Creating a successful product isn’t about luck. It’s a blend of thoughtful planning, efficient execution, and strategic growth. In India’s diverse and fast-growing market, companies need to balance these three pillars—Vision, Execution, and Growth—to build products that last and keep customers coming back. In this article, we’ll explore each pillar with examples from Indian brands that have mastered this approach.
1. Vision: The Blueprint for Purpose and Direction
Vision is the starting point for any successful product. It’s the “big picture” view that not only defines what the product aims to achieve but also aligns the entire organization with a shared purpose.
Key Components of Vision:
- Customer-Centric Focus: Why It’s Important: A product must solve a real problem for real people. Focusing on customer needs ensures the product stays relevant and useful. How to Do It: Start by researching your target audience. Use surveys, interviews, and market data to understand pain points, preferences, and expectations. Example: Paytm identified that many Indians didn’t have access to digital payments. By addressing this need, they developed a product that could serve a massive, underserved market.
- Long-Term Goal: Why It’s Important: A vision with a long-term goal offers stability and clarity, guiding the product’s evolution over time. How to Do It: Set a five-year or even ten-year goal that aligns with the core purpose of the product. This goal should inspire and direct both short-term and long-term decisions. Example: Jio’s long-term goal was to make data affordable and accessible for all Indians. This shaped not only their initial product offerings but also their expansions into digital services.
- Differentiation: Why It’s Important: A clear vision should set the product apart from competitors. Differentiation makes the product memorable and defines its unique value. How to Do It: Identify what your product can do better or differently. Think about how you can position it uniquely in the market. Example: Swiggy’s differentiation was their focus on hyperlocal delivery, ensuring food arrived hot and fresh. This unique positioning helped them stand out in India’s crowded food delivery space.
Example: Paytm’s Vision to Simplify Digital Payments for Every Indian
Why It Works: Paytm’s vision was clear from the start: to make financial transactions easier and more accessible for every Indian. Before Paytm, many Indians were reliant on cash, and digital payments were limited to a few with credit cards. Paytm aimed to create a cashless economy by introducing a platform anyone could use, whether to pay a small shop or send money to friends.
Paytm’s vision was so relatable that it quickly became a household name. Today, over 300 million Indians use Paytm, and it’s a central part of daily life—from paying bills to booking tickets.
For the Layperson: Imagine you’re trying to pay for your chai (tea) at a small stall. The vendor doesn’t take cards, but with Paytm, you can quickly scan his QR code and pay digitally. This simple, universal solution has made Paytm a trusted brand across India.
2. Execution: Turning Vision into Reality
Execution is the backbone of a successful product. It’s about the processes, teamwork, and strategies that make the product functional, reliable, and accessible to customers.
Key Components of Execution:
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Why It’s Important: A product involves multiple teams—from design and engineering to marketing and customer support. When these teams work well together, the product experience becomes seamless. How to Do It: Use collaborative frameworks like Agile or Scrum, where cross-functional teams work in sprints and have regular check-ins. Ensure all team members are aligned with the product’s vision and objectives. Example: Swiggy’s execution relied on tight collaboration across teams. Engineers optimized the app for tracking, while operations teams ensured food was delivered on time, keeping the customer experience smooth.
- Iterative Process: Why It’s Important: No product is perfect at launch. An iterative approach allows teams to test, learn, and improve continuously, aligning the product with changing customer needs. How to Do It: Use data and customer feedback as a guide. Release smaller updates regularly, testing them with users before committing to larger changes. Example: Paytm’s iterative approach allowed them to add features like bill payments and insurance gradually, refining each feature based on user feedback to improve usability and functionality.
- Prioritization: Why It’s Important: Resources are limited. By prioritizing essential features, teams focus on what brings the most value to customers and aligns with the product vision. How to Do It: Rank features based on customer needs, potential impact, and alignment with the product vision. Use frameworks like the MoSCoW method (Must-have, Should-have, Could-have, Won’t-have) for effective prioritization. Example: Jio initially prioritized data affordability and connectivity. Only later did they expand into entertainment services like JioTV and JioCinema. This approach allowed them to master the basics before moving into new areas.
Example: Swiggy’s Focus on Reliable, Fast Delivery
Why It Works: Swiggy began as a food delivery service in 2014, with a mission to make food ordering quick and reliable. They faced tough challenges, like managing delivery times and working with hundreds of restaurants. Swiggy’s team focused on executing the basics well—ensuring fast delivery and high customer satisfaction.
Swiggy’s efficient execution meant they invested heavily in technology, like real-time tracking and delivery fleet management. Their commitment to reliable delivery helped them build trust with customers. Today, Swiggy delivers 1.5 million orders daily across India, proving their execution was spot-on.
For the Layperson: Think about those nights when you’re craving biryani, and you want it hot and fast. Swiggy’s focus on delivery times means you’re not left waiting. By managing their delivery fleet and giving real-time updates, Swiggy’s execution ensures your biryani arrives quickly and fresh every time.
3. Growth: Expanding Reach and Value Sustainably
Once a product has proven itself in the market, the next step is growth. But growth isn’t just about acquiring new users; it’s about sustainable expansion that enhances the product’s core value and aligns with the original vision.
Key Components of Growth:
- Expanding Product-Market Fit: Why It’s Important: Product-market fit means the product is meeting the needs of its intended audience. Expanding this fit allows the product to grow into new markets and reach more customers. How to Do It: Identify adjacent markets or demographics where your product could be useful. For example, a product aimed at urban customers could be adapted for rural users. Example: Paytm expanded its market fit by introducing services like Paytm Mall and Paytm Bank. This allowed them to serve a broader audience with diverse needs, while still retaining their focus on financial inclusion.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Why It’s Important: Growth strategies grounded in data are less risky and more likely to succeed. Data offers insights into what customers want, what they use most, and where there’s room for improvement. How to Do It: Collect and analyze data on customer behavior, feature adoption, and market trends. Use this data to make informed decisions about new features or market expansions. Example: Swiggy uses customer data to identify the most popular dishes and preferred delivery times, helping them optimize their service and improve customer satisfaction.
- Scalability: Why It’s Important: Scalability ensures the product can handle increased demand or new markets without losing quality or reliability. How to Do It: Build a flexible, modular architecture that can grow with demand. Invest in cloud-based infrastructure and scalable technologies that support high user volumes. Example: Jio’s backend infrastructure was designed to handle millions of new subscribers without compromising service quality. As their user base grew, Jio could scale seamlessly, providing reliable service even at peak times.
Example: Jio’s Mission to Bring Digital Access to Every Indian
Why It Works: When Reliance launched Jio in 2016, they had a simple yet ambitious vision: to make the internet affordable for everyone in India. Before Jio, data was costly, and internet access was limited. Jio disrupted the market by offering free calls and affordable data packages.
Jio’s growth strategy was aggressive but successful. They reached 100 million subscribers within six months and now have over 440 million users. Jio didn’t just stop at internet access; they expanded their product ecosystem to include JioTV, JioSaavn (music streaming), and JioCinema. By building on their initial vision, Jio created a one-stop solution for digital entertainment and connectivity, meeting various needs in the Indian market.
For the Layperson: Imagine you’re in a rural village without reliable internet access. When Jio entered the market, they made it affordable to get online, connect with family, watch videos, and even take online classes. This low-cost solution turned Jio into a brand trusted by millions across India.
Bringing It All Together: A Strategic Blueprint for Enduring Product Success
The journey of a product from inception to market dominance is anything but linear. Product managers are tasked with balancing complex and often competing priorities, navigating through shifting customer expectations, technological changes, and competitive pressures. The three pillars—Vision, Execution, and Growth—form a strategic blueprint that ensures a product not only reaches the market but thrives sustainably. Each pillar, when executed thoughtfully, reinforces the others, creating a self-sustaining cycle of innovation, relevance, and expansion. Let’s explore how these pillars connect and offer actionable insights for product leaders.
Vision: Building a Lasting Foundation
Vision is more than an initial spark of an idea; it’s the driving purpose that endures, regardless of product iterations, market shifts, or competition. A robust vision provides clarity, aligns teams, and communicates the product’s long-term value to stakeholders and customers. But how do you create a vision that endures?
- Translate Vision into Tangible Goals: Break down your vision into strategic milestones. Each milestone should have a measurable outcome that connects back to the vision, ensuring teams can see how their work contributes to the broader mission.
- Create an Emotional Connection: For products to become truly impactful, they must resonate emotionally with users. Whether it's convenience, trust, or empowerment, the vision should capture an emotional element that meets the deeper needs of customers. This not only builds brand loyalty but also encourages adoption and advocacy.
- Example in Practice: For Paytm, the vision was not just digital transactions but financial inclusion for millions of Indians. This vision connected emotionally with India’s unbanked and underbanked populations, creating a foundational bond that sustained its growth even as the market for digital payments became crowded.
Execution: Converting Strategy into Reality
Execution is where vision meets practicality. Here, the challenge is to turn strategic ideas into actionable, achievable outcomes through efficient processes and prioritization. Great execution doesn’t mean building everything at once; it’s about focusing on what matters most to customers and aligning resources to deliver value continuously.
- Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning and Adaptability: Successful execution demands agility. Market needs and customer expectations are constantly evolving. Adopting iterative frameworks like Agile or Lean ensures teams are flexible, responding to real-time insights and feedback.
- Establish Clear Metrics and Feedback Mechanisms: Data should guide decision-making across development cycles. Define clear metrics aligned with the vision—for example, customer satisfaction, retention rates, or feature adoption. Feedback mechanisms, such as user testing or beta programs, ensure that each iteration aligns with user expectations.
- Example in Practice: Swiggy’s execution strategy focused on solving India’s logistical challenges. Through operational efficiencies and a robust tech infrastructure, they built trust by delivering on the promise of reliability. Swiggy’s focus on execution wasn’t about perfection from the outset but a constant improvement loop that made their service indispensable to urban Indians.
Growth: Expanding Impact with Strategic Scaling
Growth is the pillar that ensures a product’s relevance and market position over time. Scaling a product isn’t just about adding new features or entering new markets; it’s about sustainable expansion, adapting to user needs, and maintaining the product’s core value.
- Align Growth with Core Product Value: Growth strategies should enhance, not dilute, the product’s original vision. When expanding, ensure that new features or market entries reinforce the core value proposition. For example, Jio’s expansion into digital services was directly aligned with its mission to bring affordable digital access to all Indians.
- Leverage Data for Informed Expansion: Use data analytics and customer insights to pinpoint where growth is most feasible. Segment your user base to understand who the power users are, what features drive engagement, and which markets hold the most promise.
- Invest in Scalability and Flexibility: Growth demands a tech stack and operational model that can scale. Consider building modular product architectures and cloud-based solutions to ensure that your product can handle increased demand without compromising performance.
- Example in Practice: When Jio launched, they focused on delivering affordable, high-speed internet. As they scaled, Jio added complementary services like JioTV and JioCinema, aligning with their mission to deliver digital access while increasing user engagement. This strategy allowed Jio to expand its ecosystem without losing focus, making them the primary digital touchpoint for millions.
Lessons for the Indian Market
The Indian market is unique, with a large, diverse population and rapid digital adoption. Companies looking to succeed here can learn from Paytm, Swiggy, and Jio by focusing on these three pillars:
- Adapt Vision to Real Needs: Understand the specific needs of your target market. For example, Jio’s vision of affordable internet tapped into a real pain point and brought millions online.
- Focus on Efficient Execution: Efficiently execute your plans by focusing on essential features first. Swiggy did this by perfecting their delivery times, which made customers loyal.
- Pursue Sustainable Growth: Grow in ways that add value. Paytm’s expansion from digital payments to banking and lending services shows how growth can create an ecosystem that keeps users engaged.
Final Takeaways
- Balance Strategic Intent with Operational Flexibility: A clear vision paired with adaptive execution processes and thoughtful growth strategies ensures products remain resilient and relevant.
- Invest in Cross-Functional Teams: Each pillar depends on collaboration across functions. Vision requires marketing and product strategy alignment, execution relies on engineering and UX teams, and growth demands insights from customer success and data analytics.
- Measure, Adapt, and Repeat: The journey doesn’t end with growth. Continually measure outcomes, gather insights, and adapt strategies. This ensures the product remains aligned with both the market and user needs over the long term.
Building a successful product isn’t about excelling in just one area; it’s the integration and constant balancing of Vision, Execution, and Growth that transform a promising idea into a market leader. As product managers, nurturing these three pillars and understanding how they interact creates the path to building products that last and lead.
#ProductManagement #ProductStrategy #VisionExecutionGrowth #CustomerCentricity #InnovationLeadership #DigitalTransformation #MarketExpansion #DataDriven #AgileExecution #CustomerExperience #SustainableGrowth #LeadershipInProduct #IndianMarket #GoToMarket #ProductLeadership #BusinessGrowth #UserEngagement #TechInnovation #FutureOfWork #DigitalProducts #GrowthMindset #CustomerInsights #ProductDesign #ScalingBusiness #EmergingMarkets #TechTrends #ProductInnovation #BusinessStrategy
