V2mom for Product Teams

What is v2mom?

The v2mom model, pioneered by Salesforce, stands for Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, and Measures. It provides a framework for organizations and teams to articulate their vision, core values, critical strategies, and key metrics, along with identifying potential obstacles. Each aspect serves as an anchor, shaping the team's direction and approach while fostering a shared understanding and alignment.

Origin and Purpose of v2mom

Originally introduced by Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, v2mom was conceived as a simple yet powerful tool to align the organization's employees around its primary goals. By driving transparency and clarity, v2mom enables teams to operate with a shared vision, promoting a cohesive and efficient working environment.

v2mom offers multi-faceted benefits that significantly impact the performance and cohesion of product teams, including:

Enhanced Clarity and Alignment

v2mom fosters absolute clarity within product teams, ensuring that every team member comprehends the overarching vision, values, and strategies. As a result, the team operates in unison, with each individual contributing towards shared objectives.

Improved Decision-making Process

By delineating the obstacles and critical strategies, v2mom empowers product teams to make informed decisions. It provides a structured approach that enables teams to evaluate potential courses of action against the established metrics.

Increased Accountability and Ownership

With v2mom, every team member has a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, driving a culture of accountability. This heightened sense of ownership cultivates a proactive mindset, where individuals are committed to achieving the defined measures.

Understanding the v2mom Components

1. Vision: Define the aspirational yet achievable vision for the product team, encompassing the desired outcomes and impact.
2. Values: Establish the core values that guide the team’s behaviors, decisions, and interactions within and outside the team.
3. Methods: Outline the critical strategies and methods that the team will deploy to realize the vision and uphold the values.
4. Obstacles: Identify the potential challenges and obstacles that the team may encounter, addressing them upfront.
5. Measures: Define the key measures that will gauge the team’s progress and success.

Creating and Communicating v2mom

1. Engage the entire product team in the collaborative development of the v2mom, ensuring everyone’s perspectives are represented.
2. Communicate the finalized v2mom across the team, fostering clarity and alignment in understanding the collective direction.

Aligning Individual Goals with v2mom

1. Encourage team members to align their personal and departmental objectives with the overarching v2mom, reinforcing a coherent and unified approach.
2. Facilitate discussions to identify and resolve any potential misalignments, ensuring everyone is working towards shared objectives.

Review and Update Process

1. Regularly review the v2mom document collectively, adapting to changing circumstances and insights.
2. Promote a culture of agility and iteration, allowing the v2mom to evolve in response to new challenges and opportunities.

Pitfall 1: Lack of Clarity in Objectives

When implementing v2mom, a common pitfall is insufficient clarity in articulating the vision, values, or measures. This can lead to misinterpretations and misaligned efforts within the team.

Pitfall 2: Inadequate Communication

Failure to effectively communicate the v2mom across the team can result in misunderstandings and a lack of alignment, hindering the intended benefits.

Pitfall 3: Ignoring Feedback and Iteration

Disregarding the importance of feedback and iteration in the v2mom process can impede the model's effectiveness, depriving the team of valuable insights and improvements.

Step 1: Understanding the Team Dynamics

Acknowledge the existing team dynamics, ensuring an inclusive approach that accommodates diverse perspectives and experiences.

Step 2: Collaborative Creation of v2mom

Involve the entire team in the creation of v2mom, leveraging a participative approach to generate a collective vision and values.

Step 3: Iterative Reviews and Updates

Establish a regular review cadence, embracing feedback and evolution to refine and enhance the v2mom model continually.

Step 4: Aligning with Organizational Goals

Align the v2mom with the broader organizational objectives, ensuring seamless integration with the overarching strategies and aspirations.

Step 5: Continuous Learning and Adaptation

Encourage a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, promoting flexibility and responsiveness within the product team's operations.