StratMD v0.1 Specification

Human-readable. AI-parseable. Git-native. Open. Portable.

StratMD is a Markdown-native format for strategy documentation. It provides just enough structure to make strategy reliable for AI agents while remaining fully readable and editable by humans in any text editor.

Introduction

Strategy documents often suffer from:

• Proprietary formats (lock-in)
• Unstructured text (drift, hard to query)
• Poor portability across tools
• Inefficiency for AI consumption

StratMD solves this by using plain Markdown with standardized YAML frontmatter, section headings, tables, and optional Mermaid diagrams. Files are portable, version-controlled via Git, and easy for agents to parse reliably.

Document Types

StratMD supports five core document types with recommended naming conventions:

• Foundation: foundation.strat.md - Timeless elements (mission, values, beliefs, principles).
• Strategy: [name].strategy.strat.md - Major strategic thrusts (e.g., viridis.strategy.strat.md).
• Initiative: [name].initiative.strat.md - Projects or executions (e.g., mvp.initiative.strat.md).
• Insight: YYYY-MM-DD-[title].insight.strat.md - Key learnings or observations.
• Metrics: [scope].metrics.strat.md - KPI dashboards or tracking.

File Structure

A valid StratMD file is plain Markdown with:

• Optional title H1
• Required YAML frontmatter (delimited by ---)
• Standardized H2 sections
• Tables for structured data
• Optional Mermaid code blocks
• Wiki-style links for relationships ([[filename#section]])

Required Frontmatter

type: foundation | strategy | initiative | insight | metrics
version: 0.1
schema: stratmd
status: draft | active | archived
owner: Name or Team
created: YYYY-MM-DD
last_updated: YYYY-MM-DD

Recommended additional fields:

strategy_type: corporate | product | personal (for strategy type)
parent: filename.strat.md (for hierarchy)
time_horizon: short_term | medium_term | long_term

Required Sections (Vary by Type)

All Types

• Changelog (table at end)

Foundation

• Mission
• Vision
• Values (list or table)
• Beliefs (table)
• Principles (table)

Strategy / Initiative

• Strategic Intent - Core question answered + theme
• Objective - Clear, measurable outcome
• Goals (table)
• Approach - Narrative + phases + optional Mermaid
• Risks (table)
• Actions (table)

Insight

• Key Insight
• Evidence
• Implications

Metrics

• Metrics Dashboard (table)

Recommended/Optional Sections

• Context - Background and trends
• Key Assumptions (table)
• Strategic Constraints - Non-goals, red lines (required for agent security)
• Dependencies (table)
• Foundation Alignment (table linking to values/beliefs)
• Success Criteria (checklist)
• Relationships (table: parent/child/related)
• Decision Graveyard (optional, for negative knowledge)

Table Schemas

Goals

Risks

Actions

Assumptions

Decision Graveyard (v0.2 preview)

Linking & Hierarchy

Use wiki-links: [[parent.strat.md]] or [[parent.strat.md#Objective]]

Agents can traverse for full context. Parent files enable inheritance (e.g., foundation alignment).

Mermaid Support

Embed diagrams (e.g., roadmaps) with standard Mermaid blocks:

gantt
    title Roadmap
    section Phase 1
    Research: done, 2026-01-01, 30d
    section Phase 2
    Development: active, 2026-02-01, 60d

Parsing Guidelines for Agents

• Load YAML frontmatter first as anchor
• Convert tables to arrays of objects
• Summarize narrative sections
• Check Constraints before any action
• Scan Graveyard to avoid repeats

Examples

See the Examples section for complete documents:

• Foundation example with mission, values, and principles
• Strategy example with goals, risks, and approach
• Insight example with evidence and implications

Changelog

StratMD is open and evolvable. Contributions welcome at github.com/Stratafy-ai/stratmd.

Enhanced collaboration and agent features available in Stratafy.