Field + Frame Strategy
Tool Library
Grounded by evidence. Driven by mission.
New Field + Frame Strategy Tool:
Strategy Clarity Brief Builder
A free planning tool for clarifying the logic of a strategy and turning it into a brief others can understand, use, and carry forward.
Practical resources for leaders and teams working through strategy clarity, complex decisions, communication challenges, audience strategy, prioritization, and evidence-to-action gaps.Each tool can be used on its own, but the library is designed to work as a system. Start with the problem in front of you, then choose the tool or pathway that fits.
Clarify the Strategy Before The Work Moves Forward
Use this tool when the word “strategy” is doing too much work: when a goal, plan, message, activity list, or set of metrics is being treated as the strategy itself.
Strategy Clarity Brief Builder (new!)
A free planning tool for clarifying the logic of a strategy and turning it into a brief others can understand, use, and carry forward.Unlike a strategic plan template, the Strategy Clarity Brief Builder helps teams define the logic behind the work before it becomes a plan, message, deck, or set of activities. It guides users through strategy foundation, strategic logic, actionability, input and alignment, a one-page brief, and handoff readiness.Use it when a strategy needs to guide decisions, priorities, communication, implementation, or team alignment, but the logic behind the work is not yet clear enough to hand off.
Prioritize What Matters
Use these tools when the issue is focus: what to move now, what to resource, what to delay, and what needs a stronger case before it takes up time and capacity.
Strategic Project Prioritization Matrix
A free spreadsheet-based decision-support tool for comparing projects by strategic value, implementation burden, and risk of inaction.Unlike a basic task-ranking exercise, the Field + Frame Strategic Project Prioritization Matrix helps teams define the intended 12-month business or organizational outcome, identify who owns that outcome, and sort projects into four practical categories: Move Now, Plan + Resource, Consider Later, or Reconsider.Use it when your project queue is full, when a new initiative needs to be evaluated against work already in motion, or when leadership needs a shared basis for deciding what to start, pause, sequence, or deprioritize.
Prepare Decisions Before They are Announced
Use these tools when a decision needs to be understood, explained, defended, adapted, or acted on across audiences and channels.
Decision Readiness Communication Matrix
A free leadership tool for assessing whether a decision is ready to be understood, explained, defended, and acted on.The Field + Frame Decision Readiness Communication Matrix is not a message checklist. It examines five dimensions: clarity of the decision; defensibility and input; leadership alignment; audience readiness; and accountability and follow-through.Use it before announcing a significant decision, rolling out a new policy or initiative, responding to criticism or concern, or defending a course of action under scrutiny.
Message Architecture Builder
A free planning tool for building messages that stay clear, credible, and adaptable across audiences, channels, and messengers.Unlike a copywriting worksheet, the Message Architecture Builder helps teams define the structure behind the message before drafting begins: the core message, message pillars, proof points, boundaries, audience-fit guidance, tone, and emotional appeal.Use it before drafting announcements, talking points, web copy, partner materials, campaign messages, leadership remarks, internal updates, or other materials that need to carry a consistent message across different settings.
Build Audience and Engagement Strategy
Use these tools when you need to identify who belongs in the plan, understand what different groups need, choose channels with purpose, and turn audience planning into a practical strategy.
Interest + Impact Mapping Tool
A free pre-planning tool for identifying who is affected, who has influence, who needs to be engaged, and who may be overlooked before communication, engagement, or implementation plans are built.Unlike a basic audience list, the Interest + Impact Mapping Tool helps teams think through people, groups, partners, and decision-makers by relationship to the work, impact or burden, influence or role, trust, concern, readiness, and engagement priority.Use it before building an audience list, developing an engagement plan, drafting a communication strategy, or beginning implementation planning.
Audience and Channel Matrix
A free planning tool for matching audiences to channels with intention, so communication extends reach without creating noise.Unlike a channel checklist, the Audience and Channel Matrix helps teams think through which audiences they need to reach, which channels are positioned to reach them, and what purpose each channel should serve.Use it after identifying your priority audiences and before finalizing a rollout, campaign, or multi-audience communication plan where consistency, coverage, feedback, and overload all matter.
Audience Strategy Planning Workbook
$10 introductory price
A companion workbook for turning audience mapping, engagement sequencing, channel decisions, and messenger readiness into a practical strategy.Unlike a standalone template, the Audience Strategy Planning Workbook guides users through the decisions that make an audience strategy usable: engagement priorities, timing, message needs, channel roles, messenger readiness, risk checks, and a summary plan that can be assigned, tracked, and updated.Use it after completing the Interest + Impact Mapping Tool and Audience and Channel Matrix, or as a standalone guide when you need to clarify who needs what, when, through which channels, and from whom.
Move Evidence Toward Action
Use this tool when research, evaluation, analysis, or insight needs to connect to a real problem, a useful decision, and an action the organization can take.
Evidence-to-Action Gap Diagnostic
A free planning tool for identifying why evidence, research, analysis, or insight is not yet connected to a real problem, a useful decision, and an action the organization can take.Unlike a research design checklist, the Evidence-to-Action Gap Diagnostic helps teams identify where evidence is disconnected from the problem, users, decisions, timing, action pathway, or trust conditions needed for it to matter.Use it before investing in new research, presenting findings to leadership, developing recommendations, or trying to move from insight to implementation.
Strengthen Communication as Decision Support
Use this tool when the communications function is stuck in production mode, brought in too late, or measured on outputs instead of strategic contribution.
Strategic Communication Maturity Model
A free diagnostic tool for assessing whether communications is operating as execution support or strategic decision support.Unlike generic five-stage ladders, the Field + Frame Strategic Communication Maturity Model examines five dimensions: organizational positioning; strategic role definition; evidence and judgment; planning and decision integration; and measurement, learning, and accountability.Use it when communications feels stuck in production mode, when leaders want to clarify the role of the function, or when you need a practical way to identify the highest-leverage moves for change.
Additional Field + Frame tools are in development.
Contact
For advisory engagements or inquiries, please use the form below or email [email protected].