During the early days of Operation Desert Storm, General Norman Schwarzkopf faced a complex and rapidly changing battlefield. Despite detailed plans, the fluid nature of combat required on-the-spot adjustments and rapid decision-making by commanders in the field. General Schwarzkopf’s clear commander's intent—“Liberate Kuwait and destroy the Republican Guard”—provided a guiding light for his forces. This concise directive allowed subordinate commanders to exercise their initiative and adapt to unforeseen circumstances, ensuring that all efforts were aligned toward the mission's ultimate goal.

Commander's intent is a powerful tool in military operations. It is a concise statement that defines the desired end state and the purpose of an operation, providing clear guidance to subordinates even if the original plan must be modified. The essence of commander's intent lies in its ability to provide clarity of purpose, guidance, flexibility, and motivation, ensuring that all parts of the force work towards a common objective despite the chaos of battle.

In product management, defining a product vision serves a similar purpose. A well-crafted product vision acts as the North Star, guiding the product team toward a shared goal and ensuring that every decision made aligns with the overarching objectives. Just as commander's intent enables military leaders to adapt and respond to dynamic environments, a product vision allows product teams to navigate changes and innovate effectively.

Clear Objective:
A product vision must articulate a clear objective. It should specify the primary goal of the product by addressing what problem it solves and what need it fulfills. This clarity helps the team understand what success looks like.

Customer:
Identifying the target audience is another essential element. Understanding who will benefit from the product is crucial for designing features and functionalities that meet their needs and preferences.

Unique Features:
Highlighting the product's unique value proposition is vital. It should clarify what makes the product unique and why users will choose this product over others. This differentiation is essential in a crowded market. Additionally, the product vision should include a future perspective, envisioning the long-term impact of the product. It should consider how the product will change the industry, the market, or the users’ lives in the future, inspiring innovation and long-term thinking.

Creating a product vision involves several steps. The process begins with gathering insights from market research, user feedback, and competitive analysis. Understanding the landscape and user needs is the foundation of a strong product vision. Collaboration with stakeholders, including team members, investors, and others, is also essential. Involving them in the vision-creation process ensures that the vision is comprehensive and has buy-in from all parties.

Drafting a concise and compelling vision statement follows. This statement should be clear, inspiring, and easily understood by anyone who reads it. Once drafted, the vision should be refined and validated by sharing it with a broader audience, gathering feedback, and making necessary adjustments. Validation ensures that the vision resonates with the intended audience and stakeholders. Finally, the vision must be continuously communicated and reinforced to the team and stakeholders, ensuring alignment through meetings, documents, and presentations.

In conclusion, creating a product vision and understanding a commander's intent both require clarity, strategic thinking, and the ability to inspire and guide teams. While they operate in different contexts and serve different purposes, their core principles of providing direction, ensuring flexibility, and motivating teams remain strikingly similar. Whether steering a product to market success or leading a military operation to victory, these tools are essential for effective leadership and achieving goals.

A well-crafted product vision guides a development team like a commander's intent directs military operations. Both provide a clear objective, ensure flexibility, and motivate teams toward a common goal. A product vision defines the problem solved, identifies the target audience, highlights unique value, and envisions long-term impact. Steps to create it include gathering insights, collaborating with stakeholders, drafting, refining, and communicating the vision. While differing in scope and context, both concepts are crucial for effective leadership and achieving success.