Strategy is NOT Planning

Strategy and planning are often mistaken for one another, yet understanding their distinct roles is crucial for effective product management. While crafting a product roadmap is a vital planning activity, it does not embody a strategy. A true strategy serves as the guiding vision or overarching idea/theory that informs the roadmap, a distinction that can profoundly enhance our approach to building successful products.

I, too, have stumbled into this common trap of conflating planning with strategy, a misstep that many product leaders face. Fortunately, Roger Martin, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, sheds light on these crucial differences in a captivating video. Embracing this understanding can be a game changer, empowering new product managers and seasoned leaders to unlock fresh insights and seize new growth opportunities.