Chemical Industry, Business Development/Strategy
Product Strategy Framework Development
Preview/Excerpt
ChemicalCo sought to improve product strategy execution across regions, where fragmented templates and inconsistent decision-making hindered strategic alignment. SprintlyWorks developed standardized tools and templates to enhance PLM ownership, integrate financial and market insights, and streamline decision processes, empowering product line managers to drive data-backed, strategy-led decisions across global business units.
Outcomes
24
templates developed across 4 strategy pillars to standardize data collection, analysis & interpretation
32
stakeholder interviews conducted across regions
Problem Summary
ChemicalCo lacked a standardized approach to product line strategy across regions, resulting in inconsistent decision-making, fragmented templates, and low ownership among Product Line Managers (PLMs). Strategic decisions were often based on informal knowledge or reactive inputs from sales teams, limiting visibility, comparability, and long-term planning. The absence of structured templates and clear governance hindered ChemicalCo’s ability to align product strategy with market realities and corporate goals.
Situation
ChemicalCo operates in a competitive, innovation-driven market where product line managers (PLMs) are expected to drive strategic decisions across a global portfolio. However, PLMs faced major hurdles due to fragmented tools, region-specific practices, and unclear role ownership in strategy formulation. Many relied heavily on commercial teams for input, lacked access to consistent market intelligence, and struggled with complex or outdated templates. Strategic intuitions remained undocumented, hampering knowledge transfer and transparency. Without a unified framework, ChemicalCo’s regional teams faced difficulties in aligning investment decisions, tracking performance, and maintaining a consistent approach to portfolio management and competitor benchmarking.
Key Research Question
The key question driving the project was:
- What are the current gaps/bottlenecks in product line strategy across the organization that hinder effective decision-making?
- How can product line strategy processes and tool utilization be standardized to maximize efficiency and cross-functional alignment?
- What is the right strategy framework, template design, and communication needed to unlock business-driven decision making?
Our Approach
SprintlyWorks adopted a three-phase approach to help ChemicalCo transition from fragmented strategy processes to a unified product line management framework.
- Diagnose Current Practices:
We began by conducting 32 in-depth interviews with Product Line Managers (PLMs), Sales, and Business Development stakeholders across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. The goal was to map regional practices in data collection, market analysis, investment decision-making, and portfolio management. We identified key bottlenecks, including inconsistent categorization logic, limited financial acumen, low PLM autonomy, and heavy reliance on sales inputs for strategy. Each region had distinct gaps: EMEA needed stronger data visualization and strategic clarity, APAC lacked access and influence in global decisions, and Americas struggled with fragmented tools and ownership.
- Design & Develop Strategic Templates:
Using the diagnostic insights, we developed 24 standardized templates covering core elements like market & competitor benchmarking, product evaluation, investment prioritization, and make-or-buy decisions. Templates were embedded with dropdowns, automation, and financial prompts to reduce manual effort and promote structured thinking. We also integrated lightweight guidance to help PLMs articulate their strategic rationale more clearly.
- Regional Workshops & Refinement:
We ran collaborative workshops in each region to test and iterate the templates, gathering live feedback on usability and perceived impact. We incorporated regional nuances while maintaining a core structure that ensured comparability and governance alignment. PLMs engaged in scenario-based exercises to apply the templates, improving confidence and alignment.
By co-developing solutions with end-users and balancing global consistency with local adaptability, we ensured the tools were both practical and strategic.
Results
The project enabled ChemicalCo to move from ad-hoc, region-specific practices to a standardized, strategic approach for product line management. Over 10 refined templates were adopted across regions, addressing core challenges in market analysis, investment evaluation, and product categorization. Regional workshops received strong engagement, with PLMs reporting improved clarity, consistency, and strategic alignment. Early pilots demonstrated enhanced decision quality and reduced preparation time. The new framework now serves as the foundation for structured product strategy execution, empowering PLMs to take ownership and enabling cross-regional comparability, while accommodating local nuances through guided flexibility and modular design.
“The templates made strategy work clearer, faster, and smarter.”
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