Attribute · Wording
Statement
A single authored sentence meant to be quoted exactly as written.
The type
What it is
A statement differs from ordinary text in that its wording is the artefact. It will be repeated in slides, on walls and from memory, and every paraphrase moves it slightly.
Because of that, a statement is versioned rather than edited. Changing it is an event with a date and an approver, not a correction.
How it is recorded
One sentence, held fixed between versions. Stored with its language and version rather than as loose copy.
Examples
- A purpose statement
- A brand promise
- A vision statement
The usual mistake
Allowing departments to paraphrase. Once two versions circulate, neither is the statement.
Shared across the framework
Where this type is used
28 places in the framework carry this type. Each names it locally; the definition stays here.
Goal Core16 places
- TextPurpose · Reason for being · The purpose statement · The sentenceFixing the wording is what stops the purpose drifting through paraphrase.
- StatementPurpose · Stakeholder rationale · Value statement per group · The claimThe claim in one line, held fixed so it can be tested over time.
- Inferred statementPurpose · Integrity · The evidence audit · The inferred purposeThe purpose the decisions imply, written in the same form as the stated one.
- ObjectiveShort term goals · Quarterly objectives · The objective set · The objectivesThe commitment in one line, held fixed for the quarter.
- ClaimShort term goals · Quick wins · The visibility plan · The claimWhat is being said about the result.
- MechanismShort term goals · Leading indicators · The causal assumption · The claimWhy the leading measure is believed to cause the outcome.
- StatementLong term goals · Long-range ambition · The ambition statement · The destinationThe destination and the year, in one sentence.
- AssumptionLong term goals · Assumptions and scenarios · The assumption register · The assumptionsThe claim about the world, phrased so it could be false.
- AskTactical goals · Cascade and catchball · The cascade brief · The askWhat this team is being asked to commit to.
- CommitmentTactical goals · Cascade and catchball · The counter-proposals · The proposalWhat the team proposes to deliver.
- CommitmentTactical goals · Cascade and catchball · The agreed commitment · The final commitmentWhat was agreed, in final wording.
- ConstraintStrategic goals · Diagnosis · The diagnosis statement · The constraintWhat limits everything else, in one paragraph.
- Alternative readingStrategic goals · Diagnosis · Rejected diagnoses · The alternativesThe diagnosis that was considered.
- ThemeStrategic goals · Strategic themes · The theme set · The themesThe name of the line of effort, in the firm’s own language.
- ExclusionStrategic goals · Trade-offs · The exclusion list · The exclusionsWhat is deliberately not pursued.
- ValuePurpose · Core values · The value set · The valuesThe commitment, in wording that describes behaviour rather than a quality.
Business Core3 places
- Role purposeHR · Recruitment and selection · The role definition · The purposeOne sentence that a candidate could repeat back; if it takes a paragraph, the role is unclear.
- JobValue Proposition · Customer jobs and pains · The job statement · The jobWritten without naming your category, which is what keeps it a discovery rather than an assumption.
- DifferenceValue Proposition · Differentiation · The difference statement · The statementOne sentence, held fixed so it is not restated differently by every team.
Brand Core7 places
- PromiseBrand promise · The promise · The commitment · The sentenceThe exact wording, fixed so it is not paraphrased differently by each team.
- DifferenceBrand Positioning · Points of difference · The differences · The claimThe claim, in the customer’s terms.
- Positioning statementBrand Positioning · The positioning statement · The statement · The sentenceThe agreed sentence, held fixed.
- StatementBrand Positioning · The positioning statement · The version record · The versionsThe wording at that version.
- SubjectBrand Narrative · The story · The narrative · The subjectWhat the story is about, in a sentence.
- Master messageBrand Narrative · Message architecture · The master message · The messageThe one thing, in agreed wording.
- Short versionBrand Narrative · The tellers · The internal version · The short versionThe two sentences, written for speech.
Vision Core2 places
- Future stateVision Statement · The statement · The future state · The conditionThe condition itself, held fixed so it is not softened over time.
- WordingMission Statement · Keeping it current · The version record · The versionsThe full statement at that version.
Every attribute type in the framework is listed in the attribute library.