Strategy Brief / A3

Sometimes I write plays when I think of them; other times I'm inspired to finish the draft because I'm using a play at work right now. In this case, I just finished converting this template to Confluence for work, and I thought maybe you all need some help building consensus around what to do in 2025 .

Context

A PM is waiting for clarity from the company about direction. Surprisingly, the execs feel that they have given perfectly clear direction. Misalignment on vision between departments is leading to releases that don't have the desired impact.

Discussion

This is an endless cycle for companies that are not yet goal-driven or data-driven but rather focused on deliverables. The product managers would like to do actual product management, but the deliverable demands are not coherent, so the PMs can't discern the underlying business goals. They would like to know what the actual goals are.

But the leaders are focused on other things; they feel satisfied that they have been clear, and they are puzzled and annoyed at the PMs for demanding more direction, more specifics, and more workshops.

Often the executives have spent so much time working on outcomes, targets and KPIs through the years that they forget that others were not present for the process. They have a hard time prioritizing more work in this area when the strategy is already very clear for them.

Play

Guide the PM to complete a 2-page strategy brief (template below) to explain what they want to do for the coming year. Use it to build consensus around a team's strategy and roadmap.