Goal Setter

Transform vague or precise objectives into structured, actionable goals.

Operating Model

Goals are the primary operating mode for LeanOS. All work should be goal-driven.

PROACTIVE (primary):  Goal → Plan → Threads → Artifacts → Learning → Canvas
REACTIVE (fallback):  Signal → Thread → Link to Goal (or create new goal)

Goal-setter reads:

• Canvas (strategy/canvas/*) - strategic context, assumptions, constraints
• Existing goals (strategy/goals/active/*) - avoid conflicts, find linkages

Goal-setter does NOT read:

• Threads (execution output, not input)
• Artifacts (deliverables, not context)

Canvas Reference

Goal-setter uses Canvas sections for context, constraints, and success criteria alignment.

Canvas Sections (15 files)

Section	Purpose	Goal-setter Use
00.mode.md	VENTURE/BOOTSTRAP mode	Required - determines metrics, decomposition
01.context.md	Product, market context (KBOS)	Goal alignment check
02.constraints.md	Budget, time, resources	Goal constraints
03.opportunity.md	TAM/SAM/SOM, timing	Business goal sizing
04.segments.md	Customer segments	Target audience for goals
05.problem.md	Top 3 problems	Problem-focused goals
06.competitive.md	Competitors, positioning	Competitive goals
07.uvp.md	Unique Value Proposition	Messaging alignment
08.unfair.md	Unfair advantages, moats	Strategic goals
09.solution.md	MVP features	Product goals
10.assumptions.md	Hypotheses, validation status	Key - link goals to assumptions
11.channels.md	Acquisition channels	Channel strategy
12.revenue.md	Revenue model, tiers	Revenue goal targets
13.metrics.md	Key metrics, targets	Success criteria source
14.costs.md	Cost structure, burn	Profitability constraints
15.gtm.md	GTM strategy	Marketing/sales goals

Canvas Reading by Goal Type

business goals:
  Required: 00-mode, 11-pricing, 12-costs, 13-metrics
  Context:  01-context, 03-opportunity, 04-segments
  Link to:  10-assumptions (revenue/growth hypotheses)

brand goals:
  Required: 01-context, 07-uvp
  Context:  04-segments, 14-growth
  Link to:  10-assumptions (audience/positioning hypotheses)

product goals:
  Required: 09-solution, 05-problem
  Context:  01-context, 02-constraints
  Link to:  10-assumptions (product/market fit hypotheses)

learning goals:
  Context:  01-context (what skills needed)
  Link to:  10-assumptions (capability hypotheses)

Linking Goals to Canvas Assumptions

Every goal should link to Canvas assumptions (10.assumptions.md):

## Canvas Links

**Validates assumptions:**
- A3: "Enterprise customers will pay $500/month" (10.assumptions.md)
- A7: "Content marketing drives qualified leads" (10.assumptions.md)

**Informs sections:**
- 13.metrics.md (success updates metrics)
- 12.revenue.md (if revenue assumption validated)

When goal completes:

1. Update linked assumption status in 10.assumptions.md
2. Update relevant Canvas section if assumption validated/invalidated
3. Log learning in goal file

Type Signature

GoalSetter : Objective × CanvasContext × Mode × ExistingGoals → Goal

Where:
  Objective     : string (user's stated intent)
  CanvasContext : strategy/canvas/* (beliefs, constraints, segments)
  Mode          : VENTURE | BOOTSTRAP (from strategy/canvas/00.mode.md)
  ExistingGoals : strategy/goals/active/* (avoid conflicts)
  Goal          : Objective × SuccessCriteria × Plan × Autonomy × State
  Plan          : [Subgoal] × [Milestone] × [Dependency]
  Subgoal       : Objective × SuccessCriterion × ThreadType

When to Use

• User expresses intent: "I want to...", "Goal is to...", "Need to achieve..."
• Starting a new initiative without clear structure
• Breaking down a large objective into actionable pieces
• Reviewing/refining existing goals

Process

1. Capture Objective

Extract from user input:

• What: The desired outcome
• Why: Motivation/context (optional but valuable)
• When: Deadline or timeline (required)
• Constraints: Budget, resources, dependencies

If vague, ask:

What does success look like specifically?
By when do you need this achieved?
What resources/constraints should I know about?

2. Determine Goal Type

Infer from context or ask:

Type	Signals	Example
business	Revenue, customers, growth, market	"Reach $50K MRR"
brand	Followers, reach, authority, audience	"Build LinkedIn presence"
product	Features, launches, technical milestones	"Ship v2.0"
learning	Skills, certifications, knowledge	"Learn Rust"
custom	Anything else	User-defined

3. Apply Mode (Business Goals)

For business type goals, read mode from strategy/canvas/00.mode.md:

Aspect	VENTURE	BOOTSTRAP
Primary metrics	ARR, MAU, market share, runway	MRR, profit, cash flow, payback
Success focus	Growth rate, scale	Profitability, sustainability
Decomposition	Users → Activation → Monetization	Revenue → Margin → Reinvest
Timeline	7-10 year exit horizon	Profitable in 3 months
Risk tolerance	Higher (burn for growth)	Lower (preserve cash)

Mode-specific defaults:

VENTURE mode:
  Success criteria emphasize:
  - ARR growth rate (>100% YoY)
  - User/customer acquisition
  - Market share expansion
  - Acceptable burn for growth

  Subgoal order: Acquire → Activate → Retain → Monetize

  Autonomy default: hybrid (speed matters, but stakes high)

BOOTSTRAP mode:
  Success criteria emphasize:
  - MRR and monthly profit
  - Positive cash flow
  - LTV:CAC > 5:1
  - CAC payback < 6 months

  Subgoal order: First revenue → Unit economics → Scale

  Autonomy default: ask (cash preservation critical)

Non-business goals: Mode has minimal impact on brand, product, learning goals.

4. Define Success Criteria

Transform objective into measurable criteria:

Good criteria:

• Specific number or state
• Independently verifiable
• Time-bound (inherits from goal deadline)

Examples:

Objective: "Grow revenue"
Criteria:
- [ ] MRR >= $50,000
- [ ] Customer count >= 10
- [ ] Net revenue retention >= 100%

Objective: "Build LinkedIn presence"
Criteria:
- [ ] Followers >= 10,000
- [ ] Average post impressions >= 5,000
- [ ] 2+ inbound leads/month from content

5. Decompose into Plan

Subgoals - intermediate objectives that lead to main goal:

• Each subgoal has its own success criterion
• Identify dependencies between subgoals
• Link to thread types (business, sales, marketing, engineering)

Milestones - checkpoints with dates:

• Evenly distributed toward deadline
• Each milestone = measurable progress marker

Decomposition reasoning:

Goal: Achieve X by deadline D
  ↓
Ask: What must be true for X to happen?
  ↓
Identify 3-5 necessary conditions (subgoals)
  ↓
For each subgoal: What threads/actions achieve this?
  ↓
Order by dependencies
  ↓
Set milestones at 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% progress points

6. Set Autonomy Level

Mode	When to Use	Behavior
auto	Low-risk, well-understood domain	AI creates threads and executes without asking
ask	High-risk, novel, or user preference	AI recommends, waits for approval
hybrid	Default	Auto for impact <0.5, ask for impact ≥0.5

Default: hybrid unless user specifies otherwise.

7. Initialize State

Create initial state section:

• All metrics start at current values (0 or baseline)
• Gap = target - current
• Trend = "→" (neutral, no data yet)
• Trajectory = "Unknown" (insufficient data)

Output

Create file: strategy/goals/active/{goal-id}.md

Goal File Schema

---
id: g-{kebab-case-short-name}
type: business | brand | product | learning | custom
mode: VENTURE | BOOTSTRAP  # For business goals only
status: active
autonomy: auto | ask | hybrid
created: {YYYY-MM-DD}
deadline: {YYYY-MM-DD}
canvas_refs: ["{section}.md", ...]  # Optional Canvas links
---

# {Goal Title}

## Objective
{Single sentence describing desired outcome}

## Success Criteria
- [ ] {Measurable criterion 1}
- [ ] {Measurable criterion 2}
- [ ] {Measurable criterion 3}

## Plan

### Subgoals

#### SG1: {Subgoal Title}
- **Success:** {Specific criterion}
- **Depends on:** {None | SG#}
- **Thread type:** {business | sales | marketing | engineering}
- **Threads:** {None yet | thread-id, ...}
- **Status:** pending | in_progress | completed

#### SG2: {Subgoal Title}
- **Success:** {Specific criterion}
- **Depends on:** SG1
- **Thread type:** {type}
- **Threads:** {None yet}
- **Status:** pending

### Milestones
- [ ] M1: {25% progress marker} (by {date})
- [ ] M2: {50% progress marker} (by {date})
- [ ] M3: {75% progress marker} (by {date})
- [ ] M4: {Goal achieved} (by {deadline})

### Dependencies
{External dependencies, blockers, or prerequisites}

## State

### Metrics
| Metric | Current | Target | Gap | Trend |
|--------|---------|--------|-----|-------|
| {Primary metric} | {value} | {value} | {value} | → |
| {Secondary metric} | {value} | {value} | {value} | → |

### Execution
- **Active threads:** 0
- **Completed threads:** 0
- **Blocked:** 0

### Trajectory
- **On track:** Unknown (insufficient data)
- **Projected completion:** TBD
- **Risk level:** Low

## Canvas Links

**Validates assumptions:**
- {assumption-id}: "{assumption text}" (10.assumptions.md)

**Informs sections:**
- {section}.md (what updates on success)

## Log
- {created date}: Goal created

Integration

With Canvas

• Read relevant sections before creating goal (see Canvas Reference)
• Reference sections in canvas_refs frontmatter
• Link to assumptions in Canvas Links section
• Goal completion triggers Canvas updates (assumptions, metrics)

With Threads

• Subgoals spawn threads when activated
• Thread completion updates subgoal status
• Thread Stage 6 (Learning) feeds back to goal state

With Reasoning Gateway

• Complex decomposition may route through reasoning modes
• Causal: For operational goals with clear cause-effect
• Analogical: For novel goals ("this is like...")
• Dialectical: For goals with competing priorities

Examples

Business Goal (BOOTSTRAP)

User: "I want to hit $50K MRR by end of Q2"

Canvas read:
- 00-mode: BOOTSTRAP
- 11-pricing: $500/mo average, 3 tiers
- 12-costs: $5K/mo burn, need profitability
- 13-metrics: Current MRR $8K, 16 customers
- 04-segments: SMB primary, Enterprise secondary

Goal created:
- id: g-mrr-50k
- type: business
- mode: BOOTSTRAP
- deadline: 2025-06-30
- canvas_refs: [00-mode, 11-pricing, 12-costs, 13-metrics]
- Success criteria: MRR >= $50K, Profit margin >= 30%, CAC payback < 6 months
- Subgoals (revenue-first order):
  - SG1: Close first 3 paying customers
  - SG2: Validate unit economics (LTV:CAC > 5:1)
  - SG3: Scale acquisition (pipeline of 20 leads)
- Canvas Links:
  - A2: "SMB customers convert at 5%" (validates)
  - A5: "$500/mo price point acceptable" (validates)
- Autonomy: ask (cash preservation)

Business Goal (VENTURE)

User: "I want to hit $500K ARR by end of year"

Canvas read:
- 00-mode: VENTURE
- 03-opportunity: TAM $2B, growing 40% YoY
- 13-metrics: Current ARR $50K, 500 MAU
- 14-growth: PLG primary, content secondary

Goal created:
- id: g-arr-500k
- type: business
- mode: VENTURE
- deadline: 2025-12-31
- canvas_refs: [00-mode, 03-opportunity, 13-metrics, 14-growth]
- Success criteria: ARR >= $500K, MAU >= 10K, Growth >= 100% YoY
- Subgoals (growth-first order):
  - SG1: Acquire 5K users (product-led)
  - SG2: Activate 50% to active usage
  - SG3: Convert 5% to paid
- Canvas Links:
  - A1: "PLG drives user acquisition" (validates)
  - A4: "5% free-to-paid conversion achievable" (validates)
- Autonomy: hybrid (speed matters)

Brand Goal

User: "Build my LinkedIn presence for thought leadership"

Canvas read:
- 01-context: B2B SaaS, technical audience
- 07-uvp: "AI-native operations for startups"
- 04-segments: Technical founders, solo operators
- 14-growth: Content marketing as key channel

Goal created:
- id: g-linkedin-authority
- type: brand
- deadline: 2025-06-30 (asked user)
- canvas_refs: [01-context, 07-uvp, 04-segments, 14-growth]
- Success criteria: 10K followers, 5K avg impressions, 2 leads/month
- Subgoals:
  - SG1: Define content pillars (aligned with 07-uvp)
  - SG2: Establish posting cadence (3x/week)
  - SG3: Build engagement network (04-segments audience)
- Canvas Links:
  - A8: "Content drives inbound leads" (validates)

Product Goal

User: "Ship the mobile app"

Canvas read:
- 09-solution: MVP = core workflow + notifications
- 05-problem: "Users need mobile access to approve decisions"
- 01-context: Web app exists, mobile requested by 60% of users
- 02-constraints: 2 developers, Q1 deadline

Goal created:
- id: g-mobile-app-launch
- type: product
- deadline: 2025-03-31 (asked user)
- canvas_refs: [09-solution, 05-problem, 01-context, 02-constraints]
- Success criteria: App in stores, 100 beta users, <1% crash rate
- Subgoals:
  - SG1: Core features complete (09-solution scope)
  - SG2: Beta testing (recruit from existing users)
  - SG3: Store submission
- Canvas Links:
  - A6: "Mobile increases engagement 2x" (validates)

Constraints

Must Have

• Clear success criteria (measurable)
• Deadline
• At least 2 subgoals
• Autonomy level set

Must Ask If Missing

• Deadline not specified
• Success criteria ambiguous
• Type unclear from context

Must NOT

• Create goals without user confirmation of structure
• Set autonomy to auto for high-impact goals without asking
• Create duplicate goals (check existing first)

Error Handling

Objective too vague:

Ask: "What does '{objective}' look like when achieved?
     Give me 2-3 specific outcomes I can measure."

No deadline:

Ask: "By when do you want to achieve this?
     Options: specific date, relative (3 months), or milestone-based"

Conflicting with existing goal:

Flag: "This overlaps with existing goal '{goal-id}'.
      Should I: (1) Merge as subgoal, (2) Replace existing, (3) Keep both?"