Updated posts

Author: calcode

.DS_Store

@@ -1,46 +1,42 @@
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 layout: post
-title: Good product strategy
+title: Learning what makes a good product strategy
 permalink: good-product-strategy
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-Every product needs a good product strategy.
+I set out to answer the question 'What makes a good product strategy?'.
 
-Some companies have one, many *think* they have one, and others knowingly trudge on without one.
+I want to create strategies which are well understood, and for colleagues to feel comfortable socialising them across the company.
 
-What is strategy, why is it important, and what makes a good strategy?
+It felt like strategies should have some consistent qualities to allow for this to happen, and if I got those right I could then spend more time worrying about the what and the why of the strategy itself.
 
-Read on to find out.
-
-### What makes a bad strategy
-
-Let’s start by identifying what makes a bad strategy.
-Some of these might hit close to home for some of you.
-
-- It isn’t **fluff**. This is super common. Some might tell you that strategies ‘aren’t supposed to be actionable’. They’ll paint a vague picture for you, leaving you unable to do anything with them. That’s nonsense. If it isn’t actionable, it isn’t a strategy
-- It isn’t **financial metrics**. Simply telling your teams to increase revenue isn’t a strategy; it’s a method to measure success. Don’t be surprised or get annoyed when your team look at you blankly after you deliver a strategy like this
-- It isn’t **how your teams collaborate**. Explaining how your teams will work together isn’t a strategy; that’s a team topology. Team topologies define the purpose and relationship of teams. They are important, no doubt, but they aren’t strategy
-
-If you are into team topologies, then you can read a great post on team topologies by [Martin Fowler](https://martinfowler.com/bliki/TeamTopologies.html). This is recommended reading.
+Read on to find out what I learned...  
 
 ### What is a strategy?
 > “a detailed plan for achieving success in situations such as war, politics, business, industry, or sport, or the skill of planning for such situations” - [Cambridge Dictionary](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/strategy)
 
-The key phrase here is ‘detailed plan’. It’s amazing how far we’ve strayed from viewing a strategy as a detailed plan.
-
-It takes good old-fashioned hard work to get to this.
+The key thing for me here was the phrase ‘detailed plan’. I have always tried to make them as clear as possible, and clear often means a sufficient level of detail - so it sounds like I was on the right track.
 
-### Why is it so important?
+### Why is strategy so important?
 Your product strategy is what drives alignment and coordination across your company. It ensures everyone is pulling in the same direction at the same point in time. It’s about creating focus.
 
 Imagine shipping a series of new features for a specific segment over the month and your marketing campaigns all being ready to go, customer success talking about them with confidence, support being ready to answer questions, and sales pitching to these new segments.
 
-Seamless!  
+This really resonated too, and definitely felt like something I had been aiming for.
+
+### What makes a bad strategy
+Sometimes it is easier to start with what something isn't.  
+
+- It isn’t **fluffy**. Some people might explain that strategies ‘aren’t supposed to be actionable’. They’ll paint a vague picture for you, leaving you unable to take action. That isn't ideal. If it isn’t actionable, it isn’t a meaningful strategy
+- It isn’t **financial metrics**. Simply telling your teams to increase revenue shouldn't really be considered a strategy either; it’s a method to measure success. If you target X segment with Y value to achieve Z revenue, then that's a much better place to be
+- It isn’t **how your teams collaborate** either. Explaining how your teams will work together isn’t a strategy; that's probably more a topology. Team topologies define the purpose and relationship of teams. They are important, no doubt, but I'd steer clear calling them a strategy
+
+If you are into team topologies, then you can read a great post on team topologies by [Martin Fowler](https://martinfowler.com/bliki/TeamTopologies.html). It's a fantastic read :)
 
 ### What makes a good strategy?
-The bible on this for me isn’t from a product management source, surprisingly. It’s [Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Strategy-Bad-difference-matters/dp/1781256179/ref=asc_df_1781256179/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697308647252&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13959286353907761805&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046885&hvtargid=pla-566591824724&psc=1&mcid=5e5268e4d1bc3ecb8573ccddbfcd0784&th=1&psc=1&gad_source=1). You can pick it up on Amazon for cheap as chips.
+The best write up I found wasn't from a product management source (surprisingly). It’s [Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Strategy-Bad-difference-matters/dp/1781256179/ref=asc_df_1781256179/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697308647252&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13959286353907761805&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046885&hvtargid=pla-566591824724&psc=1&mcid=5e5268e4d1bc3ecb8573ccddbfcd0784&th=1&psc=1&gad_source=1). You can pick it up on Amazon for cheap as chips.
 
-There’s also an excellent [Marty Cagan piece on product strategy](https://www.svpg.com/product-strategy-overview/). This is product management focused, and it’s excellent.
+And, this excellent [Marty Cagan piece on product strategy](https://www.svpg.com/product-strategy-overview/).
 
 So, what makes a good strategy?
 - It identifies a series of problems or opportunities
@@ -57,6 +53,4 @@ Additionally, a good strategy should also:
 - Be explainable by everyone across the company
 - Move you towards your product vision
 
-Stick to this and I suspect you’ll notice less of the team telling you about a ‘lack of focus’ or ‘poor collaboration’.
-
-Let me know how you get on.
+I'm planning to stick to this from now on, and hopefully it'll allow me to continue refining things for the better in the coming months!