mvv-review

MVV Review

Shared Reference

Use ../../references/product-management-principles.md for general product management principles. Apply the outcome, tradeoff, and common failure mode sections when testing whether the MVV can guide decisions.

Review Stance

Evaluate whether the MVV can actually guide decisions. Be direct about vague, interchangeable, or performative language.

Product Management Principles

• Mission should identify the beneficiary, purpose, and durable job.
• Vision should describe a distinct future state, not a near-term delivery plan.
• Values should be behavioral standards that influence decisions under pressure.
• Strong MVV language creates useful exclusion: it clarifies what the team will not do.

Practical Operating Guidance

• Test whether the MVV can decide between two competing roadmap options.
• Replace generic words with concrete beneficiaries, behaviors, and tradeoffs.
• Flag values that cannot be observed in product, hiring, customer support, brand, or operating decisions.
• If the MVV is too broad, ask which audience or market the organization is willing to serve better than others.

Checklist

• Mission: names the beneficiary, purpose, and enduring job.
• Vision: describes a distinct future state, not a near-term milestone.
• Values: describe observable behaviors and tradeoffs.
• Coherence: mission, vision, and values reinforce each other.
• Differentiation: language would not fit any random competitor.
• Usability: teams can use it to resolve product, hiring, brand, or prioritization decisions.

Common Failure Modes

• Mission names the company but not the beneficiary.
• Vision describes being "leading" or "trusted" without a specific future.
• Values are nouns instead of behaviors.
• The artifact avoids the organization's real strategic tension.
• The words are memorable but not decision-useful.

Output

Lead with findings ordered by severity. For each finding, include the issue, why it matters, and a concrete rewrite or decision question. End with a tightened draft only when enough context exists.