Why Most Product Teams Don't Define a Clear Vision

Teresa Torres argues that most product teams lack a clear, written vision even though everyone agrees one is important. She identifies five reasons teams skip it: unclear ownership, the discomfort of saying no, the feeling that it isn't 'real work', the perceived time cost, and the belief that nobody will read it. Her counterpoint is that a documented vision gives the product team a basis for explaining what gets built and what doesn't. Its value comes less from distribution than from being used to make decisions. The post matters because a missing vision leaves teams reacting to requests and wandering instead of moving in one chosen direction.

01Key takeaways

• Write your product vision down so everyone can reference it instead of relying on memory or assumption.
• Use the vision as the explicit reason for building some things and not others.
• Accept that defining a vision means saying no to many attractive options.
• Make vision work now rather than postponing it; delay costs more later.
• Judge the vision by how it guides decisions, not by how widely it is read.

02Key sections

Whose job is the vision?

Even when a founder or CEO drives the vision, it is often unwritten and unclear. Product teams benefit from documenting it themselves, because it explains their decisions.

Saying no is uncomfortable

A clear vision requires closing doors on many possibilities. Focusing on fewer things lets a team do the chosen ones well.

Vision work feels unproductive

Defining values and direction can feel like a waste compared with shipping tickets. Torres argues that without direction, speed is meaningless.

It takes time, but saves more

Busy schedules make vision work easy to postpone. Torres says the time spent defining it pays back many times over in simpler future decisions.

Nobody else will read it

Even if few people read the document, living by it makes it spread through the organization. Writing it down is the essential step.

03From the post

“It wouldn’t surprise me if you read the last two posts (here and here) and thought this seems obvious. Of course, you should define a strong vision. Every company should have a clearly defined vision, mission, core values, and so on. Every company should know who they are and”

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.