Product Strategy & Vision
Product Vision
A product vision describes the future you want to create. It is aspirational, stable over time, and guides every decision.
“A vision without a strategy is a dream. A strategy without a vision is wasted effort.”
Good vision statements:
- Are long-term (3–5+ years)
- Focus on outcomes, not features
- Inspire and motivate
Example: “A world where anyone can publish a book and reach millions of readers.”
Product Strategy
Strategy is the how — the focused set of choices that moves toward the vision. A good strategy defines:
- Where to play — Which markets, segments, and user groups
- How to win — Your differentiator and competitive advantage
- Capabilities — What skills, technology, or partnerships are needed
- Initiatives — The major bets and investments
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)
OKRs connect strategy to execution:
- Objective: Qualitative, ambitious, inspirational goal
- Key Results: Quantitative, measurable outcomes (3–5 per objective)
| Objective | Key Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Become the leading platform for indie authors | KR1: 1M books published, KR2: $50M ARR |
| Product | Make publishing effortless | KR1: Publish time < 5 min, KR2: NPS > 60 |
| Team | Reduce book creation friction | KR1: Template adoption > 80%, KR2: Error rate < 1% |
Strategy vs Tactics
- Strategy is what you choose not to do
- Tactics are the day-to-day decisions that execute strategy
- Every feature request should trace back to a strategic choice
Communicating Strategy
Use a Product Strategy Document or one-pager to share:
- Vision statement
- Target audience
- Competitive landscape
- Strategic priorities (now / next / later)
- Success metrics