Tactical goals · Cascade and catchball · Component
The 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.
The deliverable
What it is
The level doing the work knows things the level setting the goal does not. The counter-proposal is the mechanism for that knowledge to reach the decision.
A cascade where nothing ever comes back changed is not a negotiation. It is an instruction with a consultation step attached.
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 conditions
What the team would need for the commitment to hold.
2 attributes: Condition · Depends on
LearnWhat they saw
Information the team has that the goal-setter did not.
2 attributes: Observation · Effect on the ask
Learn
Track how often the cascade changes the original ask. A rate near zero means catchball is being performed rather than done.
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 agreed commitment
The final version, with a record of what changed during the negotiation — a commitment rather than a target.
Learn