Product Vision Board (Extended): Strategic Product Planning Framework
The Product Vision Board (Extended) is a comprehensive product management framework that helps product teams describe, visualize, and validate their product vision and strategy, with additional sections to capture business model elements. Created by Roman Pichler, this strategic planning tool brings clarity to product development by aligning your vision with market needs and business objectives.
What Is the Product Vision Board (Extended)?
The Product Vision Board is a structured canvas that captures essential aspects of your product strategy in one visual framework. This extended version builds on Pichler's original board by adding business model components—competitors, revenue streams, cost factors, and channels—creating a more holistic view of your product's market potential and business viability.
At its core, the board helps product teams answer fundamental questions: What are we building? Who is it for? Why does it matter? How will it succeed in the market? The visual nature of the board makes complex product strategy digestible and shareable across stakeholders.
Benefits & When to Use
The Product Vision Board (Extended) is particularly valuable when:
- Starting a new product initiative or refreshing an existing product strategy
- Aligning cross-functional teams around a shared product vision
- Validating product ideas before significant investment
- Making strategic product decisions at key development milestones
- Communicating product strategy to stakeholders and leadership
Teams using this framework benefit from:
- Improved focus on customer needs and business goals
- Clearer articulation of product differentiation and value proposition
- Better alignment between product vision and business model
- Reduced risk through early validation of strategic assumptions
- More effective communication of product strategy across the organization
How to Run a Product Vision Board (Extended) Workshop
Prepare your team and materials (15 minutes)
- Gather key stakeholders from product, design, engineering, and business
- Ensure everyone understands the purpose of the exercise
- Share any relevant market research or customer insights beforehand
Articulate your product vision (30 minutes)
- Start with the central Vision section
- Discuss and document your motivation for creating the product
- Capture the positive change your product should bring about
Define your core product strategy (45 minutes)
- Complete the four quadrants surrounding your vision:
- Target Group: Identify your primary market segments and user personas
- Needs: Document the key problems your product solves and benefits it delivers
- Product: Describe what makes your product unique and feasible
- Business Goals: Clarify how the product will benefit your company
Expand to business model elements (45 minutes)
- Fill in the extended sections:
- Competitors: Analyze direct and indirect competitors' strengths and weaknesses
- Revenue Streams: Explore monetization opportunities and pricing models
- Cost Factors: Identify the main expenses for development, marketing, and support
- Channels: Define how you'll reach customers and distribute your product
Review, refine, and prioritize (30 minutes)
- Look for inconsistencies or gaps across the board
- Ensure alignment between all sections
- Identify assumptions that need validation
- Prioritize the most critical elements in each section
Create an action plan (15 minutes)
- Document key takeaways and decisions
- Assign owners to validate critical assumptions
- Schedule follow-up sessions to refine the board as you learn more
Tips for a Successful Session
- Involve diverse perspectives from different departments to ensure a well-rounded strategy
- Use evidence and data where possible, but don't be afraid to make educated guesses that you can validate later
- Focus on quality over quantity—prioritize the most important elements in each section
- Consider creating separate boards for different customer segments if your product serves multiple distinct markets
- Revisit and update your Product Vision Board quarterly or when facing significant market changes
- Use the board as a living document that evolves as you gain market feedback and validation
- Don't overcomplicate—the power of the board comes from forcing clarity and prioritization
The Product Vision Board (Extended) combines strategic vision with business practicality, making it an essential tool for product teams serious about building products that deliver both customer value and business results.
