Module 1 · The Unified Framework
The Top-Down Workflow
Five steps from higher-timeframe map to a managed trade.
In this lesson you'll
- Memorize the five-step workflow
- Work top-down: context before signal
- Define invalidation before entering
Every trade in this course follows the same five steps, top-down:
- Map the context — mark the levels that matter: composite/session value (VAH/VAL/POC), naked POCs, HVN/LVN, prior day high/low. Decide the regime: balance or trend?
- Wait for price to reach a level — never hunt signals in no-man's-land.
- Read the confirmation — at that level, what does the order flow say? Heatmap (liquidity holding/pulling), footprint (absorption/imbalance/exhaustion), delta/CVD (divergence), DOM/tape (wall traded into?).
- Score the confluence — how many independent signals agree? The more, the stronger.
- Define invalidation, then act & manage — place the stop where the idea is wrong before entering; set targets at structural levels; size to risk.
Key takeaways
- Five steps: map context → reach a level → read confirmation → score confluence → invalidate & manage.
- Always top-down: context before signal.
- Decide the regime (balance vs trend) up front — it sets your tactics.
- Define the stop BEFORE entering; observe, don't anticipate.
Check your understanding
Pick an answer to reveal instant feedback. Answer every question to complete the lesson.
Why that's off: Signal-first with no level is exactly what to avoid.
Why that's off: You can't size a stop before you have context and a setup.
Why that's off: Confluence is scored at a level, after context — not first.
Context first, always: map levels, wait for price to reach one, read the order-flow confirmation there, score how many signals agree, then define invalidation and manage. Signal-first is the losing order.
Why that's off: Deciding after the move against you leads to moving/widening stops.
Why that's off: Every trade needs a pre-defined invalidation.
Why that's off: A structural, pre-committed stop is the discipline that protects you.
Invalidation is defined before entry, at the structural point that proves the thesis wrong. Deciding it after entry invites rationalizing and moving the stop.
Educational content only. Nothing here is financial or trading advice. Order-flow and options patterns shift probabilities; they never guarantee outcomes.