Glen Ford’s Post

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Collaborative, startup-bred product leader, driven by empathy ❤️ — 🤖 AI/ML for 6 years

Kicking off a big initiative like a new product or major enhancement? Inspire the troops with a Product Rallying Cry. A Rallying Cry is a statement of purpose that is simultaneously concise and complete at a high level. I've used this fill-in-the-blank approach many times, and it's always effective at helping people quickly grasp the what and why of a new product or big enhancement. You wouldn't use this for every user story, certainly, but it's great for introducing substantial efforts. Naturally, the content you put in the blanks is crucial, but this specific structure divides unwieldy lumps of exposition into distinct, logical components. Because it's easy to digest, collaboration and creativity get going sooner and more productive. [ This post got a little long for LinkedIn, so there's a little bit more on my blog—and also an interactive thingamajig! (Technical term.) https://lnkd.in/gYX84jnd ] The format of a Rallying Cry is: To GOAL, PERSONA(s) ACTION. This stinks because DRAWBACKS. We can fix this by SOLUTION. We'll know we've succeeded when MEASURABLE OUTCOME. We propose this product: DELIVERABLE. So by example (Uber): To get a ride across town without driving or sweating, riders call taxis, or stand outside and flag them down. This stinks because it's unpredictable, the cars are often uncomfortable or unfriendly, and it's nerve-racking to compete with other people hailing them. We can fix this by developing a tech-forward system of drivers outside the taxicab world that proactively prevents these drawbacks from the ground up. We'll know we've succeeded when Uber rides in our target city outnumber cab rides. We propose this product: an app-driven marketplace that connects riders and available drivers outside the taxicab world. Pro tips: Stay in the head of the user. So often in product management, we're tempted to jump straight to the concrete deliverables. Resist that. Even just tossing out that Uber example, I had “automate” in the solution line. Too proscriptive. I reworded it to implicitly acknowledge that several approaches could fix the user problem (teleportation!). Until the last two sentences, stay focused on the problem space and how people's lives will be improved. Don't expect to nail this perfectly before presenting it—the point is to get collaboration going. But discussions will be more effective if you spend some time deeply thinking through each part of the rallying cry, polishing the verbiage, and showing that you've put a lot of thought into it. What do you think? Would you use this kind of mission statement? Have you used something similar in the past? #productmanagement #kickoff #collaboration #productvision #visionstatement #leanstartup #usercentric #mindsetmatters

  • "The Battle of Ichinotani" by Utagawa Kuniyoshi - detail (public domain)
Glen Ford

Collaborative, startup-bred product leader, driven by empathy ❤️ — 🤖 AI/ML for 6 years

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Some credits: my pal Scott Hoopman added the bit about success criteria (the measurable outcome), which was a brilliant touch that I'm happy to steal. The seed of this format comes from one part of Radhika Dutt's Radical Toolkit framework, which is definitely worth checking out.

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