Is there a template for a product strategy ladder?

The working documents behind this whitepaper: the evidence framework, the iterate-or-pivot plans, the decision document, the ladder canvas, the bets and critical questions sheet, the goals sheet, the roadmap with promotion criteria, the first-version definition, and the strawman and session rules the body of the whitepaper deliberately kept out.

What is a bets and critical questions template?

The working documents behind this whitepaper: the evidence framework, the iterate-or-pivot plans, the decision document, the ladder canvas, the bets and critical questions sheet, the goals sheet, the roadmap with promotion criteria, the first-version definition, and the strawman and session rules the body of the whitepaper deliberately kept out.

How do you structure a startup strategy session?

The working documents behind this whitepaper: the evidence framework, the iterate-or-pivot plans, the decision document, the ladder canvas, the bets and critical questions sheet, the goals sheet, the roadmap with promotion criteria, the first-version definition, and the strawman and session rules the body of the whitepaper deliberately kept out.

Template pack · Product Strategy

§The body of this whitepaper described what each level of is for and kept out the mechanics of the room. This pack is the mechanics. Each template is a skeleton: the boxes, the rules, and the exclusion that makes it complete.

§ A.11. Evidence framework#

§Five rows: problem validation, market timing, solution fit, team capability, resource match. For each: a color (strong positive, mixed, strong negative), the signals that earned it with quotes or numbers, and the one signal that would change it. Rate the row you like least first. Filled before the direction is discussed, read aloud at the start.

§ A.22. Iteration plan#

§Keeping: core assumptions validated, differentiators, segment, capabilities. Changing: solution elements, feature priorities, sequence, resource allocation. Validating: metric per change, success criterion, time allowed, resources. Exiting: obstacles expected, fallback, decision points, the criterion that means stop. Written before the iteration begins.

§ A.33. Pivot plan#

§New direction: core , target, value proposition, differentiators, in one paragraph in the customer's words. Still to learn: research gaps, validation needed, experts to return to, market analysis. Cost: team, budget, timeline, capability gaps. Communication: team first in conversation, then stakeholders with the grid attached, then market if needed, with a timeline.

§ A.44. Decision document#

§Two pages. Evidence summary: the five rows, key findings, critical data, market context, each member's prior position. Decision and rationale: the decision in one sentence, main factors, trade-offs considered, risks accepted, opportunities deferred. Next steps: actions with owners, resources, timeline, metrics and read dates. Learning: about the market, and about how the team decides. Dissents recorded with names. Reserved for one-way doors.

§ A.55. Ladder canvas#

§Six rows, one question each, one answer each, one citation each.

Level	Question	Answer	Cited to
Mission	What are we trying to achieve?	"This product exists to..."	Conviction; the decider
Vision	What does the world look like when we did it?	Three seats, two years out	Tension map rows
Strategy	What is the plan to win?	We will (3–5 bets, in sequence). We will not.	Interview codes, field numbers
Goals	How do we measure progress?	One number per bet, threshold, date	The critical questions
Roadmap	What do we build?	"Can we do X to move Y," horizons, criteria	The goals
Task	What is the first unit of work?	Scope, use cases, acceptance criteria	The one-month column

§A row with no citation is marked "belief." A row left blank is marked open, with an owner and a date.

§ A.66. Bets and critical questions#

§One line per , three to five lines, in dependency order. Bet: we will... Critical question: for this to hold. Evidence for: the citation. Depends on: the bet above it, if any. Below the bets, the exclusions: we will not, each with its reason and citation. Minimum three exclusions a competitor would reject.

§ A.77. Goals sheet#

§One line per bet. Number. Threshold. Date read. If below: "the bet is in doubt because..." Kept internal until the bet has held twice.

§ A.88. Roadmap with promotion criteria#

§A board with horizons: now, next, later, or time bands. Every item in the form "can we do X to move Y," with Y a goal from the sheet above. One prioritization method for every item, named at the top of the board. At each jump between horizons, the promotion criterion: what has to be true for an item to move. An appetite in weeks for every item in now. A later column that keeps ideas alive with their criteria; deferred is not discarded.

§ A.99. First-version definition#

§Goal it moves. Scope in: the smallest set that moves the goal. Scope out: everything the later bets depend on, each with its row of evidence. Use cases: three to five, each a situation a real person is in. Acceptance criteria: concrete examples a stranger could check. Appetite: weeks. Technical path: how, by whom, on what, trade-offs named. Ends: "subject to the team's judgment."

§ A.1010. Strawman preparation#

§Before the conversation, one person fills the ladder canvas in full from the evidence, every row cited or marked belief. Presented after the team has written its own answers in silence, not before. The facilitator's job in the room is to welcome correction, not to defend the draft. The decider is named at the top of the page.

§ A.1111. Rules for the room#

§Four lines, read aloud at the start. Write before you speak: every level begins in silence. Vote before you debate: spend the debate on ties. One tie-breaker, named now. Close with what you have: when a block runs over, take the best current answer and write down what is open, with an owner and a date. Dissents recorded; stated.

§Four at most, within the week, each with a response date. First-version definition. Roadmap with criteria. Technical path. Handoffs to partners. Each ends "subject to the team's judgment." The team confirms or amends in writing; the confirmation is when the becomes theirs.