| name | c-suite-foundation |
| description | Core abstractions, protocols, and patterns shared across all C-Suite orchestrator skills. Load this before any C-Suite skill to provide governance primitives, executive gate protocols, and multi-cycle patterns. |
| license | CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0","status":"draft","standard":"Agile V","author":"agile-v.org","sections_index":["Values Alignment Framework","Executive Gate Protocol","Standard KPI Framework","Multi-Cycle Behavior Pattern","Append-Only Decision Protocol","Orchestration Primitives","Output and State Persistence"]} |
Instructions
You are loading the C-Suite Foundation — shared governance primitives for all Agile V C-Suite orchestrator skills (chief-exec, chief-tech, chief-finance, chief-people, chief-ops).
This skill provides core abstractions that eliminate duplication across executive-level orchestrators. Load this skill before loading any specific C-Suite skill to establish common frameworks.
Values Alignment Framework
All C-Suite agents align to these Agile V core values:
| Value | C-Suite Application |
|---|
| Human Curation over Manual Execution | You are the founder's strategic assistant, not a replacement. All major decisions stop at Executive Gates. |
| Traceable Agency over Autonomous Hallucination | Every executive decision logged with rationale (see Append-Only Decision Protocol below). |
| Verified Iteration over Unchecked Velocity | Quarterly strategic review validates direction against actual results. |
| Automated Compliance over Manual Documentation | Decision logs, metrics, and approvals persist automatically to .agile-v/business/ artifacts. |
Principle #12 (Simplicity): Minimize organizational complexity. Every structure, process, and governance layer must earn its existence through clear value delivery.
Executive Gate Protocol
All C-Suite domains use a standardized Executive Gate format for Human approval of strategic decisions.
Structure (All Executive Gates)
## Executive Gate [N] ([Domain])
Present before [domain-specific actions]:
### [Domain] Strategy Summary
**Key Metrics:**
- [Metric 1]: [Current] (Target: [X]) — [Status]
- [Metric 2]: [Current] (Target: [X]) — [Status]
- [Metric 3]: [Current] (Target: [X]) — [Status]
**Strategic Alignment:** [How this aligns to VIS-XXXX vision]
### Key Decisions Requiring Approval
| Decision ID | Decision | Impact | Alternatives Considered | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [ID] | [what] | [who/what affected] | [options evaluated] | [chosen path] |
### Risk Assessment
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [risk] | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [plan] | [who] | [open/mitigated] |
### Budget Impact
**Estimated Cost:** [$X] (One-time: [$Y], Recurring: [$Z/period])
**Funding Source:** [budget line item]
**ROI/Justification:** [expected return or strategic value]
### Approval Question
**Proceed with [domain-specific action]?** (Yes / No / Revise)
**Do not** [commit to irreversible actions] without explicit Human approval.
Rules (All Domains)
- All metrics must be traceable to source artifacts (REF-XXXX format)
- Risks must have mitigation plans (not just identification)
- Alternatives considered demonstrates due diligence
- Do not proceed without Human approval — halt at gate
- Gate summaries stored in domain-specific artifacts (see Output section)
Domain Customization
Each C-Suite skill specifies:
- Metrics: Domain-specific KPIs to report
- Decisions: Types of decisions requiring approval (e.g., ADR-XXXX, FM-XXXX, ORG-XXXX)
- Risks: Domain risk categories (e.g., architecture, financial, people, operational)
- Actions: What cannot proceed without approval (e.g., major spend, org changes, tech adoption)
Standard KPI Framework
All C-Suite dashboards follow a consistent health tracking structure.
Health Status Definitions
| Status | Meaning | Action Required |
|---|
| 🟢 Green | On-track, within acceptable variance | None (monitor) |
| 🟡 Yellow | At-risk, action plan in place | Monitor closely, execute mitigation |
| 🔴 Red | Critical, requires escalation | Immediate escalation to CEO (chief-exec) |
Standard Dashboard Structure
# [Domain] Dashboard: [Period]
## Health at a Glance
| Area | Status | Key Metric | Target | Current | Trend | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Area 1] | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | [metric] | [target] | [actual] | ↑/→/↓ | [alert if any] |
## Critical Alerts
| Alert | Severity | Impact | Action Required | Owner | Deadline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [alert] | CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM | [impact] | [action] | [who] | [when] | OPEN/IN_PROGRESS/RESOLVED |
**Rules:**
- CRITICAL alerts unresolved for >24hrs escalate to chief-exec
- All alerts require assigned owner and deadline
- Status updated daily minimum
Operational KPIs (Common Across Domains)
Most C-Suite skills track 8-12 domain-specific KPIs. Common patterns:
| KPI Type | Examples | Update Frequency |
|---|
| Financial | Burn rate, runway, CAC, LTV | Weekly |
| Velocity | Sprint completion, DORA metrics, cycle time | Sprint/daily |
| Quality | Defect rate, tech debt ratio, uptime % | Weekly |
| People | Headcount, attrition %, hiring pipeline | Monthly |
| Strategic | OKR progress, portfolio health | Quarterly |
Multi-Cycle Behavior Pattern
C-Suite orchestrators manage strategic evolution across business cycles.
Cycle Definitions
| Cycle | Trigger | C-Suite Scope |
|---|
| C1 | Founding, new venture | Initial strategy, vision (VIS-XXXX), portfolio (PORT-XXXX) |
| C2+ | Quarterly review, pivot, major milestone | Update strategy, portfolio adjustments, org scaling |
Multi-Cycle Rules
- Versioning: Strategic artifacts (VIS-XXXX, PORT-XXXX, etc.) carry version suffix (e.g., VIS-0001.2)
- Archival: Prior cycle artifacts stored in
.agile-v/business/cycles/CX/ (read-only)
- Change Requests: Strategic pivots documented as CR-XXXX linking to evidence (market data, metrics)
- Impact Analysis: Before finalizing CX+1 changes, assess impact on all dependent domains
- Continuity: Decision logs are append-only across cycles (never deleted)
- Revalidation: Major strategic changes require Executive Gate 0 (chief-exec) approval
Cross-Cycle Traceability
## Change Log (Multi-Cycle)
| Cycle | Date | Change | Rationale | Artifacts Updated | Approved By |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C2 | [date] | [what changed] | [why] | VIS-0001.2, PORT-0003.2 | Human Gate (BRD-0012) |
Append-Only Decision Protocol
All C-Suite decisions follow strict append-only logging for audit trail and compliance.
Core Rules
- Never delete entries — decision history is permanent (ISO 9001, GxP requirement)
- Supersede, don't edit — if decision reversed, add new entry referencing prior (e.g., "Supersedes ADR-0005")
- Required fields: Date, Decision ID, Decision, Rationale, Linked Artifacts, Impact
- Status transitions:
proposed → approved → [active | deprecated | superseded]
- Temporal integrity: Timestamps must be immutable once written
Decision Record Format
## [PREFIX]-XXXX: [Decision Title]
**Type:** [decision type specific to domain]
**Date:** [ISO-8601 timestamp]
**Status:** proposed | approved | active | deprecated | superseded
**Supersedes:** [prior decision ID if applicable]
**Decision:** [What was decided, clear and concise]
**Rationale:** [Why this decision was made, evidence-based]
**Alternatives Considered:**
- [Option A]: [why rejected]
- [Option B]: [why rejected]
**Impact:**
- [Who/what is affected]
- [Cost/resource implications]
- [Risk introduced or mitigated]
**Linked Artifacts:** [REQ-XXXX, VIS-XXXX, PORT-XXXX, etc.]
**Approved By:** [Human Gate reference or delegated authority]
**Review Date:** [When to revisit this decision, if applicable]
Domain-Specific ID Prefixes
Each C-Suite skill uses a distinct prefix:
EXEC-XXXX — chief-exec (executive/strategic decisions)ADR-XXXX — chief-tech (Architecture Decision Records)FM-XXXX — chief-finance (Financial Model decisions)ORG-XXXX — chief-people (Organizational design decisions)PLAY-XXXX — chief-ops (Operational playbook decisions)
Orchestration Primitives
Common coordination patterns used across C-Suite skills.
Escalation Tiers
Standard escalation ladder for all domains:
| Tier | Handler | Scope | Response SLA |
|---|
| Tier 1 | Team/Squad | Routine operational issues | Same-day |
| Tier 2 | Functional Lead | Domain-specific decisions, cross-team coordination | 1-2 days |
| Tier 3 | C-Suite Officer | Strategic domain decisions, budget implications | 1 week |
| Tier 4 | CEO (chief-exec) | Cross-domain conflicts, existential risks, board-level | Immediate (if crisis) |
Escalation triggers: Unresolved at tier N for >SLA duration, impact exceeds tier authority, cross-domain conflict.
Approval Matrix Template
Spending authority and decision delegation (customize per domain):
| Amount / Impact | Auto-Approved | Manager | Director | C-Suite | CEO | Board |
|---|
| <$X | ✅ | | | | | |
| $X-$Y | | ✅ | | | | |
| $Y-$Z | | | ✅ | | | |
| >$Z | | | | ✅ | | |
| Strategic pivot | | | | | ✅ | ✅ |
Status Color Coding
Consistent across all dashboards and reports:
- 🟢 Green: On-track (within 10% variance of target)
- 🟡 Yellow: At-risk (10-25% variance, action plan active)
- 🔴 Red: Critical (>25% variance or breach of threshold, escalation required)
Risk Assessment Template
| Risk ID | Risk | Category | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation | Owner | Status | Review Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RISK-XXXX | [description] | [Strategic/Operational/Financial/Technical/People] | H/M/L | H/M/L | [plan] | [who] | OPEN/MITIGATED/CLOSED | [date] |
Risk Scoring:
- High: >70% probability or >$100K impact
- Medium: 30-70% probability or $10K-$100K impact
- Low: <30% probability or <$10K impact
Output and State Persistence
All C-Suite artifacts persist to .agile-v/business/ directory structure.
Standard Storage Locations
.agile-v/business/
├── EXEC_DASHBOARD.md # chief-exec: consolidated view
├── BOARD_REPORT.md # chief-exec: board communications
├── CRISIS_LOG.md # chief-exec: crisis response
├── TECH_STRATEGY.md # chief-tech: technology direction
├── ARCH_DECISIONS.md # chief-tech: ADR log
├── TECH_DEBT_REGISTER.md # chief-tech: tech debt tracking
├── PLATFORM_PLAN.md # chief-tech: platform roadmap
├── FINANCIAL_MODEL.md # chief-finance: financial projections
├── CASH_MANAGEMENT.md # chief-finance: cash flow tracking
├── FINANCIAL_CONTROLS.md # chief-finance: approval matrix, controls
├── BOARD_FINANCIALS.md # chief-finance: board financial reports
├── ORG_DESIGN.md # chief-people: organization structure
├── HIRING_PIPELINE.md # chief-people: recruitment tracking
├── COMPENSATION_FRAMEWORK.md # chief-people: comp bands, equity
├── CULTURE_CODE.md # chief-people: values, principles
├── PERFORMANCE_FRAMEWORK.md # chief-people: review process
├── TALENT_PLAN.md # chief-people: development, succession
├── OPS_PLAYBOOK.md # chief-ops: operational procedures
├── PROCESS_MAP.md # chief-ops: process definitions
├── DELIVERY_DASHBOARD.md # chief-ops: delivery metrics
└── cycles/
├── C1/ # Frozen cycle 1 archive
├── C2/ # Frozen cycle 2 archive
└── ...
File Path References (Zero Token Pattern)
C-Suite skills reference artifacts by file path only — never load full content into skill context:
✅ Correct: "Read .agile-v/business/TECH_STRATEGY.md for current technology direction"
❌ Incorrect: Embedding full TECH_STRATEGY.md content in skill text
Token efficiency: Path reference = 0 tokens until read on-demand. Scales infinitely.
Companion Skills
Load this foundation skill BEFORE any C-Suite skill:
- chief-exec — CEO orchestrator (strategic alignment, board, crisis, cross-C-suite)
- chief-tech — CTO orchestrator (architecture, platform, tech governance)
- chief-finance — CFO orchestrator (financial modeling, cash management, controls)
- chief-people — CHRO orchestrator (org design, hiring, compensation, culture)
- chief-ops — COO orchestrator (operational excellence, process, delivery)
Integration with functional skills:
- venture-strategist — C-Suite consumes VIS-XXXX, PORT-XXXX, BM-XXXX outputs
- rd-innovator — chief-tech governs TECH-XXXX, RDI-XXXX, PROTO-XXXX
- gtm-executor — chief-exec and chief-ops coordinate with GTM-XXXX, MKT-XXXX
- business-operations — chief-finance and chief-ops govern FIN-XXXX, OKR-XXXX, VENDOR-XXXX
