Skip to main content

Scrum Guide 2020: Product Vision VS Product Goal

Last post 08:10 am November 20, 2020 by Laurent VIDAL
5 replies
09:09 am November 19, 2020

Hello,



The event yesterday was awesome. But I didn't fully catch the difference between Product Vision and Product Goal.

How do you see it ?

If you had to create some statement like the Product Vision Statement, how would you formulate it ?


09:52 am November 19, 2020

The Product Goal is included in the Scrum Guide, while the Product Vision isn't. That's a significant difference between them, and I'd suggest it is indicative of how the matter ought to be approached.

If a Product Vision Statement was to be formulated, perhaps it could be something like:

  • For all customers
  • Who want to shop on the WidgetPlus on-line store,
  • The WebShop solution
  • Is an accessible and internationalized purchasing platform
  • That adds advanced inventory management capabilities
  • Unlike the existing WidgetPlus on-line shopping system,
  • Our Product does not require the explicit management of inventory, it is all handled by an adaptive learning network that integrates local and global suppliers

10:24 am November 19, 2020

Thanks a lot for your comment Ian.



I mispoke, I wanted to say :

If you had to create some statement like the Product GOAL Statement(like the Product Vision Statement), how would you formulate it ?



Sorry for my mistake.


11:01 am November 19, 2020

Perhaps some of the principles which underpin the formulation of a Sprint Goal might also be brought to bear with a Product Goal. In other words, as a goal, perhaps it should provide flexibility in terms of the exact work needed to achieve it. As a goal, it should perhaps also create coherence and focus, encouraging the Scrum Team to work together rather than on separate initiatives.

Hence, for the example vision I gave above, the following statement of a Product Goal might be appropriate:

  • We commit to building an accessible and internationalized purchasing platform with advanced inventory management capabilities.

The following might be too vague, because it may not provide the team with enough of a coherent focus (on inventory management):

  • We commit to building an accessible and internationalized purchasing platform.

The following might be too specific a goal at this stage (if targeting "all customers" with the proposition is currently just a hypothesis):

  • We commit to building an accessible and internationalized purchasing platform with advanced inventory management capabilities and making it available to all customers.

01:45 pm November 19, 2020

Check out this blog by Dave West as well.


08:10 am November 20, 2020

Many thanks for your answers Ian and Eric :)


By posting on our forums you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.

Please note that the first and last name from your Scrum.org member profile will be displayed next to any topic or comment you post on the forums. For privacy concerns, we cannot allow you to post email addresses. All user-submitted content on our Forums may be subject to deletion if it is found to be in violation of our Terms of Use. Scrum.org does not endorse user-submitted content or the content of links to any third-party websites.

Terms of Use

Scrum.org may, at its discretion, remove any post that it deems unsuitable for these forums. Unsuitable post content includes, but is not limited to, Scrum.org Professional-level assessment questions and answers, profanity, insults, racism or sexually explicit content. Using our forum as a platform for the marketing and solicitation of products or services is also prohibited. Forum members who post content deemed unsuitable by Scrum.org may have their access revoked at any time, without warning. Scrum.org may, but is not obliged to, monitor submissions.