# Strategy Brief > Distilled from [[Strategy Brief]] in Product Templates ## When to use Activate when a PM needs to write a product strategy document, or when reviewing a strategy brief for completeness. ## Purpose Align cross-org and cross-functional teams on the strategy that will drive key initiatives over the next 18–24 months. ## Required sections ### 1. Problems you are solving [P0] - State the problems in a few bullet points. - Why are we interested in solving these problems? - Who are the target customers and users? - Pinpoint: are the problems software, hardware, data, infrastructure, policy, or something else? - **Opportunity:** How do these problems manifest in the bottom line? Cost, time, resources, partner delays? ### 2. How are those problems being solved today? [P0] - What is wrong with current solutions? - Who else is trying to solve this? What have they tried? Why haven't they succeeded? ### 3. What's your solution? [P0] - Key initiatives — outline the solution in a few bullet points. - Unique value proposition. - Unfair advantage. - Why is success strategically important for the company? - Who will pay for this? ### 4. How will you deliver the solution? [P0] - What does successful execution require over the next 12–18 months? Key engineering decisions, product tradeoffs. - Key delivery milestones. - Go-to-market / launch strategy in a few bullets. - Key risks. ### 5. Key indicators / metrics - What are the **leading** indicators of success and failure? ### 6. Needs / asks - What do you need for success? - What dependencies or blockers need clearing? ## Actions - When drafting a strategy brief, fill every [P0] section before sharing for review. Non-P0 sections can be iterated. - When reviewing a strategy brief, check: does it pass Rumelt's kernel test (diagnosis, guiding policy, coherent actions)? - Flag any brief that describes a solution without first articulating the problem.