Writing a Vision Narrative
The most compelling story wins
“A truth that applies to many fields, which can frustrate some as much as it energizes others, is that the person who tells the most compelling story wins. Not who has the best idea, or the right answer. Just whoever tells a story that catches people’s attention and gets them to nod their heads.” - Morgan Housel
There is some common denominator when you listen to Elon Musk presenting about making humans interplanetary, Mark Zuckerberg talking about metaverse, or Jeff Bezos pitching AWS while using an analogy about a beer brewery and focusing on what makes your beer taste better. That denominator is stories.
The stories they told captured the attention of investors, potential employees, and customers. In the words of the 1997 Apple commercial “you can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things…”.
Mentioned stories are big in scope and ambition. It’s not surprising that companies were/are being built around them. I believe that storytelling is as important on a smaller scope. Designing a feature, and working on the product area requires us to have a direction that allows everyone involved to understand where we are going.
Sachin Rekhi (Founder & CEO @ Notejoy), shares vision narrative as one of the tools to create shared context. It’s a powerful tool. Though often misused. The moment someone mentions vision and/or mission half the room rolls their eyes.
Sachin Rekhi on his blog shared:
Most product managers realize that defining a compelling vision for their product is a core responsibility of their role. But what most get wrong is thinking they can simply get away with defining a simple vision statement. In my experience, those that do just that rarely find that their team is inspired or highly aligned on the future direction of the product. That's because in summarizing the entirety of the vision in a short and pithy vision statement, so much of the important context around it is lost.
So, if vision statements are crap. But stories are powerful and provide alignment, how might we use stories and narratives to describe the vision? How might we use vision narrative to provide guidance and direction for the product area?
Constructing vision narrative
According to Reforge vision narrative in itself should be bold, detailed, and opinionated. We should prioritize being explicit (and wrong) over vague (and right).
The structure of the narrative contains three parts:
Beginning - What problem we are solving? Why that problem is important?
Middle - How are we going to solve this problem? Describe it in detail.
End - Contrasting tomorrow vs. today with an emphasis on the benefits of solving the problem.
Beginning
In the beginning paragraphs, the goal is to describe the problem in detail. It should be compelling enough for the audience to think the problem is important.
That entails three steps:
Critiquing the status quo.
Explaining what the world looks like today and what the problem is.
Sharing where the world needs to go.
There are a couple of ingredients that make the first part compelling.
Arguments
To capture the attention of the audience we will need compelling arguments. It’s easier to think about the arguments by dividing them into whether they:
emphasize the gap (i.e. metrics gap) or emphasize the opportunity (i.e. new customer segment).
the relative strength of the arguments.
Arguments can be statistics, customer interviews, analogies, or even thought exercises. We can amplify the arguments by using quotes, videos, or anecdotes. It’s a good idea to have a mix of logical and emotional arguments.
It helps to have a list of arguments to choose from:
Problem statement
A problem statement will help the audience to summarize what is the problem that we are trying to solve and why. The statement should be crisp and clear.
Reforge provides great formulas for constructing problem statements:
[Target audience] needs [your product scope], because… [problem].
As a [target audience], tries to [action], but can’t because [problem], making them feel [emotion].
[Target audience] experiences [problem] when [situation], because [cause].
Outline
As a starting point, my recipe for the beginning part looks like this.
Critiquing the status quo:
The most compelling argument about the gap (start with the bang). Amplified with quotes, videos, or anecdotes.
Opening about the problem in question.
Explaining what the world looks like today and what the problem is.
2-3 arguments emphasizing the gap help to frame the problem. Amplified with quotes, videos, or anecdotes.
Problem statement.
Sharing where the world needs to go.
2-3 arguments emphasize the opportunity if we solve the problem. Amplified with quotes, videos, or anecdotes.
The way forward. Bridge to the middle part.
Middle
The middle is to make a compelling and explicit case about how we are going to solve the problem. The audience should be able to visualize what the area will look like with solutions in place. This entails two steps:
Define the solution space (describing the map).
Define the solutions with enough detail. Describe different areas on the map and how to conquer them.
Solution space
The problem statement informs the possible opportunity/solution space. Solution space will describe different areas on the map. If we conquer those areas we will solve the problem.
Teresa Torres describes going from opportunities (described by problem statement) to solutions. We should take into consideration extra inputs to define opportunity/solution space:
Customers. Interviews, surveys, and/or direct experience working with the target audience.
Business. Metrics describing acquisition, retention, monetization, and/or unit economics. Growth model and knowledge about the competition.
Strategy. The company, product, and/or growth strategy.
All the above ensures that solution areas tackle business viability and value risks.
It might very well be that we won’t have perfect information. To be honest, I am quite certain that we won’t. Though, we should not wait until we have perfect information. We should try to do our best to attempt with the information we have on our hands and iterate as we go.
We will end up with a problem statement and key solution areas. Our map will start to get into shape.
Solutions
Next, we will start breaking down solution areas. To make sure we don’t go off the rail, we should follow the Goldilocks rule:
Not too detailed. We are not creating PRDs (product requirement documents).
Not too vague. The audience should understand what the solutions will look like.
Following where we left off in the solution areas we can follow Ryan Singer’s post.
First, we pick the solution area.
Next, we break it down into specific solutions.
(optional) if solutions are still too vague, break them down one more time.
Repeat the process starting with the first step.
We should cover all solution areas.
To do the above we can write a simple list. Or if we feel creative we can draw a mind map or… literally a map. The goal of the exercise is to break down the solution area into sub-areas. The guiding principle is to make solutions detailed enough. So that the audience understands what they will look like when implemented.
Example
Problem statement: “As an operator, I experienced the absence of a structured approach in the organizations to identify gaps and opportunities to grow business. This led to frustration and loss of respect for the leadership team. The cause was due to the lack of repeatable operating framework on how to grow business”.
Opportunity: Repeatable operational framework on how to grow business.
Solution Areas:
Shared Context
Goals
Discovery
Prioritization
Delivery
Solutions:
Shared Context:
Institute written culture with vision narrative
Business:
Define, analyze and determine gaps in acquisition metrics.
Define, analyze and determine gaps in retention metrics.
Define, analyze and determine gaps in monetization metrics.
Define, analyze and determine gaps in unit economics.
Define and align a qualitative and quantitative growth model for the business.
Determine differences compared to the competition. Assessment of acquisition channels, monetization, product features, markets, and funding.
Customers Insights:
Determine customer’s jobs-to-be-done.
Create a process for continuous customer insights.
Growth Strategy
Define and align the teams on main growth levers.
Describe the solutions
Solution areas and solutions themselves are a great outline for the middle part. The next step is to describe the solutions. Again, following the Goldilocks rule (not too vague, not too specific).
The solutions need to be opinionated, detailed, explicit, and ambitious.
Opinionated. The description should include reasoning why the chosen path is the way to go. It should be clear how the solution fits in with the idea of what the future looks like.
Detailed and explicit. The solutions need to be explicit and detailed. The direction the solution is pointing should be very clear. The goal should be:
Point the team(s) working on the solution in the same direction.
Maximize the time spent on needle-moving components of the solutions.
Ambitious. In a way, the solutions should feel big. It should feel like the solutions will be a step-change.
A nice reality check is whether the team reading and discussing the solutions feels excited.
Outline
My recipe for the middle part looks like this:
Short description of the map. What solution areas do we need to tackle to solve the problem.
Every solution area we describe in a separate section:
Short description of solution area and why it is important.
Opinionated, explicit, and ambitious descriptions of the solutions (1-2 paragraphs).
Include anecdotes, videos, graphs, process charts, quotes, and thought exercises.
End
We have defined the problem, defined solution areas, and solutions themselves. The goal now is to provide the resolution. There is a caveat here. After reading the resolution we should feel excited. We have created a purpose for the team. We are not brick layers anymore. We are building the castle.
To provide the resolution it’s a good idea to start with the problem statement. Only this time we will formulate a problem statement as already solved.
FROM: “As an operator, I experienced the absence of a structured approach in the organizations to identify gaps and opportunities to grow business. This led to frustration and loss of respect for the leadership team. The cause was due to the lack of repeatable operating framework on how to grow business”.
TO: “The team felt empowered after the operating framework on how to grow the business was implemented. Everyone in the company is now focused and aligned. We can feel confidence in the leadership and the future of the company in the air”.
From the problem statement, we move to the contrasting. The goal is to emphasize the difference between tomorrow (when the problem is already solved) and today. We should make it visual. Anecdotes, videos, graphs, quotes, and thought exercises are great ways to contrast the difference.
Reiterate the problem statement.
Contrast tomorrow vs. today with an emphasis on the benefits of solving the problem.
Add anecdotes, videos, graphs, quotes, or thought exercises. It will help to make the resolution more compelling.
Outline
//ADD COMBINED OUTLINE
The story does not end here
Vision narrative should not be created and kept in a vacuum. It’s crucial to have a tight feedback loop with the most important stakeholders. It is even more important to communicate and share what the future looks like.
I have missed the communication step a couple of times. It’s a huge mistake. A mistake that leaves people confused. It’s like training for the whole season and then not showing up at the start line.
Let’s unpack that.
Tight feedback loop
The Simpsons guide to writing
On The Write of Passage Podcast David Perell shared:
He [John Schwartzwalder - the sage of the Simpson’s ] used to create imperfect world and then improve it.
I believe this applies to vision narrative as well. Creating a draft and then improving it is easier than trying to make it great from the start.
1. Write down all the stakeholders
Reforge suggests asking these questions to determine the stakeholders:
Who are the most important stakeholders you have to influence?
Who are the most opinionated stakeholders who most directly control approval and resourcing of the vision?
Who are the critical few key resource gatekeepers you need buy-in from?
Who are the critical stakeholders who will be essential in the execution of the vision?
When we have this list we can categorize the stakeholders into three sections:
Inclusion. Who are stakeholders who are integral to the area and should be seen as partners?
Alignment. Who are stakeholders whose input is valuable and should be proactively considered?
Awareness. Who are stakeholders who need to be kept informed of the decision-making process and outcomes?
Categorizing stakeholders helps to prioritize communication and plan for involvement.
2. Talk with stakeholders
There are two crucial things that we need to get:
Context from stakeholders’ perspective. How might this create value in the words of a stakeholder? Why is this area important?
The style of communication. How do stakeholders perceive information the best?
Context stakeholder’s perspective
The goal here is to do investigative work. Therefore, interviewing stakeholders is the easiest way to do that. You can ask questions like:
What’s the context around this [area]? Why it is important to you? How do [the area] tie into the company goals? Why do you think it’s important to work on this now?
What do we know about the opportunity in [the area]? What hypothesis do we have about [the area]? What’s our best guess into what’s stopping us now to be successful in [the area]?
The goal is not to run through the list of questions. The goal is to understand current thinking in the area. As well as start picking up words and expressions that are used around (metrics, user segments, user states, etc.)
The style of communication
During the interviews, you have a chance to observe the style of communication that stakeholder leans toward. Small subtle things like:
Standing up to draw on the whiteboard, might hint at visual communication (or don’t share a wall of text).
Naming multiple companies who do this great in the market, might hint at a need for external social proof (references to practices in respected companies in the market).
The conversation focused on growth rates, revenue, # of customers, which might hint that the stakeholder is goal-focused.
If we want to go the extra mile we can talk to the peers who work with the stakeholder. We can ask questions like:
Have you noticed a pattern in what presentations go well with [stakeholder]?
What part of the presentation seemed to really convince [stakeholder]?
Were there parts of the presentation that [stakeholder] seemed totally uninterested in or unconvinced by?
3. Start the feedback loop
When the first vision narrative draft is written, we need to start the feedback loop. Don’t just share the full draft. It’s not going to work. Battle-tested.
Instead, just find a time or go directly to one person. The ask is simple: “hey, this is my best guess of how the future might look like and what we need to build, what do you think?”
Just mentioning the problem statement, arguments with examples, and potential solution areas is more than enough. The goal is to get initial reactions. We need to start getting feedback implicit or explicit about the relevancy of the problem statement, the strength of the arguments, and the excitement of the solution area.
//ADD TEMPLATE FOR THE NOTES AND ASSESSMENT OF STAKEHOLDERS
Sharing the vision narrative
After writing the vision narrative it’s time to share it. This is where information gathered about stakeholders and how they perceive information best plays to your advantage.
Before jumping into presentation mode it might be helpful to decide on:
When you are going to share the vision narrative?
Who you are going to involve in the forum?
How you are going to share the vision narrative?
Split everyone into forums where you are going to present.
Style of communication
Full checklist of things to do
What forum we should engage with stakeholders? Timing, Audience, Content.
Product review, Design Review, Quarterly Business Review.
https://www.sachinrekhi.com/the-art-of-being-compelling-as-a-product-manager
Style of communication.
Framing (i.e. risk vs. ambition OR problem orientation). Focus the audience on this problem perspective and explain how your solution is a great fit. Focus solving one problem really well instead of multiple problems sort of well. Steering the audience to the desired conclusion.
Social proof. Leveraging the shared opinions to convince key stakeholders. Gain buying in from respected and trusted opinion in the org first. That will act as social proof for your initiative for the rest of the org. Possible social proofs. Within company. From customer testimonials. Referencing practices from respected companies in market.
Goal seek. Framing your initiative in terms of a decision maker’s goal. Explain how your vision helps to reach stakeholders goals.
Inception. Make others feel ownership in creating your idea. Involve the key stakeholders early in the process (i.e. design sprints). Asking targeted questions to lead stakeholders to the same conclusion.
Citation. Compelling data to support your argument. Data that is based on your actual users actions is more persuasive than based on surveys or general population.
Narration. Using stories and anecdotes to illustrate a point. User journeys, now vs. future, compare/contrast.
Adjust style based on the audience.
Table per stakeholder and what style would be most effective to communicate with the stakeholder. Do some research, ask around what works best and what others think that stakeholders best retain the information.
It’s not going to work all the time, though I tend to wait until we get first bigger win with the team. Personally, that gives me confidence in the room that we are creating value.
Do the first dump of ideas
Get initial feedback
Start gathering list of arguments, not everything needs to be user, but everything can be added to the appendix
Start listing out stakeholders. Find 1-2 people who need to get on board.
Map arguments to stakeholders
Examples of vision narrative
Great stories are rare. Great narratives for products and even more rare. Therefore, I am trying to collect and learn from them. Here are some of them:
The third transportation revolution by John Zimmer from Lyft
We don’t sell saddles here by Stewart Butterfield from Slack
The anatomy of a large-scale hypertextual Web search engine by Sergey Brin and Larry Page
Shared context:
Vision narrative
Business
Strategy
Customers
Goals
Opportunity space
Solution space
Prioritization
Delivery
Putting everything together