Collaborative Product Design

Part II. Project Strategy

[ II ]

Project Strategy

A workman laying bricks took such extra care with his craft that anyone could notice. A priest walking by asked what he was building. “We’re building a grand cathedral,” said the workman.

“Your craftsmanship is a testament to your faith,” said the priest.

The next week, when the priest walked by, he saw a new workman. When he asked what had happened to the wondrous craftsman from the week before, he learned the careful craftsman had been fired. “Why did you fire a wonderful craftsman when building a grand cathedral?”

“Because we’re building a factory.”

At the beginning of the experience machine lives the why behind what you do, the strategy. The project’s goals and the product vision should guide everything you and your team do. But… You and your team have to share the same goals and vision.

Your team can work better together, and you’re going to help them do it. In the chapters that follow we’ll examine the basic elements of strategy and then explore two collaborative activities that help project teams create and align around shared goals and future visions.