Our 7 most popular posts on product strategy
"Red thread of strategy." Folks on our Customer Success team say this phrase to customers often. It is a great metaphor for how product vision, goals, and initiatives need to tie to the actual work — spooling out into the features and releases on your roadmap. At each stage of product development, you should be able to trace this red thread all the way back to top-level strategy.
Strategy weaves all the stages of product development together — that is why we talk about it so often on the Aha! blog.
Strategy is the foundation of product development. It is something that must be baked into every decision you make. Most product managers would probably agree with this assertion — but that does not mean product strategy is easy.
Product managers know that it is one of the hardest parts of the job to do well. You have a lot of people to please and the day moves fast. Sometimes it would be easier to make the safe decision instead of the right one. But if you cannot connect your team’s work back to product goals and initiatives, the team will lose confidence in your leadership.
The good news? You will never regret re-grounding yourself back in the product vision and strategy you have set. Yes, it might mean pushing out the priority of planned features and realigning around what is more important. Change can feel uncomfortable, but it is also a relief when you help the team understand the "why" behind the shift.
In that spirit, we wanted to revisit some of our most popular blogs on product strategy. Our hope is that at least one of these offers you a new way of thinking about setting a product vision and sharing your goals and initiatives with your team. Here we go:
3 Components of Every Great Product Strategy
The most successful products are built based on a clear strategy that everyone understands. And every great product strategy is comprised of three parts: vision, goals, and initiatives. Before you plan your next release, make sure these components are accounted for. Read more
Vision vs. Mission vs. Strategy
Some people use "vision" and "mission" interchangeably. Or may even think of these higher-level concepts as fluffy ideals not tied to your daily work. But both are critical to product growth. You just have to start thinking about vision, mission, and strategy in practical terms. Read more
Roadmaps Make Strategy Work
Strategy is simultaneously contained and empowered by the reality of a timeline. A roadmap is a visual way for people to actually understand your vision and deliver against goals. It lays out a course for the team to follow — even if the plan does not always go how you imagined it. Read more
The 6 Principles of Strategic Product Roadmapping
Roadmapping personifies your strategy — smashing it up against the reality of time, skills, and resources. And that process demands hard decisions. Choosing what to move forward with also means choosing what to leave for later and what to leave behind entirely. Read more
Why Strategic Thinking Is So Hard for Product Managers
Day-to-day demands make it tough to think smart about the big picture. It takes time and practice to put strategy into action. For busy product managers, this is hard. But not impossible. There are ways to flex and build that very necessary strategic thinking skill. Read more
Hey Product Managers: It Is Time to Set the Strategy That You Think Is Right
You want new ideas and energy to surround your product. But your job is not to please everyone in the organization. Your top priority must be to build the best product possible — one that delivers real value to customers and creates real value for the business. Read more
Are Product Managers Ready for Value-Based Product Development?
The most effective teams take a value-based approach to product work — where value is primarily determined by your strategy and the end user. Does your offering serve the business and deliver what customers actually use and embrace? Read more
Let these posts inspire your own bright ideas — so you can tackle your product strategy with renewed conviction.
Read, bookmark, and share what resonates with your fellow product builders. Together let's build more lovable software and be happy doing it.
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