Episode 20: Executable Product Strategy w/Harri Pendolin

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape, it's becoming increasingly difficult for companies to create and execute effective product strategies. While many organizations can develop innovative product ideas, they often struggle to follow through with their plans, resulting in missed opportunities and wasted resources.

In this episode, Harri Pendolin, a lead consultant in product and portfolio management, discusses the importance of executable product strategies and how culture can affect the execution of a strategy.

According to Pendolin, the key problem facing companies is not creating a strategy, but executing it. He highlights a statistic that only 7% of employees fully understand their company's business strategies, which is a clear indication that there's a disconnect between a company's vision and its execution.

Pendolin explains that an executable product strategy must be clear, concise, and easily understood by everyone in the organization. The strategy should also be flexible enough to adapt to changes in the market and technology. He notes that the lack of an executable product strategy can result in companies pursuing too many initiatives, which can lead to a failure to execute effectively.

Pendolin also highlights the impact that company culture can have on the execution of a product strategy. He stresses that a culture that values execution is critical to success. A company's culture should encourage transparency, accountability, and experimentation. Employees must be empowered to make decisions, take risks, and learn from their mistakes. This creates a culture of innovation and allows the organization to move quickly and make decisions that drive business success. He suggests asking questions like, "Is the culture aligned with the strategy? Do we have the right people in the right roles? Are our processes and systems supporting the strategy?" This will help identify any potential roadblocks and ensure that the strategy is executable in practice.

Pendolin advises that an executable product strategy should include the following:

In addition to creating an executable product strategy and aligning culture, there are two relevant tools to enhance strategy execution:

Now that we've explored the importance of having an executable product strategy and the tools that can help enhance its execution, it's clear that having a solid foundation in product management is critical to success in this field. This is where The Productbeats Product Management Certification Program comes in. If you're looking to expand your knowledge and skills in product management, this program can provide you with the training and certification you need to excel in this field. Let's take a closer look at what this program has to offer.