---
user-invocable: true
name: pivot-framework
description: Decide if and how to pivot - when the data says change course
tokens: ~400
cloud-ok: true
---

# Pivot Framework
#claudeai

## When to Use
You're questioning whether to stay the course or change direction - product, market, business model, or strategy.

## What I Need
- What's making you consider a pivot?
- Current state (traction, runway, team)
- What alternatives are you considering?

## First: Is This a Pivot or a Panic?

**Signs you should pivot:**
- Consistent data over months saying "this isn't working"
- Customers use your product differently than intended
- You've found something adjacent that's working better
- Market has fundamentally changed
- You can't see a path to unit economics

**Signs you're just panicking:**
- One bad month
- One lost customer
- Competitor launched something
- Investor said something discouraging
- You're tired

**Rule:** Don't pivot based on one data point. Look for patterns.

## The Pivot Decision Framework

### 1. Honest Assessment

| Question | Your Answer |
|----------|-------------|
| Have we given this enough time? (Usually 12-18 months) | |
| Have we talked to 50+ customers about the problem? | |
| Have we tried 3+ significantly different approaches? | |
| Do we have enough runway to pivot? (6+ months) | |
| Is the team capable of executing the pivot? | |

### 2. What's Working?

Even failed products have learnings:
- What do users actually use/love?
- What unexpected behavior have you seen?
- What compliments do you get?
- What adjacent problems have you discovered?

**The best pivots preserve something:**
- Team and culture
- Customer relationships
- Technical assets
- Market knowledge
- Brand/credibility

### 3. Pivot Types

| Type | What Changes | Example |
|------|--------------|---------|
| **Zoom-in** | Feature becomes product | Photo filter → Instagram |
| **Zoom-out** | Product becomes feature | Expand scope |
| **Customer segment** | Same product, different customer | Enterprise → SMB |
| **Customer need** | Same customer, different problem | New product |
| **Platform** | App → Platform or vice versa | |
| **Business model** | How you make money | Paid → Freemium |
| **Channel** | How you reach customers | Direct → Partner |
| **Technology** | Core tech applied differently | |

### 4. Evaluating Pivot Options

For each option, score 1-5:

| Factor | Option A | Option B | Option C |
|--------|----------|----------|----------|
| Market size | | | |
| Team fit | | | |
| Competitive advantage | | | |
| Path to revenue | | | |
| Customer validation | | | |
| Runway required | | | |
| Excitement/energy | | | |
| **Total** | | | |

### 5. The Pivot Plan

If you decide to pivot:

```
## Pivot Plan: [From] → [To]

**What we're changing:**
- [Specific change]

**What we're keeping:**
- [Asset/learning to preserve]

**Hypothesis:**
"We believe [customer] will [behavior] because [reason]."

**Validation plan (before full commitment):**
1. [Quick test]
2. [Customer conversations]
3. [MVP if needed]

**Success criteria to continue:**
- [Metric] by [date]

**Kill criteria (when to stop):**
- [Signal that this isn't working either]

**Communication plan:**
- Team: [How/when to tell them]
- Investors: [How/when to tell them]
- Customers: [How/when to tell them]

**Timeline:**
- Week 1-2: [Validation]
- Week 3-4: [Decision point]
- Week 5+: [Execution if validated]
```

## Output Format

```
## Pivot Assessment: [Company]

**Current state:**
- Product: [What you do now]
- Traction: [Metrics]
- Runway: [Months]

**Pivot or panic?** [Assessment]

**What's working:** [Preserve these]

**Options considered:**
1. [Option] - Score: X/35
2. [Option] - Score: X/35
3. Stay the course - Score: X/35

**Recommendation:** [PIVOT / ITERATE / STAY COURSE]

**If pivoting:**
[Use pivot plan template above]

**If staying:**
- [What to double down on]
- [What to change within current direction]
```

## Hard Truths

- Pivoting is not failure. Refusing to pivot when data is clear IS failure.
- Most successful companies pivoted at least once.
- You can't pivot your way to success without execution.
- A pivot without validation is just another guess.
- Your ego is not a business strategy.