Chapter
Product Planning
1
Learning Objectives
Create a product vision
Set product strategy
Build a product roadmaps
2
Product planning
Once an opportunity has been
aligned on, the next step is to
figure out
Product Vision
Product Strategy
Product Roadmap
3
Product Vision
A product vision describes the
ultimate purpose of a product, the
positive change it will bring about.
It’s a big aspirational goal . It should
inspire others and at the same time be
the foundation of the product strategy.
Inshort, product vision answers a
high-level, forward-looking question
such as: Where are we headed? Or
"What future do we want to create with
this product?"
4
Product Vision
A good, effective product vision fulfils the following six
criteria:
Inspiring: The product vision creates a purpose for the people
working on the product. It provides motivation and guidance
even if the going gets tough.
Shared: The vision unites people, and acts as the product’s
true north.
Ethical: A good vision gives rise to an ethical product, a
product that truly benefits its users and that does not cause
any harm to people and planet.
Concise: The product vision is easy to understand and
remember. Using slogan—a short, memorable phrase—can be
a great way to create such a vision.
Ambitious: It describes a big, visionary goal.
Enduring: Despite its name, it’s important to keep the
product vision free from assumptions about the actual product 5
Product Vision Examples
IKEA : To create a better everyday life for the many
people
NIKE : Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete
in the world
Google: To provide access to the world’s information
with one click.
Instagram: To capture and share the world’s moments.
Uber: Evolving the way the world moves. By seamlessly
connecting riders to drivers through our apps, we make cities
more accessible, opening up more possibilities for riders and
more business for drivers.
LinkedIn: To connect the world’s professionals and
make them more productive and successful.
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Vision Statement Template
Phrasing the product vision in one inspiring
sentence
We believe (in) a [noun: world, time, state, etc.]
where [persona] can [verb: do, make, offer,
etc.], for/by/with [benefit/goal].
To [verb: empower, unlock, enable, create, etc.]
[persona] to [benefit, goal, future state].
Our vision is to [verb: build, design, provide],
the [goal, future state], to [verb: help, enable,
make it easier to...] [persona
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A Product Vision
Serves a reference Reminding the team
point to constantly Helps or steers the about the
question : « Are we team towards a responsability of
moving in the right defined goal. stakeholders and
direction? » product managers
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For Reflection
Can the Product Vision and the
Company Vision Be the Same?
Does Every Product Have to Have
its Own Vision?
Does the product vision ever
change ?
How do I Create an Inspiring
Product Vision?
9
Product Strategy
Product Strategy is a high-level plan that
outlines what a business wants to achieve with
its product and how it plans to do so
It outlines how the product will achieve
business objectives, meet customer
needs, and outperform competitors
It is about setting approches to realize
the vision and to make the product
successful.
In short, In short product strategy defines
how you are going to win
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Product Strategy component
Product strategy outlines a set of choices :
1. Target Market & Customer Needs
Customer Segmentation: Identifying the primary user
personas and their pain points.
Market Research: Understanding industry trends,
demand, and gaps.
Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD): What core problems does the
product solve for customers? What problem does it solve
or what benefit does it bring?
2. Competitive Positioning & Differentiation
Competitor Analysis: Assessing competitors’ strengths
and weaknesses.
Unique Value Proposition (UVP): What makes the
product stand out? What makes it better or different
than competitors? Example: unique, superior, affordable
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Product Strategy component
3. Business Goals: What results
are we aiming for? Clear
objectives (e.g., revenue growth,
market share, customer retention)
that the product aims to achieve.
Success Metrics: KPIs (Key
Performance Indicators) to
measure progress (e.g., NPS,
conversion rates).
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Objectives of a Product:
Product type Main objective Example of strategies
New product Introductory pricing, promotional
Gain market share
offers, awareness campaigns
Cost reduction, (decrease inputs)
value-added features, (increase
Achieve future profitability
outputs) loyalty programs
Existing Cost reduction, value-added features,
product Maximize profitability loyalty programs
Expand distribution, enter new
Grow market share segments
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Example: Apple’s iPhone
Product Strategy Highlights:
Target Market: Tech-savvy users who want
premium experiences.
Customer Needs: Simplicity, speed, design,
security.
Differentiation: Seamless hardware-software
integration, ecosystem with Mac, iPad, AirPods,
strong brand name.
Product Updates: Regular yearly upgrades to
stay relevant.
Business Goal :Apple’s strategy ensures the
iPhone evolves in line with user expectations and
industry trends while reinforcing its brand
identity and its profitability.
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Product Strategy
Product strategy must be update
regularly
For the new product the previous
points must be tested
Existing products must go over
these points to refine them and
avoid the P/M fit slipping away.
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a
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The
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lives here
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o 16
Needs versus Solutions
Problem space Solution space
A customer need or problem A specific benefit that the
that requires to be solved product should adress to
solve the problem
Problem : boost the mood
( more attractive) Solution : have more fun
Benefits NOT features
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Kano model : user needs and
satisfaction
The Kano Model is a theory developed in the 1980s by
Professor Noriaki Kano to categorize customer satisfaction of
product benefits into different categories. The key concepts
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include:
Kano model
Customers will categorize the features / benefits of a product
into 3 buckets:
Must Haves ( Threshold benefits). These are the
features / benefits the product must have in order to remain
a viable contender for my business. For example a personal
must have when it comes to car is safety/security
Performance. These are features where customer
satisfaction scales linearly with the amount of feature
sophistication. For example, a personal performance
benefit when it comes to cars is fuel efficiency/economic/
comfortable
Delighters (Excitement). These are features where
customer satisfaction scales exponentially with feature
sophistication. For example, excitement
The model is not static BUT dynamic . Over time,
delighters become performance factors and
performance factors become must haves.
Indifferent” features, which customers won’t care
about.
“Reversed” features, which will upset customers.
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Example
Competitor Competitor YOU
A B
Must have Y Y
benefit
Performance High Low
benefit 1
Performance Low High
benefit 2
Performance medium Medium
benefit 3
Delighter Y -
benefit 1
Delighter - -
benefit 2
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Example
Competitor Competitor YOU
A B
Must have Y Y Y
benefit
Performance High Low Med
benefit 1
Performance Low High Low
benefit 2
Performance medium Medium High
benefit 3
Delighter Y - -
benefit 1
Delighter - - Y
benefit 2
People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve
got to focus on. but that’s not what it means at all. It
means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that
there are.
Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things. Steve Jobs
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Example
Facebook Instagram
Must have Y Y
( sharing my photos)
Performance Low High
(Post my photos
quickly )
Delighters N Y
(make my photos look
good)
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How to Create a Kano Model ?
Competitive research. Reviewing the marketing
sites and actual products of others in your space
should help you get a sense for the must haves (what
do all the products have in common?).
Qualitative interviews. You can ask questions ( see
the notes ) This is, of course, a very simplified view
of the interview questions but after talking to enough
new customers, for your product and your
competitors, you should be able to start bucketing the
factors into must haves, performance and delighters.
Tell me about how you decided to buy this product you
recently purchased. What factors did you use to
decide whether this product was right for you?
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Reflection question : User Benefits
Cabs don’t gurantee pick up can
take 45mins
Cabs aren’t as safe or clean as
limos
Car service require 1-3 hours
notice
Car services transfers average
over 60$ +tax
What customer problems or
benefits does uber call out? 24
Uber cab would be faster and cheaper than a limo but nicer
and safer than a taxicab
Customer Taxis Car services Uber
benefit
Performance
Let me quickly Med Low High
get a ride
( faster)
Save me High Low Med
money
( cheaper)
Give me a nice Low High High
experience
( nicer)
Make me feel Low –med High High
safe
Safer)
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Your unique differentiators : it’s the performance benefits where
you plan to be the best and your delighters
Customer benefit Taxis Car Uber
services
Must haves
Take me where I want to go Y Y Y
Performance
Let me quickly get a ride Med Low High
( faster)
Save me money ( cheaper) High Low Med
Give me a nice experience Low High High
( nicer)
Make me feel safe Low – High High
Safer) med
Delighters
I can book without having a N N Y
call
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I can see where the car is N N Y
Product Strategy –
Example
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Product Strategy : Summary
Basically make sure you :
Think about long term
Determine target market :segmentation
Think in terms of benefits
Clarify your unique differentiators
Clear objectives that support business
goals
Your product strategy must align with the
overall business model, vision, and
resources. A great product that doesn’t
serve the company’s direction or capacity
is still at risk
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Product Roadmap
Todocument the delivery path, the
roadmaps are used.
The roadmap states how the strategy is
implemented and describes how the
product is likely to grow.
A roadmap is a plan that breaks down the
product delivery by stages.
Inshort , A product roadmap is a visual
communication tool that illustrates high-
level product strategy. Product roadmaps
include upcoming features and technical
considerations, and often demonstrate how
a product will evolve over time 29
Example : Release Roadmap
not all roadmaps are built on a timeline. Product managers use
product roadmaps to align internal stakeholders and educate the
market on their vision.
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Quaterly Release
Roadmap
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Quarterly Roadmap for Organic Skincare Line
(2025)
Date Q1 2025 Q2 2025 Q3 2025 Q4 2025
Name Product Soft Launch Full Launch Loyalty
Finalization Program
Goal Finalize Build early Scale Increase
formulations & adopters & distribution customer
packaging buzz & awareness retention
Features • Select •- Launch •Expand to •Launch
ingredients with limited eCommerce rewards
suppliers edition via (Amazon, program
- Design eco- email brand (points for
friendly subscribers website) referrals/revi
packaging - Partner with - Run ews)
10 targeted - Offer
-influencers Facebook/Ins subscription
tagram ads discounts
Metrics •- 100% •Sell 1,000+ •- 5,000+ •30%+
compliance with units units sold repeat
organic - 20% online purchase
certifications conversion rate
- Packaging cost rate from - 1,000+
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≤ $2/unit influencer program
The Go Product Roadmap : Car Rental
Company
Date Q1 2025 Q2 2025 Q3 2025 Q4 2025
Name Rent a car Share a car Smooth the Become a
process genuine car
rental company
Goal Validate interest for Validate interest Create trust Generate
peer to peer car for peer to peer between additional
rental from the car rental from owners and revenue by
renter point of view the owner point renters renting our own
of view fleet of cars
Features •Visualize available •List a car to •Include an •Unlock a car
cars the platform insurance in all with the app
•Localize available •Upload photos transactions •Set up a
cars •Set up a price •Enable network of
•Filter by size or •Set up an reciprocal garages to
price availability reviewing maintain the
•Book a car period •Digitize fleet
contractualisati •Hire a team to
on clean cars
Metrics •10k customers rent •500 owners •50k customers •Build a fleet of
a car rent their car rent a car 500 cars
•1k customers rent •50 owners rent •2000 owners •Reach a 75%
a car twice their car twice rent their car occupancy rate
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Understanding the value/effort matrix
The product value matrix is a
useful tool for product managers
as it helps them to prioritize
product features based on their
relative benefits and effort
The value/effort matrix is a
feature prioritization model used
to build effective product
roadmaps.
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Understanding the value/effort matrix
Using the value/effort matrix
The value/effort matrix is a 2×2 matrix with:
Efforton the x-axis, defined as the resources
needed to complete a task. That is, how
difficult will the task be to complete?
Value on the y-axis, defined as the business
or product value a feature will bring. Value
can be defined in several ways. How will the
feature help gain new customers? How many
customers will the feature impact? How does
the feature help the business make money?
Does the feature increase product virality?
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PRIORITIZATION MATRIX
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For Reflection
Imagine that you want to help
people becoming aware of what
and how much they eat.
Propose a product vision; a
product strategy and a product
roadmap
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At the end
« Be stubborn on your
product vision and
flexible on your details
roadmaps » Steve Jobs
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