Why Product Managers Need to Think about Product Strategy

Q4, that magical time of the year where the velocity across the organization slows to a crawl as employees take time off to be with their family and recharge. Let’s be real, you can’t fight this slowdown — it’s a seasonal rhythm. Wait, do you really want to be the product manager who plans a major release during the holiday season? Chances are, you don’t… right?

Great, but that doesn’t mean Q4 should be a write-off. Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s a golden opportunity to pause, reflect, and most importantly, strategize. With the noise dialed down, you can really tune in to gather insights and set the strategy for your product in the upcoming year. This is the perfect time to rethink user engagement, optimize existing revenue streams, or even explore new revenue streams.

So let’s put that holiday downtime to good use and dive into crafting a product strategy that will kickstart your next year on a high note.

What exactly is a product strategy, and who owns it?

Ah, the million-dollar question. What is product strategy, really? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just a set of slides that collects virtual dust in a forgotten folder. Nor is it the exclusive realm of product managers, sitting on a throne of user stories and KPIs. Simply put,

A product strategy defines a cohesive course of action, designed and sequenced to amplify business impact