Crafting the Product Vision
Crafting the Product Vision is the process of developing a clear, inspiring articulation of what the product aims to achieve for customers in the long term. It serves as a guiding star for all product development activities, outlining the intended direction and purpose of the product.
Goal
The goal of crafting the product vision is to create a shared understanding and alignment among all stakeholders, including product teams, on the future state of the product and the experience that it aims to deliver to customers. It aims to inspire, motivate, and guide the product development efforts towards achieving a cohesive and impactful outcome.
Context
Many products are a collection of features and functionalities that evolve over time based on the requirements of different stakeholders, often leading to a lack of clarity and direction. Crafting a product vision helps to provide a clear, inspiring, and aspirational goal that aligns all product development activities towards a common purpose. It ensures that the product team is focused on delivering value to customers and achieving strategic objectives.
Inputs
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
| Market Insights | Insights from the analysis of the market and the competitive landscape. |
| Ecosystem Strategy | The high-level plan for achieving the ecosystem vision within the next 1-3 years, providing context for the product vision. |
| Customer Insights | Insights from user research, customer feedback, and support tickets. |
Outputs
| Artifact | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Product Vision | A succinct, inspiring statement that captures the essence of what the product aims to achieve. | Provides clear direction and motivation for teams, helps in aligning product development with strategic objectives. |
Anti-patterns
- Vague Vision: Crafting a product vision that is too broad or vague, offering little guidance or inspiration to teams.
- Mission as Vision: A single line mission statement that lacks the depth and context required to guide product development.
- Misalignment with Strategy: Developing a vision that does not align with the ecosystems's strategic goals, leading to confusion and misdirection.
- Lack of Stakeholder Involvement: Failing to involve key stakeholders in the vision-crafting process, resulting in a lack of buy-in or missing perspectives.