STORI

STORI is a core model within the Insight-Napkin Framework used to convert strategic insights into a clear strategy or "play".

It structures this strategy into five essential phases: Start, Target, Obstacle, Road, and Implementation. This precise structure is typically transcribed onto The Napkin, a single-page document.

STORI's importance lies in providing a structured narrative, forcing conciseness, and acting as a quality control mechanism to ensure the strategy is coherent, realistic, and actionable.

This model is described in the book 'How to See What Others Don't'.

STORI converts insights into a strategic plan

It is designed to be a practical and realistic framework for strategy, aligning with the challenges organizations face today. It offers a different way to approach strategic planning.

Strategy as a Play

In the STORI framework, strategy is fundamentally understood as a "jugada" or "play". Strategists perceive the world and discuss strategy in terms of these plays. A complete strategy is seen as a single, consistent, and realistic play. This main play can be broken down into smaller, interconnected sub-plays, much like a fractal structure, where each sub-play also follows the STORI format.

The STORI Acronym: A Five-Step Structure

The model is built around the acronym S.T.O.R.I., which stands for Start, Target, Obstacle, Road, and Implementation. This provides a clear, five-phase structure for describing a strategic "play" or "jugada". It simplifies the planning process, breaking it down into understandable and actionable steps. This structure reflects how strategists intuitively think about moving from a current situation to a desired future state.

Start: Anchored in Insight

The crucial first phase, "Start," requires an explicit insight into the underlying situation. This insight reveals the true starting position, often by seeing what others miss or what isn't immediately obvious from the numbers. Identifying what is really happening is paramount. A powerful insight discovered in the "Start" phase is considered the most important part, as it allows the entire strategy to emerge naturally.

Target: A Defined Future Situation

The "Target" represents a clearly defined future state that the strategic play aims to achieve. It is a tangible situation to be made real, distinct from mere numerical objectives, which are simply "expected results" associated with reaching the Target. This distinction encourages creative thinking about potential future realities. The Target must be realistic, ideally with a 70% probability of being reached as planned.

Obstacle: The Critical Challenge

The "Obstacle" is identified as the key challenge or critical point that absolutely must be overcome to reach the Target. It's the specific difficulty where effort should be concentrated. Overcoming this central obstacle—likened to "the crux" in rock climbing—is seen as ensuring success. Identifying the obstacle provides coherence to the strategy and focuses energy effectively.

Road: Defined by Crucial Decisions

The "Road" describes the path or sequence of decisions that will take you from the Start to the Target. It's not just a list of actions, but requires specifying the explicit choices made, including alternatives that were considered and discarded, along with the reasons for the selection. This focus on stating difficult decisions is essential and helps distinguish the strategy from a simple task list, preventing "fake" strategies.

Implementation: Requiring Personal Commitment

"Implementation" is the final phase where plans are translated into action. A distinctive element of STORI is the requirement for the person responsible for executing a play to write their part of the plan, particularly in the summary document, in the first person ("I will do the following..."). This personal declaration ensures the implementer is absolutely committed and leaves no ambiguity about who is responsible for specific actions.

The Napkin: The Strategy Summary

The STORI strategy is summarized in a single-page document called the Servilleta. This document has five paragraphs, one for each STORI element, each limited to a maximum of 150 words. This strict constraint forces clarity, precision, and distillation of ideas. It serves as the basis for team discussion and acts as a quality control mechanism, easily exposing poorly thought-out or inconsistent strategies.

Comparing STORI and OSMA (Objectives, Strategies, Metrics, and Actions)

STORI offers a different way to approach strategic planning as compared to OSMA . The following table outlines the differences. Nevertheless, there's a possible interplay between them. Writing an OSMA strategy into STORI is an interesting way to check its internal consistency. On the other hand, it is possible to "translate" an STORI strategy into OSMA to use existing tracking and implementation procedures.

OSMA	STORI
Does not include a predefined conceptual quality-control mechanism	The limitation of the Napkin’s length, the demand for coherence, and the consistency-checking form provide an initial quality control. This can make the strategy slightly harder to write but significantly simpler to implement.
The strategy is not narrative-based	Strategy written on the Napkin is expressed as a narrative, seeking to make sense to a broader team.
Includes Mission, Vision, Values, Value Proposition, and Purpose	Includes these statements only if they truly determine the strategy. If included, consistency with the Target is mandatory.
Plan has no predetermined length or format	Plan limited to one page (Napkin) with a recommended format. Annexes and descriptions of sub-moves (STORI BOARD) are added.
Does not require defining an obstacle	Explicitly demands specifying an Obstacle, a critical point to overcome, which, once resolved, brings us close to achieving the Target. It represents the focal point of effort.
Accepts disconnected objectives. Groups strategies of similar nature into pillars	The strategy is a unified, coherent, and realistic move. It can be decomposed into sub-moves, each structured according to the STORI format. The strategy is viewed as fractal-like.
Implementation plans written neutrally	The implementation summary is written on the Napkin, but only the person responsible for executing the strategy may write it, using the first person: "I will do the following…". The annexes of Implementation include detailed task lists, actions, and budgets, which, similar to traditional planning, can be written in any style.
Does not require explicit decisions	Explicitly requires clear, unambiguous specification of decisions—usually challenging ones—that define the Road from Start to Target. These decisions are noted along with discarded alternatives: "we could have done X and Y, but decided on X," clearly indicating paths that won’t be pursued.
Declares primary and secondary objectives	In STORI, the word "objective" is not used. Instead, it defines a future state to be achieved, called the Target. This state is associated with "expected numerical results".
Requires background but does not demand discovering an insight	Demands explicitly stating an insight in Start ("what’s actually going on is…") and interpreting the initial situation accordingly. The background information supporting this interpretation is attached in annexes.

Model Comparison

Title	STORI	FORDEC	Rumelts Kernel of Strategy	Mintzbergs 5 Ps
Purpose/Nature	A practical framework for converting insights into a strategic plan. Defines strategy as a play. It is prescriptive and linear, simple, practical, and realistic for current challenges.	A decision-making process designed for high-pressure, time-limited situations. Originated in aviation and military contexts. Less suitable for long-term strategies.	A model based on three core parts: diagnosis, guiding policy, and coherent actions. It emphasizes facing a central challenge, referred to as "the crux".	A model that views strategy through multiple lenses (Perspective, Plan, Position, Pattern, Ploy). It is flexible and descriptive, capturing the evolution and aspects of strategy.
Key Structure/Components	Uses the S.T.O.R.I. acronym: Start, Target, Obstacle, Road, and Implementation. Strategy is summarized in a single-page document. Strategy as a fractal, composed of sub-plays	Uses the F.O.R.D.E.C. acronym: Facts, Options, Risks-Benefits, Decisions, Execution, Check. Follows a sequence of steps for evaluating and making a decision.	Consists of three main parts: diagnosis, a guiding policy to address the challenge, and a set of coherent actions to execute the policy.	Composed of five Ps: Perspective, Plan, Position, Pattern, and Ploy. Each "P" offers a different lens through which to understand strategy.
Narrative	A key feature is that strategy is expressed as a story or narrative. The Napkin serves to articulate this narrative. This shared story helps align the organization.	F.O.R.D.E.C. does not incorporates or emphasizes strategy as a narrative.	Rumelt's Kernel of Strategy does not emphasizes strategy as a narrative.	Mintzberg's 5 Ps does not emphasizes strategy as a narrative.
Suitability / Applicability	Designed to be practical and applicable, suitable for strategists and everyday users. It is prescriptive and guides the development of a specific strategic "play".	Designed for high-pressure and time-limited situations requiring rapid decision-making. Described as less suitable for long-term strategies.	A fundamental model for understanding the structure of strategy. The focus on diagnosis and the central challenge ("the crux") provides a solid foundation for strategic thinking.	A flexible and descriptive model useful for understanding the different facets of strategy and how it evolves. Captures aspects like emergent behavior and tactics not explicitly covered by STORI
Initial Understanding	The first phase that includes the insight to understand the situation and define the initial position. Requires explicitly stating the insight to discovering where you truly stand. Uses techniques for discovering insight.	The Facts phase is the starting point, focusing on situational awareness by gathering information. Shares emphasis on situational awareness with STORI.	The Diagnosis phase is the first part, focusing on understanding the situation. Shares focus on diagnosis with STORI. It helps identify the central challenge.	Perspective (worldview/culture) and Position (relationship to competitors/environment) are related Ps that inform the initial understanding of the situation and context. Position relates to knowing where you are currently standing.
Future State	Target, is a clearly defined future situation to be made real. Explicitly distinguishes Target from numerical objectives.	Lacks the emphasis on defining a distinct, specific future state (Target) as a core component.	Includes a Guiding Policy, but this is described as abstract rather than a concrete, defined future situation like STORI's Target. The focus is more on the policy for addressing the situation.	Includes Plan (a course of action to reach a goal) and Position (how the organization relates to its environment, implying a desired future state relative to competitors). Target is not a distinct, standalone component.
Obstacle	Explicitly requires defining the Obstacle. This is the key challenge or critical point that must be overcome for success. Identifying it focuses energy and gives the strategy coherence.	Does not have a distinct component explicitly focused on identifying a single "Obstacle" or "crux," although risks and benefits are assessed (Risks-Benefits).	Explicitly recognizes and prioritizes facing a central challenge, referring to it as "the crux," aligning with STORI's Obstacle concept. Diagnosis helps identify this challenge.	Does not have a distinct component explicitly dedicated to identifying a single "Obstacle." Challenges are addressed defining the Plan or understanding the Position.
Decisions	The Road is defined by a sequence of explicit decisions. It requires stating not just the chosen actions but also the alternatives that were considered and discarded, along with justifications.	Includes a Decisions phase. Shares an emphasis on decision-making with STORI. However, it focuses more on making a specific decision within a time-constrained process rather than defining a sequence of strategic decisions that map a path over time.	Includes a Set of Coherent Actions to execute the guiding policy. This describes what will be done, but the sources do not state it explicitly requires detailing the decisions made or the alternatives discarded in the way STORI's Road does.	Plan is one of the 5 Ps, representing a course of action. This inherently involves decisions, but the framework does not explicitly require documenting the specific decisions, the discarded alternatives, and their rationale as a core component.
Implementation	Has a distinct and detailed Implementation phase. A unique aspect is the requirement for the person responsible to write their part of the plan in the first person. Assumes dynamic implementation where plans may change.	Includes an Execution phase. Shares an emphasis on execution with STORI's Implementation. Follows the decision-making process.	Implementation is included conceptually as a set of coherent actions, but the sources state it is assumed but not detailed within the kernel structure itself.	Pattern is one of the 5 Ps and can represent the emergent implementation or consistent behavior of the organization over time. STORI's adaptability in Implementation aligns with this.
Summary Comparison	Combines the practicability of F.O.R.D.E.C., the focus of Rumelt's model and the adaptability seen in Mintzberg's framework.	Shares emphasis on situational awareness, decisions, and execution with STORI but is more focused on single decisions in rapid scenarios	Shares the focus on diagnosis (Start) and addressing a central challenge ("the crux"/Obstacle) with STORI. However, STORI is more explicit and structured with its five steps, and includes narrative and detailed implementation.	Shares alignment on planning (Target/Road) and positioning (Target) and allows for emergent elements (Implementation). However, STORI is prescriptive and linear, whereas Mintzberg's is descriptive and multidimensional.