COASTstandard

Context · Objective · Actions · Scenario · Task

A five-part framework that splits "the situation" from "the constraints" and gives the LLM an ordered path through both. Best for strategic memos and decision support.

The components

C
Context
The situation — what is true today, what the user already knows, what has been tried.
O
Objective
The strategic goal — what success looks like at the end of this work.
A
Actions
The ordered moves the LLM should take.
S
Scenario
The conditions and constraints the work has to fit inside.
T
Task
The specific deliverable produced by the work.

Worked example

Rough prompt

Help me figure out whether to launch our new product in Kenya first or Nigeria first.

Super-prompt produced by COAST

[Context] We are a B2B SaaS company serving SMEs. Our product is established in South Africa and ready for its second market in 2026. The founding team has connections in both Kenya and Nigeria. Capital is limited; we can fund one market launch this year, not two.
[Objective] Reach a defensible "Kenya-first" or "Nigeria-first" recommendation supported by evidence the board can challenge but not dismiss.
[Actions] (1) Restate the decision criteria the board has historically cared about — market size, ease of doing business, distribution channels, competitive density, regulatory friction. (2) For each criterion, score Kenya and Nigeria from 1–5 with a one-line justification. (3) Sum the scores and identify the top three swing factors. (4) Stress-test the recommendation against the single most likely counter-argument.
[Scenario] We have 90 days from board approval to first paying customer. Local team must be hired in-market within 30 days of approval. No partnership routes — direct sales only.
[Task] A 600–900 word strategic memo, written for the board, structured under the four "Actions" headings, ending with a single-sentence recommendation in bold.

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