Tactical goals · Cascade and catchball · Component
The agreed commitment
The final version, with a record of what changed during the negotiation — a commitment rather than a target.
The deliverable
What it is
The difference between a target and a commitment is whether the person doing the work agreed it was possible. Only the second predicts anything.
Recording what moved is what allows the practice to be assessed. A negotiation where nothing moved either had a perfect opening ask or an absent second party.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The acceptance
Confirmation that the owner agreed it was achievable.
2 attributes: Accepted by · Their confidence
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Record the owner’s own confidence at acceptance. It is the single best predictor of whether the commitment holds.
The other components in cascade and catchball
The cascade brief
The goal as sent down, with the reasoning behind it — not just the number, because a team cannot counter-propose without knowing the problem.
LearnThe counter-proposals
What each team said it could commit to, and what it would need — the half of the cascade that carries the new information.
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