Escaping the Build Trap

Chapter 13. Company-Level Vision and Strategic Intents

Company Vision

The company vision is the linchpin in the strategy architecture. It sets the direction and provides meaning for everything that follows. Having a strong company vision gives you a framework around which to think about your products.

Amazon is an example of a company with a great vision and strategy, both of which serve its products well. On its website, Amazon notes that its company vision is, “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.”

The company is made up of many different product lines, from its Prime Video service to Fulfillment to Amazon. Each one of its products helps Amazon to achieve its overall vision, by creating a better experience for people who are shopping. By keeping an eye on the overall vision, the product people who test, develop, and grow these different products are able to make effective decisions about what they should and shouldn’t pursue.

If you are a single-product company, like Roku, this is easy because your company vision is very similar, if not the same, as your product vision. If you are a large corporation, like Bank of America, it becomes complex. The strategy needs to start at the corporate level, moving through the business lines, and ultimately arriving at the products. In these types of companies, products are just details on ...