From Product Vision to Product Backlog: A Simplified Approach for PMs

4 min readJan 8, 2024

Are you ready to transform a grand product vision into reality? For Product Managers, this journey resembles an intricate maze, full of twists and turns. It’s about taking that expansive vision and meticulously carving it into a tangible product strategy. This blueprint then guides you through a series of decisive product outcomes, leads you along a thoughtfully crafted roadmap, and ultimately lands you at the doorstep of a meticulously prioritized product backlog. Are you prepared to embark on this thrilling expedition from vision to execution?

The Journey Begins: Articulating the Product Vision

The Foundation: What is a Product Vision?

A product vision is a succinct, inspiring statement that outlines what you want to achieve in the long term. It’s the guiding star for all product-related decisions.

Example:

Consider a company aiming to revolutionize home cooking with technology. Their product vision could be: “To make home cooking effortlessly enjoyable by integrating smart technology.”

Translating Vision into Strategy

Strategy: The Blueprint

Product strategy is about how you plan to realize your vision. This involves market analysis, identifying target customers, and defining key features.

Example:

For our home cooking technology, the strategy might involve targeting busy professionals who value convenience but also enjoy cooking.

Turning Strategy into Outcomes

Product Outcomes: The Milestones

Product outcomes are specific, measurable goals that move you closer to your vision. These are not just features, but the impacts those features will have.

Example:

An outcome might be “Reduce meal preparation time by 40% for our users by Q3 2023.”

Roadmapping: Charting the Course

The Product Roadmap: Your Strategic Timeline

A product roadmap is a high-level, visual summary that maps out the vision, strategy, and major steps to achieve the product outcomes. It’s dynamic and should be revisited regularly.

Example:

The roadmap for our cooking technology might start with smart recipe suggestions in Q1, followed by automated grocery shopping integration in Q2.

The Last Leg: From Roadmap to Backlog

Product Backlog: The Execution Engine

The product backlog is an ordered list of everything that is needed to improve the product. It’s a detailed, tactical plan derived from the roadmap.

Example:

The backlog for Q1 might include tasks like “Design user interface for recipe suggestions” or “Develop algorithm for personalized recipe curation.”

Bringing it All Together

The Interconnected Flow

The flow from vision to backlog is not strictly linear. It’s an iterative process where feedback and learnings at one stage can loop back and inform the previous stages.

Options for Product Managers: Choose Your Adventure

To make this guide actionable and engaging, here are two options for Product Managers to consider:

The Storyteller Approach: Embrace the role of a storyteller. Just as a story has characters, settings, and a plot, your product journey has stakeholders, environments, and objectives. Narrate your product’s story from vision to backlog, making each element a compelling part of the narrative.
The Scientist Approach: Adopt a scientific method. Treat your product management process like an experiment. Formulate hypotheses at each stage (vision, strategy, outcomes, roadmap, backlog), test them, gather data, and refine your approach based on evidence.

The process from product vision to backlog is both an art and a science. It requires creativity, strategic thinking, and meticulous planning. By following this structured framework and keeping your product’s unique story at the heart of every decision, you can effectively navigate this journey. Remember, whether you choose the path of a storyteller or a scientist, the key is to remain adaptable, open to learning, and always focused on your guiding star — your product vision.

Thanks for reading! If you’ve got ideas to contribute to this conversation please comment. If you like what you read and want to see more, clap me some love! Follow me here, or connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Do check out my latest Product Management resources 👇