Service · Product Strategy
Decide what ships first, and what you are choosing not to build
Most product plans fail because everything is in scope. We name the segment that pays, cut release one down to the part that proves it, and write the deferred list so nobody relitigates it every sprint.
- One named segment and one job to be done, not a persona deck
- Release one scoped to what can be shipped and measured
- A written deferred list with the reason next to each line
- Pricing and cost assumptions stated, not implied
What you get
Deliverables, not slideware
- 01
Segment and job
Who pays, what they are trying to get done, and what they do today instead.
- 02
Release one scope
The smallest thing that proves the value, with the success measure attached.
- 03
Deferred list
What is not in release one, and the condition that would move it in.
- 04
Sequenced roadmap
Phases with effort ranges, dependencies, and the decision point at the end of each.
- 01segment: 10-40 crew field service operators
- 02job: quote a job on site without calling the office
- 03release one: mobile quote + approval + PDF send
- 04success: 60% of quotes sent same day, week 4
- 05deferred: invoicing (waits on accounting integration)
How it runs
What actually happens, step by step
No discovery theatre. Each step ends with something you can read or use.
- 01
Interviews
The people who buy and the people who use it.
- 02
Narrow the segment
One where the pain is expensive and repeated.
- 03
Cut release one
Remove everything that does not prove the value.
- 04
Write the deferred list
So the cut sticks after the room empties.
- 05
Sequence
Phases with a decision at the end of each one.
Tangible
What lands in your hands
Named objects with a format and a week attached, so the handover is easy to picture.
Release one scope
The smallest thing that proves the value, with its success measure.
PDF · 7 pagesWeek 2Deferred list
What is out, and the condition that would move it in.
Written decision logWeek 2Sequenced roadmap
Phases with effort ranges and a decision point at the end of each.
Timeline + rangesWeek 3
Release One Scope
One segment, one job, and the deferred list with the reason next to it.
This is the real template, with client figures replaced by representative ones. Read it before you talk to us — if the format is not useful to you, the engagement will not be either.
Before and after
What the change looks like in the week
Red is the cost you carry today. Green is what the system gives back.
Today
- Everything is a priority, so the release keeps slipping
- The roadmap is a list of features with no owner or measure
- Scope creeps back in because the cut was never written down
- Nobody agrees who the first customer actually is
After
- One segment, one job, one release worth shipping
- A measure that says whether release one worked
- A deferred list that ends the weekly re-argument
- Phases that end in a decision, not a vibe
Objections
Answered before you ask
Do you build it too?
We can, but the strategy stands on its own. The document is written so another team could execute it without us.
How long does it take?
Typically two to three weeks, including interviews, at a fixed fee.
What if we already have a roadmap?
Then we pressure-test it: what is in release one, what is the measure, and what is deferred. Usually the gap is the deferred list.
Keep going
Where people look next
Related work, the category this sits in, and the proof behind it.
One next step, and it is a paid one on purpose
The AI Opportunity Diagnostic is a fixed-scope engagement. You leave with a ranked plan you can act on with us or without us.
Still sizing the problem? Write to us in your own words first. A person reads it.