| name | product-strategy |
| description | Use when the user wants to define product vision, set strategic direction, identify what bets to make, or align the team on where the product is headed. Also use when the user mentions 'product vision,' 'strategy,' 'what should we build,' 'roadmap direction,' 'product bets,' 'working backwards,' or 'product mission.' |
Product Strategy
Product strategy is not a list of features. It is the set of bets about which customer problems are worth solving, in which sequence, to achieve a specific outcome.
The Strategy Stack
Vision — Where are we going in 3-5 years? One sentence. Aspirational but specific.
Mission — Why do we exist? What would be missing if we didn't?
Strategy — How do we get there? Which bets are we making, and in what sequence?
Roadmap — What are we building in the next 6-18 months to execute the strategy?
The cascade must be coherent: roadmap items should trace back to strategy; strategy should trace back to vision.
Good Strategy — Rumelt's Kernel
Good strategy has three parts:
- Diagnosis — What is the critical challenge? Define the problem precisely before picking the solution.
- Guiding policy — What approach addresses the challenge? Not goals — constraints and choices.
- Coherent actions — What specific actions flow from the policy? Each action reinforces the others.
Bad strategy: vague goals masquerading as strategy ("be the best product in our category").
Good strategy: a diagnosis + a constrained policy + coordinated actions.
Amazon Working Backwards
Write the press release before building. Forces crisp problem definition and outcome clarity.
PR format:
- Headline: Product name + what it does + for whom
- Problem: What problem does the customer have today?
- Solution: How does this product solve it?
- Quote: What would a customer say?
- Call to action: What should they do next?
If the PR is boring or vague, the product idea needs work — not the marketing.
Horizons Model
| Horizon | Timeframe | Description | Resource split |
|---|
| H1 | Now | Core business, incremental improvement | 70% |
| H2 | 1-2 years | Emerging opportunities, scaling tested bets | 20% |
| H3 | 2-5 years | Exploratory bets, new markets | 10% |
Most teams ignore H2/H3 until it's too late. Name at least one H2 and H3 bet explicitly.
Strategic Questions Every Product Team Needs Answers To
- Who is the best-fit customer? (Not the most common — the one who benefits most)
- What would they do if this product didn't exist?
- What makes this product obviously the right choice for them?
- What is the one metric that tells us the strategy is working?
- What would have to be true for this strategy to fail?
Common Rationalizations
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|
| "Strategy is the roadmap" | The roadmap is the output of strategy. They are not the same thing. |
| "Our strategy is to be customer-centric" | That is a value, not a strategy. Name the specific bets you're making. |
| "We don't have time for strategy right now" | Building without strategy is how teams rebuild the same feature three times. |
| "The market will tell us what to build" | Markets tell you what's failing. Strategy tells you what to bet on next. |
Verification
