Most evaluations of a strategy stop at the first effect: action implemented, goal reached, done. The Domino Grid goes a step further and consistently asks what this action triggers next if it succeeds, and then what that in turn triggers. Across five levels (direct consequence, new possibilities, system effects, further effects, substantial effects), a chain of consequences emerges that often reveals: the real lever sits two or three steps behind the original action, not in the action itself.
\nThe skill is built for executives and strategists who want to think through a decision before implementation, for example introducing a new tool, changing a process, or making a structural change. It concludes with an assessment of whether the original goal is actually the core of the matter or rather a means to a more valuable end that only becomes visible further down the chain.
\nThe limit: each level of the chain must derive logically from the previous one; the skill does not speculate where the derivation is missing. It does not replace market data, a reliable forecast, or consultation with the people affected. What it delivers is structured thinking support, not a guaranteed picture of the future.
\n" }, { "id": "skill-text", "title": "Skill Text", "html": "Copy the prompt below in full into your AI tool. As a file: domino-raster.en.json
\n" } ], "schritte": [ { "nr": 1, "titel": "Describe the success scenario", "beschreibung": "The planned action is formulated as a success scenario, for example: \"Assuming this is successfully implemented...\" Context and a possible focus can be added.", "rolle": "mensch" }, { "nr": 2, "titel": "Derive the chain of consequences", "beschreibung": "Starting from the success scenario, the consequential effects are traced across five levels, from the direct result (first order) to the substantial effect (fifth order).", "rolle": "automatisch" }, { "nr": 3, "titel": "Analysis", "beschreibung": "The chain is examined to determine at which level the real opportunity lies.", "rolle": "automatisch" }, { "nr": 4, "titel": "Result", "beschreibung": "The five-level chain of consequences is ready, together with the named opportunity and a recommendation.", "rolle": "ergebnis" }, { "nr": 5, "titel": "Adjust the strategy", "beschreibung": "The identified opportunity is built into the existing planning.", "rolle": "mensch" } ], "herausgeber": "Voyage Digital", "version": "2.0", "stand": "2026-07-26", "umsetzung": [ { "titel": "Adopt the skill text", "text": "The prompt from the code block is copied and pasted into the chosen AI tool." }, { "titel": "Formulate the success scenario", "text": "The action is described as a success scenario, for example: \"Assuming this is successfully implemented...\"" }, { "titel": "Check the chain of consequences", "text": "The five levels from first to fifth order are reviewed and checked for plausibility." }, { "titel": "Build in the hidden opportunity", "text": "The identified opportunity is built into the existing strategy." } ], "zutaten": [ "Action" ], "beispielSzenario": "A client successfully rolls out AI assistants for its sales team. What second-order effects show up in other departments? What third-order effects follow for the company culture? The skill traces the consequences across five levels and shows that the real substantial effect lies not in sales efficiency, but in the cultural shift toward data-driven decisions.", "eingaben": [ { "feld": "A strategy or action, formulated as a success scenario (e.g. \"Assuming this is successfully implemented...\")", "pflicht": true }, { "feld": "Context: industry, company size, departments involved", "pflicht": false }, { "feld": "Specific focus, e.g. culture, finance, or competition", "pflicht": false } ], "ausgabe": "A five-level chain of consequences from the direct result to the substantial effect, an analysis of which level holds the real opportunity, and an assessment of whether the original goal is the right one or just an intermediate step.", "prompt": "# DESCRIPTION\nStarting from an action implemented in a success scenario, traces the chain of consequential effects across five levels and identifies the underlying, non-obvious opportunity.\n\n# INPUT\n- A strategy or action, formulated as a success scenario: \"Assuming this is successfully implemented...\" (required)\n- Context: industry, company size, departments involved (optional)\n- Specific focus: culture, finance, competition (optional)\n\n# OUTPUT\n1. Five-level chain of consequences:\n - First order: direct consequence\n - Second order: what becomes newly possible as a result\n - Third order: system effects\n - Fourth order: further effects\n - Fifth order: substantial effects\n2. Analysis: at which level the real opportunity lies and why\n3. Assessment: whether the original goal is the right one or just a means to an end\n\n# CONTEXT\n- Global placeholders: COMPANY, INDUSTRY, TARGET AUDIENCE\n- Domain knowledge: systems theory, causal analysis, strategic thinking, second-order effects\n- Constraint: each level must derive logically from the previous one. No speculation without a traceable derivation. Where facts or context are missing, this is flagged as an assumption rather than silently filled in.\n\n# WORKING INSTRUCTIONS\n## Step 1: Capture the starting situation\nUnderstand the action and the described success scenario; where context is missing, name the assumption.\n\n## Step 2: Derive first-order consequences\nWhat happens immediately as a direct consequence? Which problem is solved? What changes right away?\n\n## Step 3: Derive second-order consequences\nWhat becomes possible that was not possible before? What new opportunities arise? What changes in adjacent areas?\n\n## Step 4: Derive third- through fifth-order consequences\nContinue following the chain consistently. Where do system effects and substantial changes arise? Which initially non-obvious actors or areas are affected?\n\n## Step 5: Analysis and assessment\nAt which level does the real, non-obvious opportunity lie? Which consequence is more valuable than the original goal? Is the original goal only a means to the actual end?\n\n# DEFINITION OF DONE\n[ ] All five levels of consequences are filled in\n[ ] Each level follows traceably from the previous one\n[ ] The hidden opportunity is named and justified\n[ ] An assessment is provided on whether the original goal is the right one\n[ ] At least one surprising insight is included\n[ ] Missing information is marked as an assumption, not silently filled in\n[ ] Address the user in a professional manner throughout\n\n# CONVERSATION START\nHello, describe a strategy or action you are planning, formulated as a success scenario: \"Assuming this is successfully implemented...\" I will then trace the consequences across five levels and show you where the real opportunity might lie.", "einrichtung": { "intro": "Step-by-step guides for ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot Studio and Langdock.", "plattformen": [ { "plattform": "ChatGPT", "anbieter": "OpenAI", "schritte": [ "Copy the skill text above using the copy button.", "Click your profile picture and select \"Skills\".", "Click \"Create skill\" and paste the copied text as the instruction.", "Adjust inputs, outputs and format where your case requires it.", "Save the skill. It is available in all chats from that point on." ], "doku": { "label": { "de": "OpenAI Dokumentation: Skills in ChatGPT", "en": "OpenAI documentation: Skills in ChatGPT" }, "url": "https://help.openai.com/de-de/articles/20001066-skills-in-chatgpt" } }, { "plattform": "Claude", "anbieter": "Anthropic", "schritte": [ "Copy the skill text above using the copy button.", "Open claude.ai and go to \"Skills\" in your profile.", "Create a new skill and paste the copied text as the instruction.", "The skill works in claude.ai, in Claude Code and through the API.", "Available on the Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans." ], "doku": { "label": { "de": "Anthropic Dokumentation: Benutzerdefinierte Skills erstellen", "en": "Anthropic documentation: Creating custom skills" }, "url": "https://support.claude.com/de/articles/12512198-benutzerdefinierte-skills-erstellen" } }, { "plattform": "Copilot Studio", "anbieter": "Microsoft", "schritte": [ "Copy the skill text above using the copy button.", "Open Copilot Studio and create a new agent.", "Paste the copied text as the instruction.", "Connect knowledge sources and tools where needed.", "Publish the agent for yourself or for your organisation." ], "doku": { "label": { "de": "Microsoft Dokumentation: Einen Agent erstellen und bereitstellen", "en": "Microsoft documentation: Create and deploy an agent" }, "url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/de-de/microsoft-copilot-studio/fundamentals-get-started" } }, { "plattform": "Langdock", "anbieter": null, "schritte": [ "Copy the skill text above using the copy button.", "Open the sidebar and click \"Add skill\".", "Paste the copied text directly as the instruction.", "Connect the skill to integrations such as Gmail or Slack where needed.", "Save the skill and release it for yourself or your team." ], "doku": { "label": { "de": "Langdock Dokumentation: Skills", "en": "Langdock documentation: Skills" }, "url": "https://docs.langdock.com/de/product/chat/skills" } } ] }, "itemIcon": "waypoints", "recommended": [ { "slug": "entscheidungs-dossier", "category": "skill", "name": "The Decision Dossier", "teaser": "The Decision Dossier turns a decision question, options and context into a structured decision template with a weighted scoring matrix, pros and cons, a risk assessment and a substantiated recommendation.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "scale" }, { "slug": "muster-dossier", "category": "skill", "name": "The Pattern Dossier", "teaser": "Collects a series of decisions, projects, or content and exposes the overarching pattern behind them, including the actual unconscious strategy, real selection criteria, and blind spots.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "grid-2x2" }, { "slug": "business-case-dokumentierer", "category": "assistent", "name": "The Business Case Documenter", "teaser": "Turns a project idea, an investment or an initiative into the form decision makers actually read: benefits, costs, risks and a clear recommendation, cleanly structured and free of jargon.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "trending-up" }, { "slug": "wettbewerbskraefte-pruefer", "category": "assistent", "name": "The Five Forces Analyzer", "teaser": "Analyzes an industry systematically using Michael Porter's five competitive forces and derives a well founded assessment of market attractiveness.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "swords" }, { "slug": "debatten-drehbuch", "category": "skill", "name": "The Debate Playbook", "teaser": "Has three AI experts with opposing convictions debate each other in a structured format and derives a resilient synthesis for strategic decisions with no clearly right answer.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "speech" }, { "slug": "annahmen-protokoll", "category": "skill", "name": "The Assumption Protocol", "teaser": "The Assumption Protocol exposes a belief layer by layer, from its surface justification down to the root assumption beneath it, and shows honestly which layers actually hold up.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "help-circle" }, { "slug": "business-case-geruest", "category": "skill", "name": "The Business Case Builder", "teaser": "Turns a project idea, its costs and expected benefits into a complete business case with ROI, payback period, three scenarios and a reasoned go or no-go recommendation.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "trending-up" }, { "slug": "chancenraum-konzept", "category": "skill", "name": "The Opportunity Space Concept", "teaser": "Turns a seemingly disadvantageous situation into its own opportunity space, working out what becomes possible precisely because of it instead of searching for the obvious problem solution.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "map" }, { "slug": "entscheidungs-raster", "category": "skill", "name": "The Decision Grid", "teaser": "Guides you through a decision before it is made, while you are wrestling with it, or in retrospect, and records the insights as a journal entry.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "table-2" }, { "slug": "fundament-geruest", "category": "skill", "name": "The First Principles Framework", "teaser": "The First Principles Framework strips an existing solution or industry practice down to its fundamental truths and rebuilds it from zero, free of convention.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "blocks" }, { "slug": "ideen-manoever", "category": "skill", "name": "The Idea Maneuver", "teaser": "Generates at least 10 ideas for a given question across multiple creativity techniques and rates each one for feasibility and impact.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "lightbulb" }, { "slug": "steelman-schema", "category": "skill", "name": "The Steelman Framework", "teaser": "The Steelman Framework takes the deliberate counterposition to an idea, strategy or decision, first summarizing it in its strongest form and then testing it with substantial counterarguments from multiple perspectives, exposed blind spots and worst case scenarios, before closing with a strengthened argument and a clear recommendation.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "shield-half" }, { "slug": "stresstest-protokoll", "category": "skill", "name": "The Stress Test Protocol", "teaser": "Puts a concept, process or strategy under attack from the perspective of a specific critic, such as a skeptical CFO or an impatient customer, and exposes its weak points before they surface in the real meeting.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "activity" }, { "slug": "umkehr-manoever", "category": "skill", "name": "The Reversal Maneuver", "teaser": "The Reversal Maneuver takes your biggest business constraint and inverts it completely into a concrete competitive advantage, target audience, and business model, instead of merely softening the disadvantage.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "undo-2" }, { "slug": "widerspruchs-schema", "category": "skill", "name": "The Contradiction Resolver", "teaser": "Finds a solution that fully satisfies two seemingly contradictory requirements by questioning the premise behind the conflict and testing sequence, level, and system-redesign approaches instead of settling for a compromise.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "split" }, { "slug": "zeitachsen-manoever", "category": "skill", "name": "The Timeline Maneuver", "teaser": "Places the same problem on a timeline and questions it three times, in the past, present and future, to reveal patterns, blind spots and courses of action.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "calendar-range" }, { "slug": "strategie-sparringspartner", "category": "assistent", "name": "The Strategy Sparring Partner", "teaser": "Checks strategy drafts with the same rigor you would apply to code before a release, systematically attacking assumptions instead of confirming them.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung", "itemIcon": "milestone" }, { "slug": "feedback-route", "category": "workflow", "name": "The Feedback Route", "teaser": "A daily automated report that sorts incoming customer feedback by sentiment and topic and immediately flags critical cases to the team.", "domaene": "Kundensupport & Service", "itemIcon": "message-square-quote" }, { "slug": "grill-me", "category": "tool", "name": "grill-me", "teaser": "grill-me is an external skill repository by Matt Pocock that clarifies plans and designs through persistent questioning, branch by branch, before any code is written.", "domaene": "Strategie & Entscheidung" } ] }