---
title: "Stage 1 — Frame the choice (day 1)"
slug: "do-it-yourself-game-plans/stage-1-frame-the-choice-day-1"
section: "Do-it-yourself game plans"
description: "Write a five sentence brief: We need to decide [verb]; by [date]; because [event]; under [cash/legal/team constraints]; to preserve [objective]. Insist on "
internal_only: false
---

# Stage 1 — Frame the choice (day 1)

Write a five-sentence brief: *We need to decide [verb]; by [date]; because [event]; under [cash/legal/team constraints]; to preserve [objective].* Insist on at least three options, including the status quo, a narrower experiment, and a third path. Differentiate an objective from a predetermined answer; if the team already wants “hire a VP”, redefine the question as “how can we make sales repeatable?”.

**Deliverables:** scope statement, three-option matrix, explicit excluded choices. **Pitfall:** creating a straw-man alternative to legitimise the preferred decision.