Scrum Product Vision Importance

Many organizations implement Agile, and they start with adopting Scrum, one of the most simple frameworks in Agile. A Scrum is an iterative approach for product development where the teams are self-organizing and take ownership of the product created. Every company creates a product with a vision of what the product should achieve. This vision is not a detailed explanation of what steps the company should follow to build the product, nor is it the complete vision of the entire company. Creating a vision is one of the hardest challenges in Scrum, as it decides where the team has to get ahead with the product. A Product Vision could be the same as a company vision if the company is a single-product company; however, if the company builds many products, the Product Vision and the company vision are not the same. This article explains the meaning, importance, and other details associated with Product Vision in Scrum.

What is Scrum Product Vision?

A Scrum Product Vision is a state of the product in the future that a certain team or company wants to achieve. This future state of the product could be called a Goal. Product Vision lays the foundation for many product-related processes such as product strategy, product development roadmap, backlog planning and execution, and product launch. When a company creates a great Product Vision, all of the processes during the product development become smooth. A Product Vision’s most important characteristic is that it is customer-centric and focuses on the customer. It looks towards the future and aligns a clear path the team has to travel to achieve the envisioned goal. Product Vision does not contain how the future state would be achieved; it contains the motivation behind the goal and explains why a company aims for a certain goal. Catchy Product Visions are one of the signs of a great Product Vision as it makes a founder or an employee pitch in their vision to other people.

Most companies try to find a timeless Product Vision that can last a long time; however, this is completely optional, and a Product Vision could also be time-constrained. When the time frame for the Product Vision is too less such as 1-2 years. The employees focus too much on legacy issues, whereas a time frame of 6-7 years seems like “Science Fiction” as we cannot anticipate changes that may take in the long run. Hence, the time frame for Product Vision could ideally be 3-5 years depending on the company and the product.

Components of a Product Vision

A well-articulated and structured Product Vision contains many components which are listed below:

• Intent and Purpose: This section answers the question of why the product is being built and what value will it bring to the customer. It also answers the type of problems that this product would intend to solve once created. 
• Target Market: This answers the type of customers to which this product is made for i.e. the target audience. 
• Business Goals: How does this product align with the company's vision or goals? Every product that an organization builds should align with the entire company’s vision or goal so that it fits within the organization's product portfolio.
• Differentiating Factors: This section highlights the features that are distinct to the product and how and what are the characteristics of the product sets it apart from its competitors in the market.

If the Product Vision fails to justify the above components, then the product fails to serve its purpose to the customers.

Creating a Product Vision

Any team member who deals with the product can directly contribute to the Product Vision. All employees are welcomed to share their innovative ideas on idea boards or forums which the Product Management Group or the Business Group selects. The right stakeholders with the knowledge and expertise to contribute to the Product Vision are involved in a workshop representing Business Support, Marketing, Engineering, Sales, Training, etc. Techniques such as Dot Voting, Affinity Grouping, and Brainstorming are used in the workshop such that a perfect Product Vision can be formulated. Before the workshop commences, the information of the research from the competitors, information on the target customers, and Personas are given to the participants. This ensures that the participants have a thorough idea of the product and bring the best to the table with all the available knowledge.

Importance of Product Vision in Scrum

The ultimate goal of a product owner is to create a product that is distinct and popular in the market and completes all the features it promises. This product should maximize the business value by generating quality features and solving the problems of the customers. The product aims to be developed with the least possible cost and generate the highest possible profit. The Product Owner should aim to solve the customer's most important needs by knowing about the customers and users and understanding their problems. This information is significant for the product owner to fulfill their dream and make it a reality. The work of the Product Vision is to capture all these intentions formed by the product owner for the product within a few sentences in a simple manner.

A Product Vision is the first step in building the product that the customer requires and that adds value to the organization. The Product Vision determines whether the product will be a success or failure when launched in the market. The most important question is how the quality of the Product Vision in Scrum is crucial in the product development process. Here are a few reasons why the Product Vision plays an important role in the process of product creation.

1. Product Vision Sets an Ultimate Goal

The product vision sets an ultimate goal that is an integral part of the development of the product strategy. These product strategies could be written in the form of a product roadmap which has to be achieved within a certain period. When a team has a Product Vision, they understand what they have to achieve in a broad sense. The team members align all their tasks and product requirements based on the product vision. This helps the team split, create, collect requirements, prioritise product backlog items, manage stakeholders, etc. The team decides all these tactical activities based on the Product Vision. Hence, Product Vision shows the path to the ultimate goal of the product which is an integral part of the development process.

2. It Gives a Purpose to Product Development

A Product Vision shows the purpose of the product to the stakeholders and the developers which makes it easier for both of them to understand its value. This knowledge of the purpose of the product creates a sense of collaboration and motivation in building the product. A Product Vision clearly explains the purpose of the product’s existence, which other investors can easily understand without having to read the product’s detailed description. A successful Product Vision is like an attractive subject line written in a cold email; investors look at the product’s vision and decide whether they want to learn about the product and invest in it, just like how recruiters read emails of candidates with an attractive subject line. An ideal Product Vision should invoke trust in the product’s idea and actions and explain how it will add value to the business. Stakeholders will be more likely to read on further about the product once they like the “why” of the product which is the Product Vision. However, the product strategy and tactics which are the “what” is developed and “how” the development is completed, is equally important.

3. Keeps the team Focused

As the Product Vision paves the way for the developers to build the product, it ensures that they are not distracted by other features they might find interesting during the development process. Every idea or decision that the team makes is validated against the Product Vision, and the ideas that do not align with the product’s vision are rejected. If the ideas and decisions of the team are being rejected by the client, it indicates that the team may not have fully understood the purpose of the product and the needs and values of the customer. This is the time to communicate with the client and highlight their needs in simple sentences such that each member associated with the product understands them clearly. Many products have become popular as their product owners made sure that everyone on the team contributed to the product by keeping the Product Vision in mind.

4. Product Vision Creates an Alignment

The Product Vision connects the entire team involved with the product by unifying everyone’s idea and putting it into few sentences. This eliminates the need for each individual to imagine the product in their way which has a high chance of misinterpretations. The product owner is also the owner of the Product Vision, where they must make the Product Vision shared, understandable and unifying. This vision should steer the development process in a single direction, and guide them into coming up with new ideas for the product.

5. Product Vision Helps in the Promotion of the Product

A catchy Product Vision creates interest and draws attention from potential investors and customers. For instance, the marketing department uses the product's vision statement to advertise it. This description gives an image of the product to the users and customers. Based on the Product Vision, the users may be interested in knowing more about the product and may end up using it.

Tips for Creating a Great Product Vision

• Every organization member and stakeholder should be encouraged to contribute ideas and input during the creation of the Product Vision.
• Before formulating the Product Vision, thorough market research has to be conducted so that the target audience, customers, and personas can be identified and the competitors in the field can be known.
• If a vision is poorly communicated, it can never become a reality. Hence, given every chance, the Product Vision has to be promoted through kickoff meetings, posters, or through product managers, Product Owners, or line managers.
• Feedback are the key to continuously adapting the process of product development.
• If any change is needed, the Product Vision can easily pivot in the early stage as it is better to fail early and fast.
• The Product Vision should only contain “the why” of the product and should not address the “what” and the “how” of the product. 

Conclusion

Product Owners are the ones that directly deal with the customers and the developers. Hence, it becomes crucial for them to understand the needs of the customer and formulate a Product Vision that may last for a time frame of about 3-5 years. The Product Vision should reflect the purpose of the product coming into existence and should also answer what issues or problems it intends to solve. A Great Product Vision should attract potential investors as it clearly outlines its purpose, which makes relevant stakeholders easily approach the idea of the product. Investing a great amount of time by conducting workshops and brainstorming ideas from everyone connected to the product is a great way to capture the essence of the product. It is also a great way to set a final goal and create a direction for the Development Team. Simpliaxis offers Certified Scrum Master® (CSM®) Certification Training.