Dear all,
(Late again this weekend – my apologies).
In our work we came across a few interesting questions this week. The most intriguing to me: „Doesn’t managing a product ultimately just mean to manage the backlog and deliver the highest value first? Applying WSJF or some other prioritization scheme?“
It may appear like this sometimes, but managing products in my mind starts with a vision – and then continues from there (we’ll cover more of that starting next week).
The product vision describes the ultimate reason for creating the product.
Product visions often come as a single sentence, some read almost like a marketing slogan. They are supposed to align to the strategic objectives of the organization while setting a long-term direction for the product.
A good product vision starts from the customer and focuses on the outcome the product is supposed to bring about. It should be inspiring and guide the development team.
Product visions are not created easily. Canvases like Roman Pichler’s Product Vision Canvas or our Product Vision Tool can help, but developing a product vision is not exactly a paint-by-numbers exercise.
Three links to shed more light on product visions:
Product Vision 2020 –
Paavan Buddhdev explains the concept of product vision through a design lens in a 19 min talk
Product Vision –
8 unusual examples of product visions; corroborated by the Silicon Valley Product Group
Product Vision v. Mission –
Marty Cagan resolves some confusion around product visions. Make sure to follow the link to the Q&A at the end of the post
Stay safe and have a great rest of the weekend,
Cheers,
Godehard