Data has intrinsic patterns and they are not easily observed. Finding the pattern reveals the strategy of a company. A data pattern is the first entelechy of strategy – the first actualisation of what a company is all about. In coaching and consultancy, the Covington-McNutt Template provides a guide to the construction of critical time lines, CTLs. A CTL reveals a pattern of action and reaction and identifies a competitor that is more likely to react first from the sum of competitors. The research is back to basics and simple, checking the micro-data for signals. The signals can be used as a diagnostic tool and assist management to shape strategy. Building on the behavioural T/3 framework in the book Decoding Strategy the objective in the 21st century is to uncover the hidden data patterns embedded in a company’s behaviour and in the behaviour of its rivals. They are all players in a game of moves, actual moves and potential moves.