Defining Product Vision

Scope

Covers

• Defining or refreshing a product vision (5–10 year future state)

• Writing a vision statement + short vision narrative (concrete, not a tagline)

• Translating vision into pillars and strategic choices (what we will/won’t do)

• Packaging a “Product Vision Pack” leaders and teams can use as a decision tie-breaker

When to use

• “We need a real product vision (not a slogan).”

• “Leadership isn’t aligned on where the product is going.”

• “Write a vision statement + one-pager for the next 5–10 years.”

• “Bridge our mission to strategy and planning.”

• “We have a big technology vision—what’s the user-friendly product form factor?”

When NOT to use

• You only need a marketing tagline or positioning copy (do marketing/copywriting instead).

• You need a detailed product strategy doc, roadmap, or OKRs after vision is already aligned (use those downstream skills).

• You don’t have even a rough target customer/problem hypothesis (do discovery/research first).

• You’re choosing metrics/measurement before agreeing on the future state (do vision first, then North Star metrics).

Inputs

Minimum required

• Product (what it is today) + target customer segment(s)

• The potent user problem / job-to-be-done the vision is grounded in

• Time horizon (default: 5–10 years)

• Mission / higher-level purpose (or executive intent)

• Constraints (what must remain true: trust, safety, margin, compliance, etc.)

• Stakeholders who must align (roles/names)

Missing-info strategy

• Ask up to 5 questions from references/INTAKE.md.

• If answers aren’t available, proceed with clearly labeled assumptions and provide 2–3 vision options.

Outputs (deliverables)

Produce a Product Vision Pack in Markdown (in-chat; or as files if requested):

• Context snapshot (bullets)

• Problem anchor (target customer + potent user problem)

• Vision statement (1 sentence)

• Vision narrative (concrete 5–10 year future state; tech-agnostic; aspirational but attainable)

• Vision pillars (3–5) + optional experience principles

• Strategy bridge (3–5 explicit choices + non-goals + “near-term wedge/form factor”)

• Rollout & alignment plan (workshop + comms + cadence)

• Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)

Templates: references/TEMPLATES.md

Workflow (8 steps)

1. Intake + constraints

• Inputs: User context; use references/INTAKE.md.

• Actions: Confirm product, target customer, horizon, mission, constraints, stakeholders, and why-now.

• Outputs: 8–12 bullet Context snapshot.

• Checks: You can restate “who we serve + what problem we solve” in 1–2 sentences.

2. Define the problem anchor (potent user problem)

• Inputs: Context snapshot.

• Actions: Write the target customer + problem as a crisp, user-centered statement; identify what “success” means for them.

• Outputs: Problem anchor section (template in references/TEMPLATES.md).

• Checks: Problem is specific, important, and not framed as “our feature idea”.

3. Draft 2–3 future states (vision options)

• Inputs: Problem anchor + horizon.

• Actions: Generate 2–3 distinct future-state options that are:

• Lofty and realistic

• Tech-agnostic (not limited by today’s implementation)

• Grounded in the user problem

• Outputs: 2–3 Vision options (short narratives).

• Checks: Each option passes the 4-point vision test in references/CHECKLISTS.md.

4. Write the vision statement + narrative (not a tagline)

• Inputs: Chosen vision option.

• Actions: Draft a 1-sentence vision statement and a short narrative (5–10 year future). Run the “what does that mean?” elaboration test.

• Outputs: Vision statement + Vision narrative.

• Checks: A stakeholder can ask “what does that mean?” and you can answer concretely (future customers, value difference, what’s changed).

5. Define pillars + principles (make it decision-useful)

• Inputs: Vision narrative.

• Actions: Create 3–5 pillars that imply product choices; add experience principles that help users act on the core value.

• Outputs: Vision pillars (+ optional experience principles).

• Checks: Each pillar can be translated into “we will invest in X / say no to Y”.

6. Build the strategy bridge (choices + non-goals + wedge)

• Inputs: Vision pillars + constraints.

• Actions: Translate the vision into 3–5 strategic choices and explicit non-goals. Propose a near-term wedge/form factor that delivers immediate utility while progressing the long-term vision.

• Outputs: Strategy bridge section.

• Checks: Strategy forces choice (scarce resources); includes at least 3 non-goals; names a plausible wedge.

7. Align stakeholders + iterate

• Inputs: Draft pack.

• Actions: Create a lightweight review plan (who, how, cadence). Anticipate objections and add an FAQ if needed.

• Outputs: Rollout & alignment plan.

• Checks: Key stakeholders can paraphrase the vision and disagree on specifics (not on meanings).

8. Quality gate + finalize pack

• Inputs: All drafts.

• Actions: Run references/CHECKLISTS.md and score with references/RUBRIC.md. Add Risks / Open questions / Next steps.

• Outputs: Final Product Vision Pack.

• Checks: Pack is shareable as-is; choices, non-goals, and caveats are explicit.

Quality gate (required)

• Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.

• Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.

Examples

Example 1 (B2B SaaS): “Define a product vision for a workflow automation platform for IT teams.”

Expected: a Product Vision Pack with a concrete future state, pillars, and a strategy bridge (choices + non-goals + wedge).

Example 2 (Consumer): “Refresh product vision for a personal finance app expanding into a full ‘financial operating system’.”

Expected: a vision that is lofty but attainable, tech-agnostic, grounded in a potent user problem, and packaged in a familiar form factor.

Boundary example: “Write a tagline for our website.”

Response: clarify this skill produces product vision artifacts (not marketing copy). Offer to first produce a vision pack, then hand off a distilled tagline/positioning to a marketing/copy skill.