The Product Thinking Playbook

Product development is hard. The Product Thinking Playbook by Connected is here to help.

Map your way to better products

Consisting of various tactics, techniques and milestones borrowed from Design Thinking, Agile Development, Lean Product Strategy, and Jobs-To-Be-Done Theory, the Product Thinking Playbook helps facilitate conversations around what you will and (just as importantly) will not do to achieve your product goals.

Three people organizing cards in the product thinking playbook

Create alignment and document your strategy

A Playbook exercise has two goals. The first is to create alignment through dialogue about what will and will not be done to achieve the desired outcome. The second is to generate a physical artifact that represents the execution strategy that can be referenced—and modified—throughout the life of the project.

The Product Thinking
Playbook Cards

blank wave blue card

Tactics

Tactics cards represent a set of methods and strategies that can be sued to accomplish desired outcomes.

blank flamingo pink colored card

Milestones

Milestone cards are used to update or demonstrate progress at the conclusion of critical tactics.

blank jade green color card

Techniques

Technique cards specify how you will execute against your chosen tactics in greater detail.

blank turmeric color card

Discovery and Delivery

Cards labeled with the Discovery track are geared toward learning and validation while Delivery-labeled tactics are geared toward design and development.

Illustration of random shapes and patterns in Thoughtworks brand colors

Great Products (and Playbooks) Are Never Complete

Like the products we work on, the Product Thinking Playbook is always evolving. By sharing it with others, we hope to spark conversation on how to build better.