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About the Book
Crafting a winning strategy doesn't have to be a daunting task. In this book, I'll not only define strategy for you, but also give you a reliable method for developing a successful strategy from the outset.
If you're frustrated with the haphazard approach to strategy crafting in your organization, this book is for you.
I wrote this book to show you what strategy is and provide you with a validated method to design a winning strategy from scratch.
The goal of good strategy is to fundamentally reinvent the existing competitive space or invent an entirely new competitive space in ways that delight customers and discourage competitors.
The future does not belong to those who own a crystal ball, but to those who are willing to challenge the boundaries, assumptions and constraints of their industries and markets.
The goal is not to predict the future and make a plan to achieve it, but to imagine a future made possible by changes in technology, lifestyle, work style, regulation, global geopolitics and so on and iteratively and incrementally build capabilities and exploit opportunities as future unfolds.
This book is based on my experience working as a product strategy coach in different organizations and it will provide you with a practical approach to design and implement business and product strategy.
The three guiding principles upon which my method is based are:
- Strategy is design
- Strategy is both thinking and doing
- Strategy is about winning in the marketplace by establishing positions of power
In this book you’ll learn:
- Strategy fundamentals
- Characteristics of a great strategy
- Why strategy is a design problem
- How to collaboratively design a winning product strategy
- How to implement the strategy with OKRs and roadmaps
- Practical tips and recommendations
Why this Book?
Strategy is one of those business concepts that if we ask people, they will give us very different definitions.
Its practical application leaves much to be desired in general.
In many companies people talk about strategy when in reality they only have illusory plans full of fictitious hopes, more typical of the former Soviet Union than of a modern business.
In my view, strategy is a blend of both art and science, requiring a combination of creativity and analytical thinking. It is a craft that requires careful consideration and skill.
There is a part of intuition, creativity and design supported by an analysis of reality, forecasting of future movements, data, and the scientific method.
In essence, strategy boils down to identifying a guiding policy and designing a coherent action for a given problem. Hence, to create a sound strategy, we must be able to have a clear picture of the situation and the right diagnose, which is where most businesses operate blindly nowadays due to the uncertainty and volatility of current times.
A common pattern we can find in good strategy books and articles is the constant reference to the military. We firmly believe that the military is about 200 years ahead of us (at least) when it comes to modern strategy. And, if we go to “The Art of Warfare” by Sun-Tzu, then more than 2,000 years of advantage.
For centuries, the military has been at the forefront of developing effective strategies for operating in uncertain and volatile environments, and for adapting to changing circumstances as they unfold.
In this book you will find a step-by-step guideline and recommendations to design and effectively implement a winning strategy using modern techniques such as Design Sprint.
Here you can find everything you need to improve the product strategy implementation in your organization or to start from scratch.
I present a proven method that works for me, but as you will see, it gives a lot of room for you to adapt it to your own knowledge and experience, being able to replace some techniques with others to your liking.
About the Author
Gerard Chiva collaborates with companies as Product Coach, Lean and Agile Coach and Executive and Team Coach.
He has developed his professional career for the last 20 years in roles related to technology. As an engineer, manager, consultant, Agile Coach, Product Coach and Executive Coach.
He has extensive experience, combining professional coaching, management, consulting, engineering and entrepreneurship.
He has worked in different types of industries and different roles, giving him a broad perspective on how organizations work.
Gerard is also an author and startup mentor and investor.