A strategy and/or strategic theme in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is an action plan to overcome a defined challenge; it’s not about me-to features and functions – it should always consider the whole business model, not just the product or service. Every strategy should have:
1. Diagnosis including cataloguing ideas, and market contexts that are new market entrants. Where Might they be heading? How does that affect my product, service or business model?
2. Guiding policy or methodology, I am a huge fan of Blue Oceanstrategy’s tools, and in particular, the blue ocean strategy canvas. which is the “simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost, creating a leap in value for both buyers and the company.” It gets you to realize Smart strategies are about taking things away, as well as adding new capabilities. The follow-up book Blue Ocean Shift, is equally good with great examples for different profit and non-profit organizations.
3. Strategy Design – part premeditated planning carried out in advance of action, and part anticipation of the future, figuring out how others will act. (I call this horizontal thinking and in my experience dyslexic people are particularly good at it, seeing the joins between ideas others find hard).
4. A set of coherent actions – we often lose sight of the fact that a strategy at its heart is an action plan, and like all good action plans, it needs to be managed and resourced – Kanban board can be great for this as they define your process and help you identify and overcome your constraints.
A good product strategy is not about me-to features and functions, it’s about changing the game, so you can win with a new set of rules. At its heart, it’s about differentiation and REAL value creation. Talking thing away avoids bloatware and to increase the value and helps you avoid me-to thinking. Let us help you define a winning product strategy.