Module 2 · Agile Business Analysis
Product vision and outcomes
Write a product vision and goal that keep a team pointed at the right problem, and define outcomes you can measure, not just features you can ship.
About 20 minutes
The problem
Three weeks into the project, the kiosk app's backlog has grown to nearly 50 ideas: loyalty points, offline mode, a promotions banner, three languages, a rep dashboard. Every idea is reasonable, and the team can build perhaps a quarter of them before the pilot. Which quarter?
Without a clear answer to "what is this product for?", every request looks equally important and the loudest stakeholder wins. A product vision and a measurable product goal are how an agile team decides what not to build, and how it knows, after launch, whether the app was worth building at all.
The concept
A product vision
One or two sentences describing who the product is for, the problem it solves and why it's better than the alternative. A common template:
For [target users] who [need or problem], the [product] is a [type of product] that [key benefit]. Unlike [current alternative], our product [main difference].
Outputs versus outcomes
- An output is something the team ships: "a reorder button".
- An outcome is a change in behaviour that matters to the business: "kiosks order every 10 days instead of every 22".
Teams that measure outputs celebrate shipping features nobody uses. Teams that measure outcomes keep asking whether the features work. A good product goal is an outcome, with a number and a date.
Choosing outcome measures
| Measure | Why it matters for the kiosk app |
|---|---|
| Days between orders per kiosk | the core behaviour the app is meant to change |
| Share of kiosk orders placed in the app | adoption |
| Average order value | are kiosks buying more each time, or splitting the same order? |
| Rep time spent taking kiosk orders | the cost the app should save |
Always pair a leading measure (app orders, which move quickly) with a lagging one (kiosk revenue, which moves slowly), and take the baseline from today's data.
Example
The kiosk app's vision and product goal:
Vision: For kiosk owners who can only order when a sales rep visits, the Kolanut app is a simple phone ordering service that lets them restock in two minutes, any day. Unlike waiting for a rep, they can order the moment stock runs low, and see exactly when it will arrive.
Product goal (for the Surulere pilot, by September 2026): pilot kiosks order at least every 14 days on average (today: every 22), with at least 60% of their orders placed in the app.
With that goal, "offline mode" and "loyalty tiers" are easy to postpone: neither helps a kiosk order more often in the pilot. "Reorder last basket" moves to the top: it makes ordering faster.
Walkthrough
- Look at the kiosk channel in the sales data: its share of revenue, number of customers and how often they order.
- Write a vision using the template. Read it to someone outside the project. Could they say who it's for and why it's better?
- Write a product goal as an outcome, with a number, a baseline and a date.
- Choose two or three measures, and check that each can actually be measured (from the app, the sales data or a survey).
- Go through the backlog and ask of each epic: does it help reach the goal? Mark the ones that don't as "Later".
Practice
Practice
Sales data: what share of Kolanut's 2026 revenue comes from the Kiosk channel? One decimal place.
Task
8 minWrite a product vision for a different product: a mobile app that lets patients at a busy Lagos clinic book and manage appointments. Use the For … who … the … is a … that … Unlike … our product … template. Then, on a new line starting Goal:, write a measurable outcome with a number and a date.
Your work is checked for
- Uses For … who …
- Says what it is and its benefit (is a … that …)
- Compares with the alternative (Unlike …)
- Has a Goal line
- The goal is an outcome with a number
- The goal has a date or time frame
Check your understanding
Answer every question to check.