How to Write an Effective Product One-Pager
Imagine this. Your manager notices there is no alignment within the teams. To solve this, they ask you to write a Product One-Pager that will ensure all the stakeholders working towards the product are aligned and understand the requirements. How would you write the Product One-Pager? What will you include? And who will you send this One-Pager doc to?
Pretty clueless, right?
Don’t worry.
Most team members have no clarity on the core problem itself. This leads to initiatives being chosen more out of fear of losing a customer rather than a deep understanding of the customer’s pain.
To add to this, different people will have different perspectives. Developers will label initiatives as resolving tech debt. PMs will justify them as revenue drivers. Sales folks will see them as a waste of time. Lol. And the marketing team will have no clue if this was even a focus.
I guess you all can understand what we’re trying to say.
A core tenet of product management is to create sufficient alignment in the team so that they know why an initiative is important enough to be pursued.
Sadly, verbal communication isn’t the best medium to capture this. Discussions are fleeting; perspectives change and words are forgotten easily.
This is where product one-pagers come into play.
Hang on. What is a Product One-Pager?
A product one-pager is a concise, (often) single-page document that answers fundamental questions about a specific product increment: the why, who, what, and how.
I know it might seem like another document to contend with. After all, we PMs have our hands full already. However, this is one artifact that can save a LOT of time lost in alignment conversations and rework due to fundamental misunderstanding.
It typically includes the feature's purpose, target pain point, intended solution, success metrics, and other critical information necessary for stakeholders to understand and align with the product vision.
What purpose do One-pagers serve?
Here are 4 reasons why PMs should adopt the one-pager goodness:
- Alignment: They help align leadership, development, design, sales, marketing, and other stakeholders on the product vision, feature goals, and expected outcomes.
- Efficiency: A well-structured one-pager provides a quick reference for team members, minimizing the need for lengthy discussions or explanations.
- Prioritization: One-pagers lend themselves nicely to prioritization discussions where all parties can debate using centralized information.
- Documentation: One-pagers live between a user story and a full-fledged spec. PMs can use them as outlines to stem out further documentation & elaborate.
Disclaimer: Some people confuse product one-pagers with business case documents. While one-pagers do address the business case, they also provide context into the backstory of choosing the initiative, built-in assumptions & open questions - all necessary when engaging in implementation debates.
At what point should a PM write a Product One-Pager?
This is an interesting question.
Does the PM write this before the roadmap is developed? Or when a ticket is being filed in JIRA? Or when is the use case initially framed?
We personally feel the Product Manager should work on one-pagers in 2 cycles.
Initially, it should be developed when constructing a product roadmap, ensuring that each feature has a clear purpose and objective. The election of an initiative into a quarterly time scope should have some documented backing.
But it's also essential to revisit the one-pager when a feature is within a 4-week backlog horizon, refining the solution-specific details and making any necessary updates as new information may have come to light.
Should a PM write a One-Pager for every feature?
Not at all. A PM should reserve their one-pager creation energy for larger bets or strategic initiatives that will occupy significant development bandwidth.
Writing a one-pager for defects, UI improvements, minor enhancements & other changes that require trivial effort isn’t worth writing a one-pager for. We also wouldn’t write a one-pager for routine processes and flows, e.g., 2-factor authentication.
Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Product One-Pager
Here are the various sections that I’d recommend including in your one-pager document.
1. Feature Title
Start with a catchy and descriptive title that encapsulates the essence of the feature.
2. Target Pain Point
Identify the specific pain point or problem that the feature aims to address.
Questions to consider:
- Whose problem are we trying to solve?
- What problem of theirs are we trying to overcome?
- How intense is this problem? How frequent?
3. How do users solve this now?
Describe how users currently address the pain point or problem and why it's not ideal.
Questions to consider:
- What are the limitations of the existing solutions?
- How does the proposed feature improve upon the current situation?
4. Intended Solution
Clearly outline the solution that the feature will provide to address the pain point or problem.
Questions to consider:
- How will the solution solve the problem?
- What's the higher-level user journey we're aiming for?
- How does it differentiate from existing solutions?
5. Inspiring Marketing Headline
Craft a compelling marketing headline that conveys the value proposition of the feature. This helps one visualize what the other side of the road will look like.
Questions to consider:
- Write a one-liner press release headline.
- Would this excite customers? Would it excite us?
- What message will resonate with the target audience?
6. Broad Components
List the broader building blocks necessary to develop and implement the feature.
Questions to consider:
- What are the technical, design, and marketing requirements involved?
- What kind of research and development exercise will we need to carry out for this?
- Will we need to buy or build this component? Pros and cons for each?
7. Why build this now?
Explain the rationale behind prioritizing this feature at this time.
Questions to consider:
- What are the potential consequences of not building the feature now?
- What happens if it isn’t solved in time? What are the stakes?
8. Supporting Evidence
Provide evidence that supports the need for the feature and its potential impact.
Questions to consider:
- Are there any user feedback, surveys, or data points that justify the feature?
- Have any competitors implemented similar features with success?
9. Success Flags
Define the expected outcomes and success metrics for the feature.
Questions to consider:
- What are the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) outcomes you expect to achieve with the feature?
- What desirable user reactions would indicate the feature is successful?
10. Who will be involved?
Identify the teams and stakeholders who will be involved in the development and implementation of the feature.
Questions to consider:
- Which internal teams will be responsible for building, marketing, and supporting the feature?
- Are there any external stakeholders, such as partners or customers, who need to be involved?
11. Known Challenges
Highlight any known challenges or obstacles that may arise during the feature's development and implementation.
Questions to consider:
- Are there any technical, design, or marketing hurdles to overcome?
- Do you anticipate any resistance or concerns from stakeholders?
12. Assumptions
List the key assumptions made during the feature's conception and planning.
Questions to consider:
- What assumptions have you made about user behavior or market conditions?
- Are there any potential risks associated with these assumptions?
13. Open Questions
Identify any outstanding questions or areas of uncertainty that need to be addressed before moving forward.
Questions to consider:
- Are there any unresolved decisions or trade-offs that need to be made?
- What questions do we not have an answer today?
- What additional information do we need for further validation?
14. Known Risks
Discuss any known risks associated with the feature and how they will be mitigated.
Questions to consider:
- Are there any technical, design, or marketing hurdles to overcome?
- What could go wrong with implementing and releasing this feature?
- How will you address these risks during development or implementation?
15. What is out of scope?
Clarify what areas will not be included in the feature, helping to set expectations and avoid scope creep.
Questions to consider:
- Are there any specific features or functionalities that will not be covered by this feature?
- How will you communicate these limitations to stakeholders and manage their expectations?
16. Linked Goal/OKR
Explain which company or product goal(s) this feature will impact, ensuring that the feature aligns with broader objectives.
Enough theory. Let’s talk examples.
We’ve set up a Notion doc here with 6 examples of Product One-Pagers from various industries (feel free to duplicate the template).
That’s all, folks. :)