Home / Phase-2 / Crafting a Product Vision & Mission
Phase 2
Crafting a Product Vision & Mission
Every product team eventually faces the question: why are we building this, and where are we heading? The answers live in two essential tools—your Product Vision and Product Mission. The vision paints the inspiring future you want to create; the mission grounds you in purpose and action today. Together, they provide direction, alignment, and motivation across teams. This module explores how to craft both, how they differ, and how they connect to product strategy.
Vision vs. Mission: The North Star and the Compass
Product Vision
The future state you aspire to. Ambitious, customer-centered, and long-term (2–5 years out). It's your 'North Star'.
Product Mission
The present purpose. Why your product exists, who it serves, and how it delivers value right now. It's your 'Compass'.
Think of it this way: vision is the destination, mission is the reason for the journey, and strategy is the route you take.
Why They Matter
Without them, teams risk falling into the “feature factory” trap—shipping output without meaning or direction.
Crafting a Product Vision & Mission
Crafting a Product Vision
A strong vision should be customer-centric, aspirational yet credible, simple, memorable, and differentiated.
Example: Spotify’s vision has been framed as “unlocking the potential of human creativity by giving a million artists the opportunity to live off their art, and a billion fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired.”
Crafting a Product Mission
A strong mission should be clear, action-oriented, aligned with the company, and practical for decision-making.
Example: Google Calendar’s mission was distilled into four principles: make it fast, make it simple, go beyond basics, and make sharing easy.