The 6-page narrative is a key document in the product development process. As the Product Manager one of your key responsibilities is Working Backwards from a vision of where the product is going and describing the steps that are going to get you there. Think of the 6-page narrative as an investment proposal that you are taking to your board of directors to pitch. You are in sales mode. This means that the 6-pager should be impactful and compelling. There should be a sense of urgency in the tone that describes why this is the right plan but also the right time to invest.
A narrative is a story. Stories focus on words, so avoid adding tables, diagrams, abbreviations or other special syntactical things into the 6-pages that detracts from the readability of the story you are telling. All the standard tips for writing apply like avoid jargon, use simple language - see Writing tips for Product Managers.
Before starting to write, determine the timeline you are aiming for. Typically, a 6-page narrative is either a 12 month horizon or a three year horizon. In my experience the difference in the final document isn’t significant given that you have a limit of 6 pages and you typically know a lot more about the near term than the long term. The key thing is to drive to outcomes not to constraints. Don’t leave things out of your document because you don’t think the imaginary estimates don’t fit your arbitrary timeline. Focus on outcomes and make your document compelling and impactful for the reader.
Here is a template to follow for how to structure your 6-page narrative:
Section | Page | Content |
Title | P1 | What is the doc about? |
Background | P1 | Frame the product in it’s wider context. Why is this product important? e.g. what % of the business does this product represent? |
State of Play | P1 | Where is the product today? What are the product’s strengths and weaknesses? |
Opportunity / VisionPage | P1/2 | Where does this product need to go? What are customers asking for? Keep this section thematic (areas of investment) focusing on a maximum of three themes. |
Competition (Optional) | P2 | Include only if this is relevant to your story. Who are the key competitors in this space and what unique advantage does their product have? |
Narrative Sections | P2-6 | this is the main body of the document and represents a more detailed breakdown of your investment themes introduced earlier. Break down the product areas or milestones that need to be achieved to reach the outcome. |
Conclusion | P6 | Reiterate the outcome you are aiming for, the investment themes you are proposing to get there. |
Appendices | P7+ | Include delivery schedule and engineering estimates. Optionally include P+L or usage forecasts. |
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