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Goals sit at the top of the tree. Every need, approach, and job traces back to a goal.

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What makes a good goal?

A goal is a business outcome, something that leads to sustained profit, retention, or market position. It’s not a milestone, a feature, or an activity. Good goals:
  • “Users pay, stay, and grow their accounts”
  • “AI augments the founder’s thinking”
  • “The business runs without the founder”
Bad goals:
  • “Launch the product”, that’s a milestone
  • “Build infrastructure”, that’s an activity
  • “Add billing page”. That’s a feature (it belongs lower in the tree)
A goal that could be marked done after a single event was scoped wrong. Goals persist until the business changes direction.

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Goal status

Goals carry a lifecycle status that controls visibility: Later and Done goals are dimmed in the Planning Tree. This is how you manage scope without deleting strategic context.

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How many goals?

Most projects have 2–6 goals. If you have more than 6, some are probably needs disguised as goals. Ask: “Is this a business outcome, or is it something that must be true for a business outcome to succeed?” If it’s the latter, it’s a need.