Creating a shared mental model — team purpose

Last time we looked at three dimensions of a kickoff — purpose, process, and people — and the importance of moving from different individual mental models of these dimensions to mental models shared by the whole team. In this post we're taking a look at one of my favorite tools for creating a shared mental model of purpose — the Product/Vision Box.

The Product/Vision Box

Example 1: Product/Vision Box front panel

The Product Box and the Vision Box are two different but similar exercises made popular by Luke Hohmann and Jim Highsmith respectively. The Product Box takes a customer perspective and is used to collect data from actual customers about what they would like most from a product. The Vision Box involves the whole team and helps the team converge on a clear, concise explanation of a product. Both exercises are great at eliciting insights and opinions, sparking creativity, and encouraging collaboration.

Running the exercise

The Product Box and the Vision Box exercises both start with a box. An empty cereal or cracker box works well. Other useful materials include colored paper, tape or a glue stick, scissors, and a variety of colored markers. For teams working in a hybrid or remote situation, a virtual whiteboard works just fine for this exercise as well.

Start by imagining that your customer could buy your product in a product superstore. The store is full of competing products arranged in aisles and shelves according to category and type. Your customer goes to the appropriate location in the store, views the products on offer and makes a purchase decision based on the information displayed on the various boxes containing the competing products. The Product/Vision box exercise engages your team in creating the box that would most likely result in your target customer buying and using your product because it is the best fit for their need.

Questions your Product/Vision Box should address

What should your team put on the box containing your product? Here are some key questions your box should address:

• What is the product name?

• Is your brand important?

• What picture or image best represents your product?

• What is the most compelling benefit of your product?

• How is your product different from its competitors?

• Who is your target customer?

The box serves as a canvas on which to try out answers to these questions. Everyone on the team can contribute content and add to the box. However, the size of the box limits how much information can be displayed so some decisions must be made as to what to include and what to leave out. To get the customer to pick your product, your team must converge on the ideas that most effectively communicate why your product is the right one.

Location, location, location

Of all the box sides, the front panel contains the most valuable real estate. The front panel is what your customer sees first. Put your best ideas here. The front panel should make your product stand out while sitting on the shelf next to its competing products. When I facilitate this exercise, I encourage the team to give the front panel some pop.

The best of both worlds

Example 2: Product/Vision Box back panel

I like the Product Box's emphasis on the customer and collecting data directly from the customer. I also like the Vision Box's inclusiveness of the whole team in creating the box. Ideally, your team and its processes include a healthy dose of customer engagement and input! After all the product can't ultimately be successful without your customer! The best of both worlds is to combine both exercises in one — include your customer and the rest of your team in a collaborative exercise to create the box. This way you get the customer data collection benefits of the Product Box exercise and the shared mental model benefits of the Vision Box exercise.

Give it a try!

You can run the Product/Vision Box exercise anytime you need to get your team aligned on purpose whether it's at the start of a new project or just planning the next release. Give it a try and let me know what works for you. If you want help running this exercise, drop me a line. I'd welcome an opportunity to work with you and your team!