home / skills / menkesu / awesome-pm-skills / strategic-pm

strategic-pm skill

safe

This skill helps you shift from execution to strategic thinking using Anneka Gupta's frameworks to define outcomes and communicate value.

npx playbooks add skill menkesu/awesome-pm-skills --skill strategic-pm

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (1)

SKILL.md

2.2 KB

---
name: strategic-pm
description: Shifts thinking from tactical to strategic using Anneka Gupta's frameworks for becoming more strategic. Use when escaping feature factory, moving from output to outcomes, or communicating strategic value.
---

# Becoming More Strategic

## When This Skill Activates

Claude uses this skill when:
- Feeling stuck in feature factory
- Wanting to be more strategic
- Moving from execution to strategy
- Communicating strategic value

## Core Frameworks

### 1. Strategic vs Tactical Work

**Strategic:**
- Why are we building this?
- What problem does it solve?
- How does it ladder to company goals?
- What's the 2-year vision?

**Tactical:**
- What features to build?
- How to build it?
- When to ship it?

### 2. Thinking in Time Horizons

**Framework:**
```
NOW (0-3 months):
- What we're shipping this quarter
- Execution focus

NEXT (3-12 months):
- What we're building toward
- Strategic choices

LATER (12+ months):
- Where we want to be
- Vision and positioning
```

---

## Action Templates

### Template: Strategic Framing

```markdown
# Feature: [Name]

## TACTICAL VIEW (What)
- Feature: [description]
- Timeline: [when]
- Resources: [who/how much]

## STRATEGIC VIEW (Why)

### Problem
- User problem: [describe]
- Business problem: [describe]
- Why now: [timing]

### Outcome
- Success metric: [metric moves from X to Y]
- Business impact: [revenue/retention/acquisition]
- Strategic goal: [how it ladders up]

### Vision
- Short-term (3 months): [milestone]
- Medium-term (12 months): [where this leads]
- Long-term (2+ years): [ultimate vision]

## Strategic Communication
"We're building [feature] because [user problem]. This will drive [outcome] and moves us toward [strategic goal]."
```

---

## Quick Reference

### 🎯 Strategic PM Checklist

**Think Strategically:**
- [ ] Start with "why"
- [ ] Connect to business goals
- [ ] Think in time horizons
- [ ] Focus on outcomes, not output

**Communicate Strategically:**
- [ ] Lead with problem
- [ ] Tie to strategy
- [ ] Show business impact
- [ ] Paint long-term vision

---

## Key Quotes

**Anneka Gupta:**
> "Strategic PMs start with why. Tactical PMs start with what."

**On Escaping Feature Factory:**
> "You're not a project manager. You're a product manager. Know the difference."

Overview

This skill helps product managers shift from tactical execution to strategic thinking using Anneka Gupta’s frameworks. It guides you to define the why, connect work to company goals, and communicate strategic value clearly. Use it to escape feature-factory mode and focus on outcomes over output.

How this skill works

The skill inspects your feature or initiative and applies a strategic framing template: tactical view, problem definition, outcomes, vision across time horizons, and a succinct communication line. It prompts strategic questions (why, business impact, timing) and maps work to short-, medium-, and long-term goals. The result is a concise narrative that aligns execution with strategy and measurable outcomes.

When to use it

When the team is stuck shipping features without clear impact.
When you need to translate a roadmap item into business outcomes.
Before committing resources to avoid accidental output-focused work.
When presenting work to leadership and investors to show strategic alignment.
When defining product vision across quarterly and multi-year horizons.

Best practices

Start every plan with the user and business problem before listing features.
Frame success as a metric change and a business impact, not just delivery.
Use NOW / NEXT / LATER time horizons to connect execution to vision.
Limit tactical detail in strategic conversations; focus on trade-offs and outcomes.
Practice the one-sentence strategic communication: problem, outcome, strategic goal.

Example use cases

Transform a backlog item into a strategic brief that ties to retention goals.
Prepare a roadmap update that explains why priorities shifted and expected impact.
Coach engineering and design on which features ladder to the 12–24 month vision.
Create a stakeholder-facing slide that shows short-term milestones and long-term positioning.
Audit current projects to identify work that should be deprioritized for strategic focus.

FAQ

How do I stop being a feature factory?

Start by reframing work as problems and outcomes. Use the strategic template to require a why, a success metric, and the business impact before greenlighting work.

What if leadership only cares about shipping?

Lead with evidence: show how shipped features moved key metrics and present alternatives tied to higher-impact outcomes. Use time horizons to surface long-term risks of short-term focus.