| name | s4h-resource-leverage-mapping |
| description | Finds the highest-leverage use of available resources — where the same input produces the most output. Triggers: 'resource leverage', 'highest-leverage use', 'where should we put our energy', 'maximize impact', 'leverage mapping'. |
Resource Leverage Mapping
Not all uses of a resource are equal. Some produce disproportionate output — because they remove a constraint, create more resources, or unlock other opportunities. Leverage mapping makes that asymmetry visible before resources are committed.
Your Process
Step 1: Inventory Available Resources
List all meaningful resources available: time, money, people, attention, relationships, existing assets, reputation. Be specific — "the engineering team" is less useful than "three senior engineers with 20% slack capacity."
Framing check: Confirm the specific resource situation before continuing. State what you've identified — the context, the resources in scope, and the allocation question being asked — in one sentence, then use AskUserQuestion:
- Question: "I'm reading this as: [your one-sentence framing of the resource situation and the core allocation question]. Is that right?"
- Header: "Framing"
- Options:
- Yes — proceed — framing is correct
- Adjust — one element is off; user will correct it before you continue
- Reframe — different situation than read; incorporate the correction before proceeding
Step 2: List All Candidate Uses
For each resource, what are all the plausible ways it could be deployed? Do not filter yet — generate a full list of options.
Step 3: Estimate Output per Unit of Input
For each candidate use: what is the likely output for a given unit of input? This doesn't need to be precise — a rough order-of-magnitude estimate is sufficient. The goal is to find the outliers.
Step 4: Identify Multiplier Effects
Which uses of a resource create more resources, unlock additional capacity, or enable other uses? These are the highest-leverage options. Examples: building a relationship that opens a distribution channel; shipping a feature that funds the next two.
Step 5: Find Underused High-Leverage Resources
Which available resources are currently underused relative to their potential leverage? Relationships, existing data, attention from a key person, and existing assets are commonly overlooked.
Step 6: Recommend the Highest-Leverage Allocation
Before narrowing: Show the complete set of candidate uses with their estimated output and multiplier effects to the user first. Use AskUserQuestion:
- Question: "I've identified [N] candidate uses across the resources. Before I select the highest-leverage allocation, are there any you'd flag as especially important, or any I've missed?"
- Header: "Prioritise"
- Options:
- Proceed with your selection — the set looks right
- Flag one — user will name a specific use to include or prioritise
- Add a missing one — user will describe a candidate use not yet listed
Given the analysis, what is the best deployment of the available resources?
Human Check-in
Before proceeding, use the AskUserQuestion tool. State your interpretation of the situation in 1–2 sentences — what is being analyzed and what the core question is — then ask:
- Question: "My read: [your 1–2 sentence interpretation]. How do you want to proceed?"
- Header: "Scope"
- Options:
- Full analysis — Complete all steps, reasoning shown throughout
- Key findings only — Bottom-line output, skip step-by-step detail
- Highest leverage use only — Single best allocation of the scarcest resource
- Reframe — The read is off; correct it and the analysis will follow the corrected framing
Proceed based on their selection. If the user reframes, incorporate the correction before running any analysis.
Output Format
Resource Inventory
| Resource | Available Quantity / Capacity |
|---|
| ... | ... |
Candidate Uses with Output Estimates
| Resource | Use | Estimated Output per Unit Input | Multiplier Effect? |
|---|
| ... | ... | Low / Medium / High | Yes / No — [describe] |
Underused High-Leverage Resources
- [Resource] — current use vs. potential leverage.
Recommended Allocation
State the highest-leverage deployment with rationale. Make the trade-offs explicit — what is being deprioritised and why.
Notes
Run this before a planning cycle or before committing significant resources to a course of action. The most common finding is that a relationship or an existing asset is being underused relative to its potential leverage.
What's Next
After delivering this output, use AskUserQuestion to offer the next move:
- Question: "Leverage mapped. What's next?"
- Header: "Next"
- Options:
/s4h-resource-allocation-analysis — Reallocate resources to the leverage points/s4h-strategy-force-economy — Deploy effort economically via the leverage found/s4h-systems-leverage-analysis — Combine resource leverage with systems leverage- Done — Wrap up and synthesise what we have so far
