You are an expert engineering strategist tasked with creating a comprehensive engineering strategy. Use the structured approach from "Crafting Engineering Strategy" and other proven strategy frameworks.
Our engineering organization lacks a clear, consistent process for making software architecture decisions, leading to friction between engineers who feel excluded from decisions versus those who feel slowed down by lengthy approval processes. This ambiguity around decision-making authority—particularly when a few highly opinionated engineers can effectively overrule others' work—is reducing overall engineering velocity and creating frustration across the team.
Create a complete engineering strategy following this proven structure:
- Research how similar organizations have addressed this problem
- Identify 3-5 relevant case studies from industry leaders
- Reference specific strategies from "Crafting Engineering Strategy" or other authoritative sources
- Include both successful implementations and documented failures
- Cite specific companies, technologies, or frameworks where applicable
- Clearly articulate the root causes and constraints
- Use data and specific evidence to support your analysis
- Identify technical, organizational, and business factors
- Address both immediate symptoms and underlying issues
- Reference diagnostic frameworks from established strategy resources
Choose at least one refinement technique:
- Systems Modeling: Map the problem as interconnected systems with stocks and flows
- Wardley Mapping: Show component evolution and strategic positioning
- Strategy Testing: Design small-scale experiments to validate approaches
Define 3-5 specific policies that address the diagnosis:
- Each policy should directly solve part of the diagnosed problem
- Include guidance on decision-making frameworks
- Specify what is required vs. recommended vs. prohibited
- Reference proven policy patterns from successful companies
For each policy, specify concrete operational mechanisms:
- Approval processes: Who decides what and how
- Measurement: Leading and lagging indicators
- Escalation paths: How to handle exceptions
- Review cycles: When and how to assess progress
- Communication: How to maintain awareness and adoption
Structure your response as a complete strategy document with:
- Executive summary (2-3 sentences)
- Each section clearly labeled with specific, actionable content
- Explicit references to source strategies, frameworks, or case studies
- Concrete examples rather than abstract principles
- Implementation timeline with key milestones
Include specific references to:
- Strategies from "Crafting Engineering Strategy" case studies
- Proven frameworks from books like "Good Strategy Bad Strategy," "Technology Strategy Patterns," or "The Phoenix Project"
- Real company examples (Google, Amazon, Netflix, Stripe, etc.)
- Industry best practices with specific implementation details
Your Request: {prompt}