Apr 6, 2025
Is strategy supposed to be difficult to understand?
Bad strategy documents aren't your fault.
You join a new team. You're handed a 30-pager full of buzzwords, abstract goals and empty phrases. You read it. You reread it. Still lost.
It feels like you're the problem. You're not. The document is.
Most strategy docs aren't written to be understood. They're written to impress. Or to tick a box. They sprawl with vague visions and empty frameworks, then expect alignment to magically follow.
But the job of a strategy isn't to sound smart.
š The job of a strategy is to create clarity. Direction. Focus. And what to ignore.
A good strategy is short and sharp. Like a pitch. You should be able to explain it in 30 seconds. Use SCQA if you need help: Situation, Complication, Question, Answer.
If you're a Product Manager, that's your job. Not just writing the doc. Shaping the strategy. Testing it. Pressure-proofing it with your team and execs.
So if you're staring at a bloated, broken strategy, don't wait for permission.
Tear it apart. Make it clearer. Make it tighter. Make it usable.
Alignment doesn't come from reading. It comes from understanding.
You join a new team. You're handed a 30-pager full of buzzwords, abstract goals and empty phrases. You read it. You reread it. Still lost.
It feels like you're the problem. You're not. The document is.
Most strategy docs aren't written to be understood. They're written to impress. Or to tick a box. They sprawl with vague visions and empty frameworks, then expect alignment to magically follow.
But the job of a strategy isn't to sound smart.
š The job of a strategy is to create clarity. Direction. Focus. And what to ignore.
A good strategy is short and sharp. Like a pitch. You should be able to explain it in 30 seconds. Use SCQA if you need help: Situation, Complication, Question, Answer.
If you're a Product Manager, that's your job. Not just writing the doc. Shaping the strategy. Testing it. Pressure-proofing it with your team and execs.
So if you're staring at a bloated, broken strategy, don't wait for permission.
Tear it apart. Make it clearer. Make it tighter. Make it usable.
Alignment doesn't come from reading. It comes from understanding.
About Max Antonov
Iām Max, a father of two, Product Director & Product Coach from Sydney. I write about leadership, product management
and life.
Feel free to reach out: [email protected].
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