Product Vision vs. Product Strategy: What's the Difference?

Product teams often blur the lines between vision, mission, strategy, and values. Sometimes it’s because they don’t know the difference. Other times, it's because leadership is pushing for immediate output — “just build the thing” — without clarity on where it's all supposed to lead.

The result? A rush toward short-term wins and off-the-shelf frameworks, while the long-term vision gets tossed aside. Templates can be tempting — they’re neat, simple, and fast. But if you’re just filling in blanks without thinking, you’re not creating strategy. You’re just going through the motions. That might get you small gains, but it won’t lead to meaningful, high-impact progress.

This article breaks down the actual difference between Product Vision and Product Strategy—and why it matters. Understanding the distinction helps you use your vision to drive sharper, bolder strategic decisions. That famous Jeff Bezos quote about being “stubborn on vision, but flexible on details” only holds up if your vision is actually clear, ambitious, and worth sticking to.

What’s the Real Difference Between Product Vision and Product Strategy?

This isn’t about buzzwords—it’s about how your team thinks and operates.

While there's no one-size-fits-all definition for every organization, here’s the core difference:

• Product Vision is the long-term outcome you want to create for your users. It’s future-focused, driven by the value your product will eventually provide. It’s aspirational. It gives direction. It’s what everything else builds toward.

• Product Strategy is the set of choices and actions that move you toward that future. It’s how you decide what to prioritize, what to build, and who to build for. Strategy bridges the gap between now and your vision.

In short:

Product Vision = Where you're going
Product Strategy = How you’ll get there

For example:
Your vision might be to help freelancers regain control of their time. Your strategy might focus on solving scheduling pain points, targeting solo consultants, and aligning growth around premium automation features.

One sets the destination. The other charts the course.

Which Comes First—Product Vision or Product Strategy?

There’s an ongoing debate about whether you should split Company Vision from Product Vision. But for most product-led organizations, diving too deep into that distinction just adds unnecessary complexity. In smaller or product-first companies, the two often blend together anyway—and that’s okay.

What really matters is understanding that Product Vision will vary depending on your context. Your company’s size, team structure, and overall complexity will all influence how ambitious or specific your Product Vision should be. For some teams, it's a 10-year moonshot. For others, it's a two-year shift in user behavior. Scope, scale, timeline, and acceptable risk will look different for everyone.

So, Which One Comes First?

Let’s clear this up: Product Vision comes first. Always.

Product Vision sets the destination. Everything else—Product Strategy, Product Discovery, and even your OKRs—flows from that.

This isn’t a waterfall. Product development is a dynamic, evolving process. But without a vision, you’re just reacting. A clear vision gives your strategy a point of reference. It anchors your priorities and prevents you from spinning in circles every quarter.

Think of Product Vision as the top of the funnel: it’s broad, ambitious, and long-term. Your strategy narrows the focus. Then, discovery and OKRs help define the specific paths and checkpoints to move forward.

The Two-Way Street Between Vision and Strategy

So, what comes first—Product Vision or Product Strategy? The answer isn’t as black and white as you might think. These two aren’t just stacked on top of each other like a corporate org chart. They’re part of a feedback loop.

Yes, Vision trickles down into Strategy, which guides Discovery and Delivery. But just as importantly, insights from Discovery and Delivery need to flow back up to shape and sharpen your Vision over time.

If you're building a Product Vision without grounding it in user insights, you're just guessing. It might sound inspirational, but it won’t be useful. A meaningful Product Vision should be rooted in what real users need and how they behave—not in a vacuum or by copying what another company wrote on a mural wall.

In short:

• Start with your best available insights.

• Use those to shape a compelling, user-centered Vision.

• Let that Vision drive your strategic choices.

• Then listen closely to what Discovery and Delivery are telling you.

• Use those learnings to revisit, refine, and evolve the Vision and Strategy.

How Product Vision Drives Product Strategy

Your Product Vision is the starting point for your Strategy—but how ambitious you want to be determines how bold your Strategy needs to be.

This isn’t about being right or wrong. You might choose to pursue a “low-key” vision that stays close to your current value proposition and focuses on optimization. Or you might swing for something more disruptive that challenges the status quo in your market. Either is valid, depending on:

• Your product’s maturity

• The market you operate in

• The level of risk you can afford to take

The bigger the shift in your Product Vision, the more transformative your Product Strategy needs to be. Small vision? You’re probably looking at iterative strategy. Big vision? You’re going to need to make bigger, bolder moves.

The Role of the North Star Metric in Product Strategy

Another critical influence is your North Star Metric—think of it as the measurable counterpart to your Product Vision. While Vision gives you direction, the North Star Metric keeps you honest. It’s the number that tells you whether you’re truly creating long-term value for users.

Treat it as an input, not an afterthought. When tied to your Product Strategy, it helps you bridge the gap between big-picture aspirations and day-to-day execution. It aligns your long-term outcomes with short-term focus areas—like OKRs—so you’re not just busy, but actually headed somewhere.

Don’t Just Fill in Templates—Connect the Dots

If you're serious about building a meaningful Product Vision that can actually drive your strategy, stop treating it like a checkbox exercise. The path forward isn’t about downloading a template and cramming in generic buzzwords. It’s about connecting the dots between your users, your product, and your direction.

For a deeper dive into defining that kind of ambitious and grounded Product Vision, check out the next article: How to Define an Ambitious Product Vision to Drive Your Product Strategy.

That’s where the real work begins.