At the House of Cutter in the last year we have been changing the system of work every three months. Not because we want to. Because we have to. The world is changing so fast that what we offered the client in October we produce in a completely different way in January.
Are you still planning for five years ahead?
One cycle is not enough
Most companies view strategy as a one-time decision. I sit down, reflect, make decisions for three to five years, and then I fulfill them.
It works great. At a time when nothing changes.
In office work, everything is changing now. Every month comes a new tool, a new capability, a new way to do things faster and cheaper. Those who ignore this act at their own risk.
Haircut. ✂️
We realized that we don't have one strategic cycle. We have three. And everyone answers a different question.
1 ️ ⃣ Long Cycle — Years
He answers the question: What trench are we digging? The trench is what stands between you and the competition that wants to sow margins for you. Branding, network effects, unique data -- there are seven types of ditches. You've been kicking them for years. And sometimes you don't need to dig them — like when the market is skyrocketing and your customers are ripping your hands off.
2 ️ ⃣ Medium cycle — months
He answers the question: What do we need to change? For example, we use Wardley Maps — a strategic framework that connects users, their needs and how we meet them. We are constantly updating and discussing them. The result? We do less crap. And more things that really benefit us.
3 ️ ⃣ Short-term cycle — days and weeks
He answers the question: What makes the most sense to change today? Here, for example, we work with design probes — small experiments that verify risks before you invest too much. Where is the greater risk? That you fail one experiment? Or that you are not sufficiently exploring the space in which you want to innovate?
What about that?
👉 Stop clinging to predictability. Invest in customizability. What works today may not work in three months. And marketing comes first — if you want to know how, go to AI Marketing Lab.
👉 Take a look at recording of our webinar on AI strategy, where we go through all three cycles in more detail.
👉 Learn strategic frameworks to help you through each of those three cycles. Na Strategic thinking we walk through the entire system -- from the ditches to the business mapping up to design probes and a host of other frameworks. And if you want those strategic discussions Facilitate in your team, we have training for that.
The strategy is not a document. It's a cycle of challenging decisions that repeats itself. And in 2026, it repeats much faster than you are used to.
“Strategy is about taking action to improve relative performance. “
— Vaungh Tan
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