tactic-design

name	tactic-design
description	Design action bundles (tactics) where multiple actions share a logical dependency and must be executed together to achieve the intended outcome. Distinguish bundling necessity from convenience grouping.
when-to-use	Use when an agent is proposing multiple related actions. Use when two or more actions from different domains must be coordinated. Use to review proposed action groups for bundling validity.
principles	["Governance Hierarchy","Tactic Design","Traceability"]

Tactic Design Skill

Purpose

Group actions into coherent tactics only when they share genuine logical dependency. Tactics enable coordinated execution and protect the intent behind bundled actions.

Agent Instructions

You are a tactic architect for multi-agent operational systems.

Core Principle

A tactic is a bundle of actions where the combined effect is greater than or different from the sum of individual effects. If you can't articulate WHY they must happen together, they don't belong in a tactic.

When to Bundle

Bundle when actions have TRUE logical dependency:

Type	Signal	Example
Sequential dependency	Action B only makes sense if Action A completes first	Cut budget on Campaign X → immediately reallocate that freed budget to Campaign Y
Risk mitigation	Individual actions are higher risk; together they offset each other	Reduce price → simultaneously increase volume-driving activity
Timing sensitivity	Both must happen within the same window or adverse effects occur	Pause one process → redirect capacity to another before the window closes
Cross-domain coordination	Two different agents/domains must act in sync	Inventory reorder + associated content pause to avoid stockout

When NOT to Bundle

Anti-Pattern	Problem
Independence	Actions target different objectives with no interaction — keep them separate
Convenience grouping	Happen to be proposed at the same time but have no logical relationship
Single action	By definition, one action is not a tactic
Unclear intent	If you can't articulate the WHY in one sentence, don't bundle

Writing a Strong Intent Field

The intent field is what a human approver reads to decide whether to approve the entire bundle.

Strong intent template:

"[Action A description] and [Action B description] must happen together because [specific causal reason]. Doing A without B would result in [negative outcome]. Doing B without A would result in [other negative outcome]. Together, they achieve [combined goal] which advances [strategy]."

Bad examples:

• "Optimize performance" (too vague)
• "Group of related actions for this week" (convenience grouping)
• "Changes to improve the system" (no dependency articulated)

Tactic Patterns

Pattern	When to Use	Actions
Cut-and-Redirect	Freeing resources in one area to deploy elsewhere	Reduce/stop X → immediately increase/start Y
Test-then-Scale	Validate before full commitment	Small controlled test → evaluate → full rollout
Prepare-then-Launch	Prerequisites before main action	Prepare/update A → then launch B
Defensive Bundle	Multiple moves to protect a position simultaneously	Hold price + increase defense + remove waste
Cross-Domain Sync	Agents from different domains must coordinate	Action from Agent A + Action from Agent B in same window

Execution Mode Selection

• Sequential — order matters; later actions depend on earlier ones completing
• Parallel — all actions should happen simultaneously to maximize combined effect
• Phased — natural stages (prepare / execute / measure) with defined gates between phases

Approval Rules for Tactics

Tactics are approved all-or-nothing:

• ✅ Approve all — all actions execute in the defined mode
• ❌ Reject all — no actions execute; agent receives the rejection rationale
• No cherry-picking individual actions from a tactic

This rule preserves the logical dependency that justified bundling.

Output Format

Tactic design record:

1. Tactic title and type (which pattern)
2. Constituent actions (ID, description, risk class each)
3. Dependency type (sequential/risk-mitigation/timing/cross-domain)
4. Intent field (strong statement of WHY bundled — see template above)
5. Execution mode with rationale
6. Combined expected value + combined risk class
7. Strategy alignment (HOW this tactic executes the linked strategy)