Strategy: Align · Core
Write the strategy as a short narrative
A short written narrative explains the strategy better than slides. It forces clear thinking and lets people read, question and remember it.
About 2-4 daysEvergreenLast reviewed 5 November 2026
Who this applies to
- Skills it builds
- Strategy and visionCommunication and influence
- PM types
- All
- Product types
- All
- Starting points
- All
- Ways of working
- All
- Experience
- All
- Size of organisation
- All
Steps, by experience
Beginner (under 1 year)
- Write no more than two pages in plain sentences.
- Cover the diagnosis, the bets, what you won't do and how you will measure progress.
- Use one real example to make it concrete.
- Ask someone outside the team to read it and tell it back to you.
- Cut anything they didn't need.
Intermediate (1 to 4 years)
- Tie every bet back to the diagnosis.
- Answer the obvious objections in the text.
- Run a reading session where people read first, then discuss.
Experienced (5+ years)
- Write a version for the board and one for teams, with the same core.
- Remove fluff and buzzwords that hide weak thinking.
- Make the narrative the reference for later decisions.
Who can do this
Owner: Product manager
Can be delegated to
- Content Designer: Edit for clarity
Reviewed by: Senior leader / sponsor
Tool examples
- Google Docs
- Write the narrative and collect comments in one document.
- Confluence
- Publish the final narrative as the strategy's home page.
Definition of done
- Narrative of two pages or fewer
- Tested with an outside reader
- Objections answered
Common pitfalls
- Slides with bullet points instead of an argument
- Buzzwords
- Too long to read