XSTRAT User Guide v1.0.0

Overview

What is XSTRAT?

XSTRAT is a guided strategy tool. It walks you through building a complete strategic plan, from understanding where you are today, to defining goals, actions, and tracking progress over time.

The complete journey at a glance

1–6

📝

Build the Plan

→

📄

Review & Export

→

🔄

Periodic Reviews

→

9
📊

Live Dashboard

🏢

For Organisations

Companies, teams, nonprofits: any group that needs a clear strategic direction.

🧭

Step-by-Step Guided

Each step builds on the last. You can always go back and refine earlier sections.

📱

Works Offline

Runs entirely in your browser. No account needed. Save using the Save button.

Interface Tour

Three key areas

XSTRAT has a consistent layout throughout: a top bar, a step navigator, and a two-panel workspace.

Annotated mockup

Header mockup

NEXTRA GROUP · Acme Corp

SAVE

LOAD

Manage Token

XSTRAT

Tab bar

1 · Context

2 · Diagnosis

3 · Vision

4 · Options

5 · Priorities

6 · Action Plan

7 · Summary

Body

Main Input Area

Organisation

Acme Corp

Industry

Retail

Session Goal

Define our 2-year growth strategy…

Next → Diagnosis

Live Snapshot

As you fill in each field, this panel updates with a real-time summary of what you've entered so far.

Tip

Be specific. Vague answers produce vague strategy.

Callout annotations

⬆️

Top Bar

Shows your client name and the XSTRAT brand. Contains Save, Load File, and Manage Token buttons.

↔️

Step Tabs

Shows your progress. Gold tab = current step. Green text = completed step. Click any tab to jump between steps.

◀ ▶

Two Panels

Left panel = where you enter data. Right dark panel = live snapshot of what you've written so far.

Step Reference

Each step, explained

Move through the steps in order. Each one builds on the previous. You can go back at any time using the "← Back" button or by clicking the step tabs at the top.

Client Context

Set the scene. Who is this strategy for? What kind of session is this? This information appears on your final report.

🏢 Organisation name

🏭 Industry / Sector

📋 Session type (dropdown)

📅 Session date

👥 Who is in the room?

🕐 Time horizon (dropdown)

🎯 What does the client hope to achieve?

Situation Diagnosis

Honest assessment of the current state. This is your SWOT analysis (internal and external factors) plus health ratings.

+ Strengths

− Weaknesses / Gaps

↑ Opportunities

⚠ Threats

⭐ Health ratings (1–5 stars)

🔴 Critical Issue (the #1 problem)

III

Objectives & Goals

Where do you want to go? Define a clear vision, mission, and 3–5 measurable strategic goals.

🔭 Vision Statement

💡 Mission / Core Purpose

🎯 Strategic Goals (3–5)

🚫 Strategic Boundaries (what's out of scope)

Strategic Options

List the different paths available. Generate 3–6 ideas before deciding. Also note your key assumptions and biggest risks.

🛤️ 3–6 Strategic Options

💭 Key Assumptions

⚡ Biggest Risk / Uncertainty

Strategic Priorities

From all your options, rank the 5–7 most important initiatives. Rate each by impact and urgency. Drag to reorder.

📌 Priority Initiatives (5–7 max)

H Impact: High / Med / Low

U Urgency: High / Med / Low

💰 Resource Constraints

Action Plan

Turn the plan into specific, owned, dated actions. Who does what, by when? Also set your review cadence.

✅ Actions (description)

👤 Owner (who is responsible)

📅 Due date

🔁 Review frequency

🌅 Success signals (90-day)

🗒️ Consultant notes (private)

VII

Strategy Summary

A formatted report of everything you've entered. Read through it to confirm the plan is complete and coherent.

👁️ Review the complete summary

🖨️ Print / Export as PDF

✏️ Go back to edit any section

VIII

Strategy Review

Appears after your first save. Conduct periodic check-ins: rate goal progress, update action status, add new goals or actions.

🟢 Goal RAG status (On Track / At Risk / Off Track)

📊 Action % completion

➕ Add new goals or actions mid-cycle

📝 Session notes

Dashboard

A live view across all your reviews. See goal trends, action progress, and health scores, all in one place.

📈 Goal Status Grid (across reviews)

⚙️ Action Progress by Review

❤️ Health Score trends

🖨️ Print / Export Dashboard PDF

UI Elements

Controls explained visually

XSTRAT uses a consistent set of interactive elements throughout. Here's what each one does.

Stars

⭐ Star Ratings (Step 2: Health Ratings)

Click the stars to rate the current health of each dimension of your organisation. 1 = critical concern, 5 = excellent.

Financial Health

★★★★★

2 stars = Needs significant attention

Team Culture

★★★★★

4 stars = Good, minor improvements possible

Customer Satisfaction

★★★★★

5 stars = Excellent, a key strength

💡 TIP: You can customise the dimension names

The default dimensions (Financial Health, Team Culture, etc.) are editable. Click on the label text to rename it, or use the + Add Health Dimension button to add your own. You can add up to 10 dimensions.

Priority items

📌 Priority Items (Step 5: Strategic Priorities)

Each priority initiative is shown as a card. Drag the handle (⠿) to reorder by importance. Tag each item with Impact and Urgency levels.

⠿

Expand into the European market

High Impact Med Urgency

⠿

Rebuild the customer support team

High Impact High Urgency

⠿

Upgrade financial reporting system

Med Impact Low Urgency

Impact = How much will this move the needle?

Urgency = How soon must this happen?

Handle ⠿ = Drag up/down to reorder

Action items

✅ Action Items (Step 6: Action Plan)

Each action has three parts: what needs to happen, who owns it, and when it's due.

Action

Hire 2 senior sales reps for European territory

Owner

Sarah (HR)

Due Date

June 2026

Action

Run customer satisfaction survey Q2

Owner

Tom (CX)

Due Date

April 2026

RAG badges

🔴🟡🟢 Status Badges (Step 8: Reviews)

During each review, you rate the status of every goal and action using these colour-coded badges. Click the badge to cycle through the options.

Goal Status

On Track

At Risk

Off Track

Achieved

Not Started

Action Status

Completed

In Progress

Delayed

Blocked

Not Started

In the Dashboard (Step 9), these statuses appear as coloured dots in a grid, making it easy to see trends across multiple review sessions at a glance.

Buttons

🔲 Buttons: Navigation and Actions

These buttons appear consistently throughout the app.

Move forward

Next → Vision

Go back

← Back

Export

Print / Export PDF

Save session

Save

Data Management

Your data, your control

XSTRAT runs in your browser and does not send data to any server. You save and load your own files manually.

Save/Load flow

💾

Save

Click SAVE in the top bar
A .json file downloads to your computer
Keep this file somewhere safe

⚠️ Save regularly. If you close the browser tab without saving, unsaved changes are lost.

📂

Load

Click LOAD in the top bar
Select your previously saved .json file
All your data reappears exactly as you left it

You can share the .json file with a colleague and they can load it too.

🖨️

Export PDF

Go to Step 7 (Summary) or Step 9 (Dashboard)
Click Print / Export PDF
In the print dialog, choose "Save as PDF"

The PDF is formatted for sharing with clients and leadership teams.

Linked file feature

🔗

Linked File (Auto-Sync)

XSTRAT can link to a save file on your computer. When linked, the app automatically saves your progress as you work, so you do not need to click Save manually. A small status indicator appears in the bottom-left corner of the screen when a file is linked.

How to link: Use the Manage Token panel and set up a linked file path. This is an advanced feature. Manual Save/Load works perfectly for most users.

Ongoing Use

The review cycle

Once your strategy plan is complete, XSTRAT helps you track progress over time. Reviews appear as Tab 8, and become available after your first save.

Review mockup

1 · Context

2 · Diagnosis

5 · Priorities

6 · Action Plan

7 · Summary

8 · Review

9 · Dashboard

Review selector

Select Review

Q1 2026

Q2 2026

+ New Review

Goals table preview

Goal Status

Goal	Target (KPI)	Actual / Notes
Expand into European market	2 new offices open	Lease signed in Amsterdam, Berlin Q2
Grow revenue 30%	€4.2M by Dec 2026	Currently €1.1M, ahead of pace
Reduce customer churn to <5%	Churn rate monthly	Currently 8.2%. Needs intervention.

On Track

At Risk

Off Track

Achieved

Not Started

Review process steps

How to run a review session

1

Load your saved file Click LOAD in the top bar and select your .json file from the previous session.
2

Navigate to Tab 8 (Review) Click the Review tab at the top. It only appears after you have completed the initial plan.
3

Create a New Review Click the green "+ New Review" button. Give it a name (e.g. Q2 2026) and a date.
4

Rate each goal Click the status badge next to each goal to cycle through: Not Started, On Track, At Risk, Off Track, or Achieved.
5

Update each action Set the status (Completed, In Progress, Delayed, or Blocked) and enter the % completion.
6

Add new goals or actions if needed The strategy may evolve. Use the "+ Add Goal" and "+ Add Action" buttons to capture new items.
7

Save the file Click SAVE to download your updated .json file, and replace your previous save.
8

View the Dashboard (Tab 9) See goal trends, action progress and health scores across all your reviews in one visual overview.

Best Practice

Make your strategy work

A plan is only as good as its inputs. Here are the most important habits to develop.

🎯

Be specific

Vague goals produce vague results. Instead of "grow revenue", write "grow revenue by 30% to €4.2M by December 2026".

🔢

3–5 Goals, 5–7 Priorities

Trying to do everything is the same as doing nothing. Keep your goals and priorities tightly focused. If everything is important, nothing is.

👤

Name an owner for every action

Every action must have a named person responsible for it, not "the team" or "management". Shared responsibility means no responsibility.

💾

Save often

The app runs in your browser. If you accidentally close the tab, unsaved changes are lost. Click Save at the end of every major section.

🔁

Review on schedule

Set the review frequency in Step 6 and stick to it. Monthly or quarterly reviews keep the plan alive and teams accountable.

🏥

Customise health dimensions

Edit the health rating labels in Step 2 to match what matters most for your specific organisation or client context.

🖨️

Use PDF exports

The Summary and Dashboard both produce clean, professional PDFs. Share the Summary before a review meeting so participants come prepared.

⚠️

Honest diagnosis = better outcomes

Step 2 is the most important step. If the diagnosis is too optimistic, the entire strategy is built on a flawed foundation.

📌

Drag to reorder priorities

In Step 5, you can drag the ⠿ handle on each priority item to change its ranking. The number badge updates automatically.

Reference

What the colours mean

These colour codes appear throughout the Review (Tab 8) and Dashboard (Tab 9) screens.

Green: On Track

Progress is as expected or ahead of plan. No intervention needed.

Amber: At Risk

Progress is slower than expected. Needs attention and a plan to get back on track.

Red: Off Track

Significantly behind plan. Immediate escalation or course-correction required.

Blue: Achieved

Goal has been fully met. Celebrate the win and consider what comes next.

Grey: Not Started

Work on this goal or action has not yet begun.

⠿

Drag Handle

Click and drag this symbol to reorder priority items. The rank numbers update automatically.

★

Stars (1–5)

Rate organisational health in Step 2. 1 = critical, 3 = acceptable, 5 = excellent.

Dashed Gold Button

Appears throughout to add more items (goals, actions, options, priorities, health dimensions).