The Vision Thing
A US president once said he wasn't very good at "the vision thing." (He wasn't re-elected.) Product managers can't afford to be anything less than great at the vision thing.
The product vision is the glue that holds a team together. It's a great tool for herding all the development, marketing and executive cats in the same direction. But it needs to be sound, it must be straightforward and compelling, and it needs to be communicated well and often.
A product vision is pretty much what it sounds like: something that enables anyone to see clearly what the product is, does, and who it's for. Beyond that, there isn't really a formula for defining a product vision - it's the product of good research, clear analysis and, most importantly, imagination.
A good product vision usually seems obvious in retrospect:. Take the iPod:
An elegant-looking pocket music player that non-techies could learn quickly and easily download songs from an online store…and that people would love to use.
The last part is important, since before the iPod, most MP3 players were clunky and awkward to use. Part of Apple's vision was to build a product that would generate passion and loyalty, and they succeeded.
The value of a vision like this should be clear: once it's accepted, everyone on the team, from the CEO to individual engineers, is working toward an identical goal. If, for example, a feature doesn't support the vision (in this case, perhaps making the iPod harder to use), it's not likely to be pursued. A well-defined vision could be the starting point for a marketing plan. And any time there's a question about strategy, the vision provides common ground for decision making.
A sound vision rarely springs fully developed from a visionary's mind. Instead, it's usually based on knowing potential customers really well, learning about their work/play habits, and understanding their problems. It takes into account market conditions: what are existing products like, and how do they succeed or fail (from the customer's point of view). A sound vision is usually based on knowing the potential and limitations of available technology, though some visionaries are unafraid to push these limits and develop new technologies to support the vision.
A sound vision is also based on a deep understanding of a company's business strategy. It may extend the strategy, but rarely does a successful vision start from scratch (except, of course, in a startup company). A company's brands, culture, processes, customers, and sales channel provide the context within which a product vision is cast.
A straightforward vision takes these factors into account, but it isn't a lengthy PhD thesis. Instead, it needs to be extremely concise, boiling down analysis and context into an easily-understood solution statement. No need to explain why customers are having a hard time finding the right song to play - just say that it's going to be simple and fun to do this. There's no need to design the product in the vision statement: you can be sure the iPod's wheel interface was not part of the vision, though it grew from the vision's dedication to simplicity. A good product vision stimulates designers to invent solutions that go beyond the original intent of the visionary.
A compelling vision inspires passion. Explain it to an executive or a new team member, and they should react, "wow, that's great, let's do it!" It's an idea that can be recalled to focus people during a difficult, contentious meeting, by saying, "remember, here's our vision…we're all working toward the same goal here."
Communicating a product vision effectively is the key to building consensus around it. There are many ways to share it, whether a well-crafted "elevator story," or a few PowerPoint slides that use words, graphics and images effectively. Regardless of the medium, a well crafted vision probably contains these items:
- A sense of who the product is for.
- A statement of the problem or need it will address.
- An explanation of why the customer will care enough to want the product.
Sometimes the best way to do this is through storytelling. Tell people how a customer will use the product, what they can do, and how they feel about it. Chances are, a good story will enable everyone to envision the purposes of the product clearly…and that's the point.
In some cases, a vision might also include a preliminary prototype that illustrates a concept. (Mary Cagan calls this a Visiontype.) The idea is to show what a product would do, without implying a final design. It should be framed in such a way that people can say "I get it" without concluding the final product must look or even work like the prototype.
Who, exactly, is the visionary that creates the vision? It may not be the product manager - many companies have visionary engineers, marketers or executives. But it is the responsibility of the PM to clarify and communicate the vision, and to ensure that every team member knows and remembers it.
A clear vision is, most of all, a leadership tool. And if a US president didn't understand this, it's easy for PMs to forget it too. Product management is all about leadership, and you can lead more effectively if you and your team know where you envision going.
The product vision is the glue that holds a team together. It's a great tool for herding all the development, marketing and executive cats in the same direction. But it needs to be sound, it must be straightforward and compelling, and it needs to be communicated well and often.
A product vision is pretty much what it sounds like: something that enables anyone to see clearly what the product is, does, and who it's for. Beyond that, there isn't really a formula for defining a product vision - it's the product of good research, clear analysis and, most importantly, imagination.
A good product vision usually seems obvious in retrospect:. Take the iPod:
An elegant-looking pocket music player that non-techies could learn quickly and easily download songs from an online store…and that people would love to use.
The last part is important, since before the iPod, most MP3 players were clunky and awkward to use. Part of Apple's vision was to build a product that would generate passion and loyalty, and they succeeded.
The value of a vision like this should be clear: once it's accepted, everyone on the team, from the CEO to individual engineers, is working toward an identical goal. If, for example, a feature doesn't support the vision (in this case, perhaps making the iPod harder to use), it's not likely to be pursued. A well-defined vision could be the starting point for a marketing plan. And any time there's a question about strategy, the vision provides common ground for decision making.
A sound vision rarely springs fully developed from a visionary's mind. Instead, it's usually based on knowing potential customers really well, learning about their work/play habits, and understanding their problems. It takes into account market conditions: what are existing products like, and how do they succeed or fail (from the customer's point of view). A sound vision is usually based on knowing the potential and limitations of available technology, though some visionaries are unafraid to push these limits and develop new technologies to support the vision.
A sound vision is also based on a deep understanding of a company's business strategy. It may extend the strategy, but rarely does a successful vision start from scratch (except, of course, in a startup company). A company's brands, culture, processes, customers, and sales channel provide the context within which a product vision is cast.
A straightforward vision takes these factors into account, but it isn't a lengthy PhD thesis. Instead, it needs to be extremely concise, boiling down analysis and context into an easily-understood solution statement. No need to explain why customers are having a hard time finding the right song to play - just say that it's going to be simple and fun to do this. There's no need to design the product in the vision statement: you can be sure the iPod's wheel interface was not part of the vision, though it grew from the vision's dedication to simplicity. A good product vision stimulates designers to invent solutions that go beyond the original intent of the visionary.
A compelling vision inspires passion. Explain it to an executive or a new team member, and they should react, "wow, that's great, let's do it!" It's an idea that can be recalled to focus people during a difficult, contentious meeting, by saying, "remember, here's our vision…we're all working toward the same goal here."
Communicating a product vision effectively is the key to building consensus around it. There are many ways to share it, whether a well-crafted "elevator story," or a few PowerPoint slides that use words, graphics and images effectively. Regardless of the medium, a well crafted vision probably contains these items:
- A sense of who the product is for.
- A statement of the problem or need it will address.
- An explanation of why the customer will care enough to want the product.
Sometimes the best way to do this is through storytelling. Tell people how a customer will use the product, what they can do, and how they feel about it. Chances are, a good story will enable everyone to envision the purposes of the product clearly…and that's the point.
In some cases, a vision might also include a preliminary prototype that illustrates a concept. (Mary Cagan calls this a Visiontype.) The idea is to show what a product would do, without implying a final design. It should be framed in such a way that people can say "I get it" without concluding the final product must look or even work like the prototype.
Who, exactly, is the visionary that creates the vision? It may not be the product manager - many companies have visionary engineers, marketers or executives. But it is the responsibility of the PM to clarify and communicate the vision, and to ensure that every team member knows and remembers it.
A clear vision is, most of all, a leadership tool. And if a US president didn't understand this, it's easy for PMs to forget it too. Product management is all about leadership, and you can lead more effectively if you and your team know where you envision going.