What if we don't have a product vision?

Well, you should make one.

Seriously, product vision is one of the two most important inputs to product strategy, alongside the business strategy. It's not strictly required—you can craft a strong strategy without a product vision—but you really should develop one so everyone can clearly see a picture of where you're headed.

The guiding question I use to start developing a vision is what does a radically better Tuesday look like in four years for our ideal customer? The vision sets the long-term direction. Realizing the vision is a hero's journey from today to that desired future, where the customer is the hero and the product is what gives them that future.

Anchored by that long-term destination, I work backward, setting vision milestones at three years, two, and one. Then the product strategy answers: how do we get to the next milestone, take care of the business along the way, and set ourselves up for what comes after?

The fastest way I've found to generate an "80% there" vision is to:

1. Record yourself—or have a lively conversation about it with a thought partner—telling the story of the future experience you want your ideal customer to have. Let yourself get animated and fired up here. Go off script.
2. Use AI tools to extract story beats from the transcript and visualize them.
3. Iterate on the story arc until it feels compelling.
4. Test it with the team before rolling it out.

If you truly can't create a vision right now, proceed without one. This framework still works. But fill this gap soon. Long-term vision supports short-term clarity.