Atlas
kb://decisions/2026-05-24-demo-storyboard-sync-ritualdraft2026-05-24

Demo storyboard sync ritual — align before propose

ritualdemoalignmentpositioningphase-1

Demo storyboard sync ritual

Wave 19-H. Yesterday (2026-05-23) I shipped 3 demo storyboard options via Sonnet sub-agent research. NAO's response: «не совсем бро, ладно я потом напишу как я это вижу». My options diverged from his vision.

Lesson: for strategic / positioning / brand work, alignment comes BEFORE option enumeration. Otherwise the agent spends tokens generating options that don't fit, and the human still has to write their own.

The ritual (proposed)

When the next strategic question comes up — positioning lock, brand voice, demo direction, hiring narrative, anything that depends on NAO's vision — run this 15-minute alignment pass FIRST:

1. Constraints elicitation (5 min)

Tycho asks 3-5 specific constraint questions:

  • "Who is this FOR?" (audience archetype, not generic)
  • "What MUST it convey in <medium length>?"
  • "What MUST it NOT convey?"
  • "What competitor or reference is the closest analog?"
  • "What part is non-negotiable vs flexible?"

NAO answers in 1-2 sentences each.

2. Constraint replay (1 min)

Tycho repeats back the constraints in a structured form. NAO confirms or corrects.

3. Option generation (sub-agent, 5-10 min)

NOW dispatch Sonnet sub-agent with the constraints as inputs (not just the abstract goal). Options will be 3x more relevant.

4. Verdict (NAO, 2-5 min)

NAO picks one, refines, or says «не так — вот как я это вижу» (then write up his version and skip steps 1-3 next time).

When NOT to use this

  • Tactical/technical work (refactors, audits, bug fixes) — alignment is in code, not in vision
  • Quick clarifications — direct ask is fine
  • Things where I have full delegated authority («ты главный» on infra choices)

Cross-reference

  • kb://decisions/2026-05-23-demo-storyboard-options — the artifact that taught this
  • kb://decisions/strategic-ideas-log — the long-running curated plan that should have been the input
  • NAO's pending: his own demo storyboard write-up (he said «я потом напишу»)

When NAO writes his demo storyboard version, it should land at kb://decisions/2026-05-23-demo-storyboard-options and supersede the storyboard-options draft.