About the strategy mountain template
What do mountain climbing and product building have in common? Quite a bit — if you can excuse us some clichés. Both require goal-setting, careful planning, and navigating obstacles. Both involve adaptation and perseverance. And when you get to the top — or reach your product goals — the achievement feels worth the effort.
Analogy aside, this strategy mountain template can be useful during strategic planning. It gives you a single canvas to visualize critical components and truths about your product strategy — from vision and goals to any challenges holding you back. Use it to spark meaningful discussions about where you are today and where you would like to go.
As with all of our templates, the details are customizable. Change labels, colors, and shapes to suit your needs. Or feel free to replace the picture of the mountain with a different "uphill climb" — tree, rock wall, ladder. You get the idea.
Best practices
Consider the full picture of what you need to reach your goals.
Focus on the summit Define what the ultimate success of your business or product looks like. Capture your long-term vision and set ambitious goals to help you reach your destination.
Set key milestones Break down your overall goals into smaller milestones. This will help the team stay motivated and celebrate progress along the way. It also creates opportunities to reflect on where you are and adjust your plans for the next stage of the journey.
Navigate together Outline the resources you will need to achieve success — anticipating potential challenges. Having the right mindset, people, skills, and tools in place gives you the resilience to overcome obstacles when things are tough.
Stay flexible Be open to adapting your strategy as circumstances change. Changing market conditions, customer feedback, and new competitors are just some of the factors that might require you to change course.
