How do you get the exec team on board with your product strategy?

For us, product strategy stems from company strategy, so it's first important to have a firm grasp on where the company strategy is headed holistacally, and why. Additionally, we serve as a partner function for the entire ProdDev org, so rather than owning a specific segment of the product, we're responsible for helping the company zoom out a bit to identify key areas that could make sense to invest in.  As a result, when working with our exec team it's critical to understand both the company st ...Read More

The two things you need to ensure that you can get your exec team on board with your strategy is (1) Clear communications plan (2) A strong, well researched factbase standing behind your strategy.  (1) For clear communications: Start your communications plans early! I bring my exec team in at the very beginning of the product strategy creation process. I hold a product strategy kickoff event to let everyone know we are embarking on a product strategy exercise. I share the timeline for completion ...Read More

This question is intriguing. Let's begin by examining instances where product strategy discussions didn't go as planned, both in my own experience and those of others. I've participated in numerous product strategy meetings—some ending successfully and others spiraling into chaos. Let's delve into the common themes that contributed to these outcomes before we explore a recommended approach. Instances of Chaos: It's tempting to assume that a disastrous outcome signifies a completely misguided str ...Read More

I encourage my teams to start by understanding their objectives, plans, assumptions & approach to risk management. We listen carefully and figure out where the gaps and opportunities lie and how impact & success is defined & measured.  Then, as we develop our strategies, we share early & often – at minimum at the key stages of defining what our product strategy might become: Defining the customer problem & the opportunity size Proposing the right solution & the necessary ...Read More

Product Strategy needs to align to Company's overall vision and the problem that we want to solve. Who are we Helping ... Solve what ..... With .......WHy they we will choose us over ....... because we have..... If we have a clear understanding and alignment of the above problem statement with the executive team, then we have alignment over overall direction and strategy for the product. Also having a understanding of what our current product and market strategy is and our vision of where we wan ...Read More

I would contend that this starts with getting your exec team involved early in the strategy discussions so they have an opportunity to have their say and put some skin in the game. When the strategy is finally documented, it won't be your strategy but the collective effort of the leadership team and it should never be a surprise to anyone on the leadership team. Broadly speaking, people tend to get on board with stuff they worked on so you want to engage the leadership team (individually, initia ...Read More

Step one (Do not skip this step!): Make sure you understand the company (or division) strategy that your leadership team is accountable for. If it's vague, push for clarity and see if they will provide it. If not, then let them know the product strategy will cascade from their vision/strategy, and there is risk because of the lack of clarity. Help them see how their vision impacts your strategy; how you are trying to help them win. Step two: Anchor execs on the needs of the customer (JTBD) befor ...Read More

The first and major step for any initiative would be to clearly understand the company's goals and priorities - and ensuring that your product vision and objectives closely align with these. If this can be achieved, the job is half done. But rarely do we come across such clear synergies and hence we work on an evolving plan - typically a clearly articulated roadmap - with milestones Here having a short term view (<90 days) - Items that deliver immediate value: Its easier to convince the execu ...Read More

Executives care about impact on the business, risk, and whether you've actually thought it through. Your job is to address all three without making them sit through a 40-slide deck. The biggest mistake I see PMs make is leading with the product case. They start with the customer problem or the technical architecture. Execs care about those things, but only in service of business outcomes. Start with the business case: here's the market opportunity, here's how we capture it, here's what it means ...Read More