Escaping the Build Trap: How Effective Product Management Creates Real Value

by Melissa Perri

Strategy deployment is about setting the right level of goals and objectives throughout the organization to narrow the playing field so that teams can act. So, while executives might be looking at a five-year strategy, middle management is thinking in smaller strategies—yearly or quarterly—bounding the teams in a direction that allows them to make decisions on a monthly or weekly basis. When teams are not sufficiently constrained, they become stuck. As Bloom explains: The unconstrained team is the most frightened and scared to act in the organization. They feel like they cannot make a decision because there are too many options. Appropriately constrained teams, ones who have a direction set to the right level for them, feel safe to make decisions because they can see how their stories align to the goals and structure of the organization.