects of positioning.
1.2.1 Competitive Landscapes Seven rules regarding the arenas in which rivals jockey for position.
1.2.2 Exploration and Exploitation Seven rules regarding how competive landscapes are searched and positions utilized.
1.2.3 Position Complexity Seven rules regarding how strategic positions arise from interactions in complex environments.
1.3 Elemental Analysis Five rules regarding the basic system for making sure we consider all relevant components of a position.
1.3.1 Competitive Comparison Four principles defining competition as the comparison of positions both objectively and subjectively.
1.3.2 Element Scalability Seven rules regarding how elements are analyzed by breaking into component elements.
1.4 The External Environment Six rules regarding outside competitive conditions where others chooses their own actions.
1.4.1 Climate Shift Nine rules regarding forces of environmental change (temporary conditions).
1.4.2 Ground Features Eleven rules regarding key characteristics of the competitive landscape (persistent conditions).
1.5 Competitive Agents Seven rules regarding characteristics of competitors.
1.5.1 Command Leadership Twelve rules regarding individual decision-making (leaders).
1.5.2. Group Methods Ten rules regarding systems for executing decisions (skills).
1.6 Mission Values Seven rules regarding the goals and values directing decisions (motivation).
1.6.1 Shared Mission Ten rules regarding why and how missions are shared.
1.6.2 Types of Motivations Five rules regarding hierarchies of motivation that define missions.
1.6.3 Shifting Priorities Seven rules regarding how missions change according to temporary conditions.
1.7 Competitive Power Five rules regarding the sources of superiority in strategic positions.
1.7.1 Team Unity Ten rules regarding how strength arises from joining with others.
1.7.2 Goal Focus Five rules regarding strength as arising from concentrating efforts.
1.8 Progress Cycle Eight rules regarding the adaptive loop by which positions are advanced.
1.8.1 Creation and Destruction Five rules regarding the creation and destruction of competitive positions.
1.8.2 The Adaptive Loop Eight rules regarding the continual reiteration of position analysis.
1.8.3 Cycle Time Four rules regarding the importance of speed in feedback and reaction.
1.8.4 Probabilistic Process Four rules regarding the role of chance in strategic processes and systems.
1.9 Competition and Production Five rules regarding the skills used outside and inside of a position.
1.9.1 The Strategic Arena Five rules regarding overlooked aspects of competitive environments.
1.9.2 Span of Control Eight rules regarding the relative size of competitive and productive areas.
2.0 Developing Perspective Four rules regarding how different viewpoints add depth to analysis.
2.1 Information Value Twelve rules regarding knowledge and communication as the basis of strategy.
2.1.1 Information Limits Eight rules regarding to making good decisions with limited inforamation competition.
2.1.2 Leveraging Uncertainty Seven rules regarding the affect of decision-making in chaotic environments.
2.1.3 Strategic Deception Nine rules regarding the use of misinformation and disinformation competition.
2.1.4 Surprise Five rules regarding the use of the unexpected in competition.
2.2 Information Gathering Four plus four rules regarding how information must be collected to develop perspectives on success.
2.2.1 Personal Relationships Five rules regarding quality information as depending personal relationships.
2.2.2 Mental Models Five rules regarding how mental models for comparison simplify decision-making.
2.2.3 Standard Terminology Five rules regarding how mental models must be shared to enable communication.
2.3 Personal Interactions Four rules regarding the workings of personal contact in making progress toward our goals.
2.3.1 Action and Reaction Seven rules regarding making decisions based on action and reaction.
2.3.2 Reaction Unpredictability Five rules regarding why the reactions of others are never predictable.
2.3.3 Range of Reactions Six rules regarding the range of potential reactions in gathering information.
2.3.4 Using Questions Four rules regarding the use of questions in predicting and guiding our own and others reactions.
2.3.5 Infinite Loops Four principles predicting reactions on the basis of the "you-know-that-I-know-that-you-know" problem.
2.3.6 Promises and Threats Rules describing the use of promises and threats as strategic moves.
2.4 Contact Networks Five rules regarding the range of contacts needed to create perspective.
2.4.1 Ground Perspective Three rules regarding contacts on a given competitive landscape.
2.4.2 Climate Perspective Four rules regarding contacts on temporary external conditions
2.4.3 Command Perspective Five rules regarding contacts on individuals making decisions.
2.4.4 Methods Perspective Three rules regarding contacts on groups executing decisions.
2.4.5 Mission Perspective Six rules regarding contacts creating perspective on motivation.
2.5 The Big Picture Eight rules regarding perspective on relative positions are built from detailed information.
2.6 Knowledge Leverage Four rules regarding how knowledge creates the value of all other resources.
2.7 Information Secrecy Seven rules regarding where secrecy is required in relationships.
3.0 Identifying Opportunities Five rules regarding the use of opportunities to advance a position.
3.1 Strategic Economics Six rules regarding the general theory cost and benefits of positioning.
3.1.1 Resource Limitations Five rules regarding the inherent limitation of strategic resources.
3.1.2 Strategic Profitability Nine rules regarding advancing a position in terms resource gains and losses.
3.1.3 Conflict Cost Six rules regarding the costly nature of position conflict.
3.1.4 Openings Seven rules regarding how seeking openings avoids costly conflict.
3.1.5 Unpredictable Value Seven rules regarding the limitations of predicting the value of positions.
3.1.6 Time Limitations Nine rules regarding how economics puts a time limit on all opportunities.
3.2 Opportunity Creation Five rules regarding how change creates opportunities.
3.2.1 Environmental Dominance Four rules regarding why openings must be created externally.
3.2.2 Opportunity Invisibility Five rules regarding why opportunities are always hidden.
3.2.3 Complementary Opposites Five rules regarding the dynamics of balance from opposing forces.
3.2.4 Emptiness and Fullness Seven rules regarding the special dynamics of emptiness and fullness.
3.2.5 Dynamic Reversal Five rules regarding how situations reverse themselves naturally.
3.3 Opportunity Resources Eight rules regarding the nature of the excess resources needed to fill openings.
3.4 Dis-Economies of Scale Six rules regarding openings that are created by the size of others.
3.4.1 Unity Breakdown Seven rules regarding the opposition of size and unity.
3.4.2 Opportunity Fit Seven rules regarding the problems with large organization pursuing new opportunities.
3.4.3 Reaction Lag Six rules regarding how size created temporary openings.
3.5 Strength and Weakness Six rules regarding openings created by the strength of others.
3.6 Leveraging Subjectivity Six rules regarding openings between subjective and objective positions.
3.7 Defining the Ground Six rules regarding dividing the competitive arena to create relative mismatches.
3.8 Strategic Matrix Analysis Four rules regarding two-dimensional repesenations of strategic space.
4.0 Leveraging Probability Nine principle describing making better decisions regarding the choice of opportunities.
4.1 Future Potential Five rules regarding the limitations and potential of current and future positions.
4.2 Choosing Non-Action Six rules regarding whether or not to pursue an opportunity.
4.3 Situation Forms Six rules regarding the four key forms of opportunity.
4.3.1 Tilted Forms Four rules regarding space that is dominated by uneven features.
4.3.2 Fluid Forms Four rules regarding space that is dominated by fast-changing features.
4.3.3 Soft Forms Six rules regarding space that is dominated by non-supporting features.
4.3.4 Ideal Form Seven rules regarding areas of strategic opportunity with no dominant defects.
4.4 Strategic Distance Nine rules regarding relative proximity in strategic space.
4.4.1 Physical Distance Six rules regarding the issues of proximity in physical space.
4.4.2 Intellectual Distance Six rules regarding the challenges of moving through intellectual space.
4.5 Opportunity Surfaces Six rules regarding what we can know about opportunity potential at a distance.
4.5.1 Surface Area Seven rules regarding the issues in choosing opportunities on the basis of their size.
4.5.2 Surface Barriers Five rules regarding how to select opportunities by evaluating obstacles.
4.5.3 Surface Holding Power Six rules regarding strategic space in terms of stickiness, slipperiness, and friction.
4.6 Six Benchmarks Five rules regarding simplifying the comparisions of opportunities.
4.6.1 Spread-Out Conditions Five rules regarding how to recognize opportunities that are too large.
4.6.2 Constricted Conditions Five rules regarding the identification of constricted positions.
4.6.3 Barricaded Conditions Seven rules regarding the issues related to the extremes of obstacles.
4.6.4 Wide-Open Conditions Six rules regarding the issues related to an abscence of barriers.
4.6.5 Fixed Conditions Nine rules regarding positions with extreme holding power.
4.6.6 Sensitive Conditions Six rules regarding the affects of positions with no holding power on pursuing opportunities.
4.7 Competitive Weakness Six rules regarding how certain opportunities can bring out our weaknesses.
4.7.1 Command Weaknesses Ten rules regarding the character flaws of leaders and how to exploit them.
4.7.2 Group Weaknesses Six rules regarding organizational weakness and where they fail.
4.8 Climate Support Rules regarding the choice of positions based on future potential.
4.9 Opportunity Mapping Five rules regarding a two-dimensional tool for comparing opportunities probabilities.
5.0 Minimizing Mistakes Five general rules regarding minimizing mistakes in advancing a position.
5.1 Mission Priorities Five rules regarding the alignment of actions with mission.
5.1.1 Event Distraction Eight rules regarding the pressure of events upon action.
5.1.2 Unproductive Responsibility Seven rules regarding the mistakes made through lack of focus.
5.2 Opportunity Exploration Seven rules regarding a mental framework for exploring opportunities.
5.2.1 Choosing Adaptability Five rules regarding choosing actions that allow us a maximum of future flexibity.
5.2.2 Campaign Methods Five rules describing the use of campaigns and their different methods.
5.2.3 Unplanned Steps Seven principles separating campaign steps from those of a plan.
5.3 Reaction Time Five rules regarding the importance of speed in choosing actions.
5.3.1 Speed and Quickness Seven rules regarding the use of pace within a dynamic environment.
5.3.2 Opportunity Windows Five rules regarding the effect of speed upon the formation of opposition.
5.3.3 Information Freshness Six rules regarding the choosing actions based freshness of information.
5.4 Minimizing Action Five rules regarding economical action, i.e. less is more.
5.4.1 Testing Value Five rules regarding the need to test new positions for value.
5.4.2 Successful Mistakes Six rules regarding the the pitfalls in learning from our mistakes.
5.5 Focused Power Five rules regarding the dimensions of investments in action, i.e. safe experimentation.
5.5.1 Force Size Eight rules regarding limiting the size of force in an advance.
5.5.2 Distance Limitations Eight rules regarding the use of short steps to reach distant goals.
5.5.3 Evaluation Deadlines Six rules regarding setting deadlings for progress.
5.6 Defensive Advances Six rules regarding the relationship of defending and advancing positions.
5.6.1 Defense Priority Seven rules regarding why defense has first claim on our resources.
5.6.2 Acting Now Eight rules regarding why and how we can act on opportunities immediately.
6.0 Situation Response Eight rules regarding the selection of actions most appropriate to a situation.
6.1 Situation Recognition Seven rules regarding skill of situation recognition in making advances.
6.1.1 Conditioned Reflexes Four rules describin how we develop automatic, instantaneous responses.
6.1.2 Prioritizing Conditions Six rules regarding the the parsing of complex conditions into simple responses.
6.2 Campaign Evaluation Five rules regarding how we justify continued investment in continuing a campaign.
6.2.1 Campaign Flow Six rules for seeing campaigns as a series of situation that flow from one to another.
6.2.2 Campaign Goals Rules regarding the need to reassess the value of a campaign mission.
6.3 Campaign Patterns Seven rules regarding how our knowledge of campaign stages gives us more control over our situation.
6.3.1 Early-Stage Situations Six rules describing the common situations that arise the earliest in campaigns.
6.3.2 Middle-Stage Situations Six rules regarding the effect of progress on creating new situations in campaigns.
6.3.3 Late-Stage Situations Six rules regarding finals stages of campaigns.
6.4 Nine Situations Rules regarding the basic definition of the nine common competitive situations.
6.4.1 Dissipating Situations Five rules regarding the class of situations where defensive unity is destroyed.
6.4.2 Easy Situations Five rules for recognizing situations of easy initial progress.
6.4.3 Contentious Situations Four rules defining the nature of situations that invite conflict.
6.4.4 Open Situations Rules regarding situations of that are races.
6.4.5 Intersecting Situations Rules regarding situations that bring people together.
6.4.6 Serious Situations Six rules for identifying situations where resources can be cut off.
6.4.7 Difficult Situations Six rules regarding situations where serious barriers must be overcome.
6.4.8 Limited Situations Six rules regarding the identification of situations defined by a bottleneck.
6.4.9 Desperate Situations Three rules regarding situations where destruction is possible.
6.5 Nine Responses Rules regarding the best responses to the nine common competitive situations.
6.5.1 Dissipating Response Fice rules regarding the use of offense as defense.
6.5.2 Easy Response Five rules regarding overcoming complacency.
6.5.3 Contentious Response Five rules regarding the avoidance of conflict.
6.5.4 Open Response Five rules to help us keep up with the opposition.
6.5.5 Intersecting Response Five rules regarding the formation of sitational alliances.
6.5.6 Serious Response Rules regarding finding immediate income.
6.5.7 Difficult Response Five rules regarding the role of persistence.
6.5.8 Limited Response Four rules regarding the need for secret speed.
6.5.9 Desperate Response Five rules regarding the risking of all our resources.
6.6 Campaign Pause Five rules regarding knowing when to stop advancing positions.
6.7 Tailoring to Conditions Seven rules regarding overcoming opposition using conditions in the environment.
6.7.1 Form Adjustments Five rules regarding adapting our responses based on the form of the ground.
6.7.2 Size Adjustments Seven rules regarding adapting responses based on comparing size of forces.
6.7.3 Strength Adjustments Nine rules regarding adapting responses by comparing the strength of forces.
6.8 Competitive Psychology Rules regarding how situation response improves competitive psychology, even in adversity and failure.
6.8.1 Adversity and Creativity Rules regarding how adversity sparks creativity.
6.8.2 Strength in Adversity Seven rules regarding using adversity to increase a group's unity and focus.
6.8.3 Individual Toughness Eight rules regarding how we to develop character from failure.
7.0 Creating Momentum Seven rules regarding the need for creativity to create momentum.
7.1 Competitive Chaos Seven rules regarding how chaos creates value in competitive momentum.
7.1.1 Creating Surprise Five rules for creating surprise in a chaotic environment.
7.1.2 Momentum Psychology Rules regarding the effect of surprise in chaotic situations.
7.1.3 Standards and Innovation Seven rules regarding creative methods in chaotic environments.
7.2 Standards First Seven rules regarding the role of standards to creating initial connections with others.
7.2.1 Proven Methods Eightr rules regarding the boundaries of proven methods.
7.2.2 Preparing Expectations Eight rules regarding how we shape other people's expectation.
7.3 Strategic Innovation Six rules defining Sun Tzu's system for innovation.
7.3.1 Expected Elements Seven rules regarding breaking processes and systems into components.
7.3.2 Elemental Rearrangement Six rules regarding innovations as a rearranging elements.
7.3.3 Creative Innovation Seven rules regarding the more advanced methods for innovation
7.4 Timing Rules regarding the role of timing in creating momentum.
7.4.1 Timing Methods Four rules regarding the three simplest methods of controlling timing.
7.4.2 Momentum Timing Rules regarding using timing to maximize the effect of surprise.
7.4.3 Interrupting Patterns Rules regarding how repetition creates patterns for surprise.
7.5 Momentum Limitations Rules regarding the implication of momentum's temporary nature.
7.5.1 Momentum Conversion Rules regarding the need to convert momentum to position
7.5.2 The Spread of Innovation Rules regarding how innovation becomes the new status quo.
7.6 Non-Zero Sum Games Rules regarding the effect of momentum expanding available rewards.
7.6.1 Resource Discovery Rules regarding how innovation creates value in once worthless resources.
7.6.2 Ground Creation Rules regarding how momentum opens up new competitive arenas.
8.0 Winning Rewards Rules regarding harvesting the rewards of a new position.
8.1 Successful Positions Rules regarding the relationship of positions and resources.
8.1.1 Transforming Resources Rules regarding converting one type of value to another.
8.1.2 Control Limits Rules regarding the limits of our control over a position and its resources.
8.1.3 Reward Speed Rules regarding the need for setting time limits on evaluating positions.
8.2 Making Claims Rules regarding the need to claim rewards after winning positions.
8.3 Securing Rewards Rules regarding the process of generating rewards from a position.
8.3.1 Gauging Value Rules regarding methods for objectively measuring position value.
8.3.2 Distinctive Packaging Rules regarding how to create the perception of value.
8.3.3 Rules of Engagement Rules regarding the do's and don't of claim encounters.
8.3.4 Position Production Rules regarding the differences between competition and production.
8.4 Individual Contact Rules regarding the general techniques harvesting resources from position.
8.5 Leveraging Emotions Rules regarding the use of emotion in obtaining rewards.
8.6 Winning Attention Rules regarding the winning the attention of others to our claims.
8.7 Continuous Improvement Rules regarding strategic measures of internal production improvements.
8.7.1 Evaluating Existing Positions Rules regarding the gauging the direction of current positions.
8.7.2 Losing Positions Rules regarding the methods for dealing with losing position.
9.0 Understanding Vulnerability Rules regarding the defense from common environmental attacks.
9.1 Climate Vulnerability Rules regarding the source of enmity and vulnerability.
9.1.1 Climatic Opposition Rules regarding how changing conditions create opponents.
9.1.2 Climatic Threats Rules regarding how changing conditions create potential threats.
9.2 Points of Vulnerability Rules regarding the five target components of positions.
9.2.1 Personnel Risk Rules regarding the individuals upon which a position depends.
9.2.2 Immediate Resource Risk Rules regarding the resources required for the immediate use of a position.
9.2.3 Transportation/Communication Risk Rules regarding how firestorms choke normal channels of movement and communication.
9.2.4 Long-term Resources Risk Rules regarding the threats to fixed assets.
9.2.5 Organizational Risk Rules regarding the targeting the division of roles and responsibility upon which a position depends.
9.3 Crisis Leadership Rules regarding maintaining the support of others during attacks.
9.3.1 Mutual Danger Rules regarding the use of mutual danger to create mutual self-interest.
9.3.2 Message Control Rules regarding communication methods during a crisis.
9.4 Defending Against Crisis Rules regarding how vulnerabilities are exploited and defended.
9.4.1 Defending Against Division Rules regarding the use of the environment to create division.
9.4.2 Defending Against Panic Rules regarding the use of the environment to create panic.
9.4.3 Defending Openings Rules regarding how to defend openings created by a crisis.
9.4.4 Defending Alliances Twelve rules regarding dealing with guilt-by-association.
9.4.5 Defending Against Trends Rules regarding the use of short-term conditions to tip a balance.
9.5 Exploiting Opponent's Vulnerabilities Rules regarding the mistakes we can make in exploiting an opponent's crisis.
9.5.1 Adversarial Opportunities Rules regarding why we cannot ignore using a crisis against opponents.
9.5.2 Avoiding Emotion Rules regarding the danger of exploiting environmental vulnerabilities for purely emotion reasons.
9.6 Constant Vigilance Rules regarding attention to the environment in preserving positions.
 
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