This is part of a series on operational planning documentation

When writing your operational plans, one of the first things you want to do is establish the vision and tenets of your product. These can change over time, but it is helpful to set them out before you start planning.

Note on Vision vs Mission

I am one of those who used to see vision and mission as interchangeable terms. But technically, a mission defines a business's objectives and approach. A vision is more aspirational and describes a desired future state or position. And thus, when setting strategic plans, you want to set a vision. You want to state where you see your product in the future.

You will see companies blending mission and vision statements as they express their purposes, goals and values. (But that is for another post.)

Vision

So, when thinking about your strategic plan for the coming year, you want to describe your desired future state. (If you want a deeper dive into vision statements try this post or maybe this one or if you prefer this one from Hubspot or perhaps you need inspiring ones. )

Example Vision Statements:

• Microsoft: (at its founding): A computer on every desk and in every home.

• LinkedIn: Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.

• Facebook: Connect with friends and the world around you on Facebook.

• Southwest Airlines: To be the world’s most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline.

• Patagonia: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

Tenets

Tenets, not to be confused with tenants, are organizing and operating principles. When used at Amazon, they always have “(unless you know better ones)” noted next to them. You set out your tenets: opinion, belief or principle to serve as guardrails for your team. But as the product evolves and you learn, things may change, and that is ok.

When using tenets as part of an operational plan strive for between 4 and 6. An easy rule of thumb: List only tenets that might be seen as contentious by others. If the concepts are obvious no-brainers, don’t worry about listing them at tenets. Focus on what makes you stand out.

The debate on what they should be can be fun but can also take much longer than you think. Put a time cap on the exploration process and revisit later after you have had time to think. The idea is to help the team focus on both what they do and don’t do in a positive manner.

Practical examples for a service company:

1. To help our clients win early, we engage with them within a week of registration.

2. We provide clear, prioritized guidance to drive revenue growth.

3. We encourage clients to share only information we can leverage to help provide them with better advice.

4. We provide clients recommendations based on observable actions and attributes that are unique to their interaction with us.

When you work within a larger organization, you may find there are conflicts and partnerships that get strained or confused. By stating your vision and tenets you can more easily discern differences. If you have to say you can’t prioritize or support something, it is helpful if that decision aligns with your vision and tenets.

Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash