Cognitive Engineering & Self-Mastery — Part 4B: Multiscale Planning (From Day Craft to Seasonal Strategy)

Track: North Star · Strategy Bridge · OKR⇄OPR · Horizons · Pipelines · Risk & Review

Strategy fails where the day begins. Multiscale planning stitches today’s First Line to a season that actually ships.

1) North Star → Quarterly Theme (Name Your Direction)

• North Star (12–36 months): one sentence that is outcome, scope, and ethic. “Publish a peerless AI-execution library that measurably upgrades readers’ lives.”
• Quarterly Theme (Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4): a phrase that excludes more than it includes. “Ship & Cite.”
• Monthly Focus: one metric only. “4 long-form artifacts published.”

2) The Strategy Bridge (Make Effort Traceable)

Test: Any task without a bridge upstream is noise. Any objective without tasks downstream is theatre.

3) OKR ⇄ OPR (Outcome + Process, Not Either/Or)

• OKR: Objective (qualitative) + Key Results (quantitative outcomes).
• OPR: Operating Process Results (behaviours/cadences that produce the KRs).

4) Horizon Rhythms (Day → Week → Month → Quarter)

• Day (craft): One Thing + First Line; two peak blocks; 4C loop in/out.
• Week (commitments): WIP check; dependency fix; schedule peaks.
• Month (focus): ship count; kill/continue/scale; adjust OPR.
• Quarter (theme): reset scope; reroute bridge; 10% capacity for R&D.

5) Pipelines & Backlogs (Now / Next / Later)

• Now: inside WIP; fully gated; scheduled blocks exist.
• Next: dependency ready within 7–14 days; outline exists.
• Later: parked ideas; reviewed monthly; ruthless deletion allowed.

6) Dependencies & Constraints (Friction Mapping)

• List upstream (inputs/people) and downstream (review/publish) for each project.
• Convert soft dependencies into calendar anchors (reviews, interviews, handoffs).
• Surface hidden constraints: legal, brand, energy, learning curves.

7) Risk Register & Pre-Mortems (Plan the Failure, Save the Week)

• Top 5 risks by likelihood × impact; owner; patch; review weekly.
• Pre-Mortem before sprints: “It failed. Why?” → insert gates.

8) Review Cadence (Score, Decide, Schedule)

• Weekly (30–45m): score OKR/OPR; reduce WIP; fix dependencies; book peaks.
• Monthly (60–90m): outcome audit; kill/continue/scale; refocus metric.
• Quarterly (2–3h): theme reset; opportunity scan; capacity re-budget.

9) Calendar Architecture (Protect the Bridge)

• Two peak blocks/day; comm windows; one untouchable block.
• Theme colours by layer (Day/Week/Month/Quarter) to keep traceability visual.
• Recovery and admin as first-class citizens, not afterthoughts.

Templates (Copy/Paste)

Strategy Bridge Canvas

NORTH STAR (12–36m): ___________________________________________
Quarterly Theme (one phrase): ___________________________________
Monthly Focus (one metric): _____________________________________
Weekly Commitments (top 3): 1) ___  2) ___  3) ___
Today’s First Line: _____________________________________________
Traceability Test: task → week → month → quarter → star (Y/N)
  

OKR ⇄ OPR Sheet

Objective (Quarter): ____________________________________________
KRs (3–4): 1) ______ 2) ______ 3) ______ 4) ______
OPR Cadences (behaviours that produce KRs):
- Daily: _________________________
- Weekly: ________________________
- Monthly: _______________________
Owner(s): ________  Review day/time: __________
  

Horizon Planner

DAY: One Thing = ____________________  First Line = ______________
WEEK: Commitments = 1) ___ 2) ___ 3) ___   WIP check (≤3/≤5): __
MONTH: Focus metric = ________________   Ship target = _________
QUARTER: Theme = _____________________   R&D capacity = 10% (Y/N)
  

Pipeline Ledger (Now / Next / Later)

NOW (WIP): 1) ______ 2) ______ 3) ______ (gates ready? Y/N)
NEXT (7–14d): 1) ______ 2) ______ 3) ______ (what gate missing?)
LATER (review monthly): _________________________________________
  

Dependency Map

PROJECT: __________________    Owner: ________
Upstream inputs: ____________  Downstream outputs: ____________
Calendar anchors (handoffs/reviews): ___________________________
Hidden constraints (legal/brand/energy/tools): _________________
  

Risk Register (Top 5)

Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Owner | Patch | Status
1) ______________ | ___ | ___ | ____ | ______ | ____
2) ______________ | ___ | ___ | ____ | ______ | ____
3) ______________ | ___ | ___ | ____ | ______ | ____
4) ______________ | ___ | ___ | ____ | ______ | ____
5) ______________ | ___ | ___ | ____ | ______ | ____
  

Weekly Review Script (30–45m)

1) Score OKR/OPR   2) Reduce WIP   3) Fix dependencies
4) Schedule peaks  5) Choose One Thing for Mon/Tue
Kill/Continue/Scale: ____________________________________________
  

KPIs (Planning Health)

• WIP within limits (≤3 major / ≤5 minor)
• Weekly review done 4/4 weeks
• Monthly focus metric hit ≥ 80%
• Quarterly KRs ≥ 70% achieved
• Traceability: ≥ 90% tasks mapped to a KR

Seven-Day Multiscale Sprint

1. D1: Write North Star and Q theme; set a single monthly focus metric.
2. D2: Draft OKR⇄OPR; pick owners; set review times.
3. D3: Build Pipeline (Now/Next/Later) and kill one item.
4. D4: Map dependencies; create two calendar anchors.
5. D5: Run a Weekly Review; schedule next week’s peaks.
6. D6: Risk Register (Top 5) + patches; add to review.
7. D7: Audit traceability; write three First Lines for Monday.

Free Execution Prompt — Multiscale Planning Architect (10-Year Proof)

You are my Multiscale Planning Architect (Part 4B).
Goal: connect my North Star to daily craft using the Strategy Bridge, OKR⇄OPR, horizon rhythms, and reviews.

ASK FIRST:
1) My North Star (12–36m) in one sentence
2) Quarterly theme (one phrase) and the monthly focus metric
3) Current WIP (major/minor) and hard deadlines
4) Dependencies/constraints for top two projects
5) Preferred review windows (weekly/monthly)

DO THIS:
1) Build a Strategy Bridge: North Star → Quarter theme → Month focus → Week commitments → Today’s First Lines.
2) Draft an OKR⇄OPR sheet with owners and review cadence.
3) Create a Pipeline Ledger (Now/Next/Later) and propose kill/park candidates.
4) Map dependencies and insert two calendar anchors for handoffs/reviews.
5) Produce a Weekly Review script and next 7 days of peak blocks + comm windows.
6) Create a Risk Register (Top 5) with patches and owners.
7) Define KPIs and a 7-day sprint plan.

OUTPUT / ARTIFACTS:
- Strategy Bridge Canvas
- OKR⇄OPR sheet
- Pipeline Ledger (Now/Next/Later)
- Dependency Map + calendar anchors
- Weekly Review script + 7-day schedule
- Risk Register
- KPI sheet + sprint plan

EVIDENCE GRADING:
- High: weekly review done; WIP within limits; ≥80% monthly focus hit; ≥70% KRs achieved; ≥90% task traceability.
- Moderate: review bi-weekly; 60–79% monthly focus.
- Low: below → reduce WIP, collapse objectives to one, add anchors, rewrite First Lines nightly.

LINK-FORWARD:
Advance to Part 4C — Energy & Recovery Economics (budgeting energy like capital to protect throughput).
    

FAQ (Part 4B)

Next: Part 4C — Energy & Recovery Economics.

Apply It Now (5 minutes)

1. One action: What will you do in 5 minutes that reflects this essay? (write 1 sentence)
2. When & where: If it’s [time] at [place], I will [action].
3. Proof: Who will you show or tell? (name 1 person)

You are my Micro-Action Coach. Based on this essay’s theme, ask me:
1) My 5-minute action,
2) Exact time/place,
3) A friction check (what could stop me? give a tiny fix),
4) A 3-question nightly reflection.
Then generate a 3-day plan and a one-line identity cue I can repeat.

🧠 AI Processing Reality… Commit now, then come back tomorrow and log what changed.