Product Goal Canvas flow

Box 1 – Vision

What is the bigger picture? Usually, a Product Goal is a stepping stone towards an ambitious vision. What is the vision this Product Goal is supporting. Leave empty if there is not a very good reason for having a guiding vision.

Box 2 – Product Goal

What do we want to achieve? This box is intended to describe the Product Goal in a rather compact format. If the effort is constrained by a deadline then state it here.

Often the following form is used.

Box 3 – Description

What is the narrative behind the Product Goal? This box is there to provide the narrative for the Product Goal. What have we observed, what are we expecting to improve, why do we think that we need to do something?

Box 4 – Valuable Outcome and Measures

Which valuable outcome will the product generate? Describe the outcome we are expecting to observe, what will have changed in which way?

Which leading measures will guide during the effort? Leading measures are often linked to building up internal capabilities and practices. These activities are assumed to lead to the outcome; for example counting calories in order to lose weight.

Which lagging measures will confirm the outcome? This measure should be objective, caused by the user of the product. For example the BMI is now in a healthy range.

Box 5 – Stakeholder

Who are our stakeholders? Who do we have to keep informed, work with, or are depending on? What are the rules we have to play by? Consider also, how we are going to engage with each category?

Box 6 – Risks

What are the risks we are aware of? List all the risks to address or consider while working towards the Product Goal?

What are the things we fear? What event could jeopardize or even ruin effort or render the Product Goal obsolete. 

Box 7 – Scrum Team

Who is going to work on this effort? Who is the Product Owner, the Developers and Scrum Master? A larger effort might require several Scrum Teams working for one Product Owner.

You can download Product Goal Canvas as a pdf from here