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PRODUCT STRATEGY

LEADERSHIP

Product strategy helps to redistribute excess food.

A look at defining a problem and finding a path forward..

PRODUCT STRATEGY

LEADERSHIP

Product Strategy Redistributes Excess Food

A look at defining a problem and finding a path forward.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

FOOD DISTRO

WHAT IS FOOD DISTRO?

Food Distro is an open-source web application that aims to solve the problem of millions of pounds of excess edible food going to waste by redistributing it to organizations in need.

AGILE APROACH

This project was organized around the agile development methodology. We were phase 2 of the project and the phase was was broken up into (6) 2 week sprints.

FOCUS

NOTE: this case study will primarily focus on the workshops the Product Strategy team facilitated.

ROLE

Lead Product Strategist, Scrum Master, Workshop Facilitator, Servant Leader

TEAMs

Project Managers

UX Design Team

UX Research Team

Product Strategy Team

TOOLS

Figma

Notion

G Suite

Slack

Google Meet

DELIVERABLES

mvp

problem statements

PRODUCT VISION STATEMENT

PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

BACKLOG

USER STORIES

aSSUMPTION MAPPING

My roles and responsibilities

Created a structured interview guide and a rubric-based grading system for evaluating product strategy applicants, ensuring a fair and consistent selection process.
Led sprint planning and retrospective meetings.
Employed a servant- leader and coach approach to guide and support apprentices throughout the project, encouraging growth and fostering a positive learning experience.
Built and maintained Notion workspace, ensuring the Kanban board, project documentation, and resources were up-to-date and accessible.
Developed and facilitated workshops to ensure team alignment and proper problem identification, helping the team to build a shared understanding of goals and approach.

Problem

Food-related businesses face challenges in donating excess or unwanted food. Consequently, a substantial amount of edible and nutritious food ends up in landfills, contributing to environmental issues and missing the opportunity for addressing food insecurity in communities.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Develop a networking application to redistribute excess food between businesses and non-profits in need.

Provide an educational toolkit to help educate organizations and business on best practices to reduce food waste.

Product strategy TEAM OBJECTIVES

Define clear product direction and purpose.
Establish an understanding of the problem.
Detail product requirements to guide development and alignment.
Facilitate cross-functional team alignment.

CHALLENGE 1: uncovering risks

ASSUMPTION MAPPING WORKSHOP

Early on in the project phase, our team faced several significant. First, the client decided to pivot the project from a B2B to a C2C concept. This sudden change created confusion and left the team without aa clear direction. Second, our group consisted of 24 people divided into 4 teams - Research, Strategy, Product Management and UX Design. With so many voiced and diverse perspectives, there was a lack of alignment on what the ap should look like.

To address these challenges, the Strategy team proposed conducting an assumption mapping workshop. The primary goal of this workshop was to identify assumptions and risks. Representatives from each team participated in the workshop, where they completed statements related desirability, feasibility and viability.

Afterward, we mapped these assumptions based on two dimentions:

How much we knew about the assumption
How critical it was to know more
This exercise not only helped participants recognise their own assumptions but also clarified which areas required further exploration.

CHALLENGE 1: TEAM ALIGNMENT AND risks

ASSUMPTION MAPPING WORKSHOP

Early on in the project phase, our team faced several significant.

There were some leadership changes on the client side which resulted in a pivot from a B2B to a C2C open-source concept. This sudden change created confusion and left the team without aa clear direction.
Our group consisted of 24 people divided into 4 teams - Research, Strategy, Product Management and UX Design. With so many voiced and diverse perspectives, there was a lack of alignment on what the product should look like.

Afterward, we mapped these assumptions based on two dimentions:

How much we knew about the assumption
How critical it was to know more

This exercise not only helped participants recognize their own assumptions but also clarified which areas required further exploration.

We identified that the research team needed conduct research about:

The legalities of food redistribution.
The barriers and challenges that prevent food organizations from donating food.
Who experiences the biggest food waste?
What exactly does open-source mean and look like for this project?

CHALLENGE 2: SOLVING THE RIGHT PROBLEM

THE 5 WHYS WORKSHOP

After completing the assumption mapping exercise, we transitioned into understanding the uncovered problems better. To achieve this, the strategy team facilitated a 5 whys workshop to uncover underlying issues.

Through this exercise, we developed several problem statements that captured the core challenges in a way that would inspire action and guide the next steps effectively.

Following this, I collaborated with the design lead to create a survey for each team member to complete. The survey asked participants to rank the problem statements based on two criteria: importance (how critical the problem was) and feasibility (how realistically it could be addressed). The process allowed us to prioritize issues systematically and align the team on where to focus our efforts.

CHALLENGE 3: GROUP DECISIONS

MVP DEVELOPMENT

Following this, I collaborated with the design lead to develop our MVP goal. To do this, we created a survey for each team member to complete. Ideally, we would have done this as a team, however we were running out of time and having trouble scheduling a team meeting. The survey asked participants to rank the problem statements based on two criteria: importance (how critical the problem was) and feasibility (how realistically it could be addressed). The process allowed us to prioritize issues systematically and align the team on where to focus our efforts. Ultimately, this helped to decrease group think and increase buy-in.

The clear winner: an online tool addressing logistical challenges for food-related businesses donating excess or unwanted food, while educating users on combating food waste.

CHALLENGE 4: setting a direction

MISSION, VISION, PRODUCT VISION STATEMENT

Crafting a clear vision, mission, and product vision statement became crucial. These statements serve as aspirational goals, guide decision-making, and offer comprehensive documentation. A collaborative workshop refined these statements, ensuring they resonated with the team and stakeholders.

MISSION

To revolutionize the fight against food waste by cultivating partnerships between food-related organizations while empowering communities with the knowledge necessary to build a sustainable and waste-free future.

VISION

To empower a global shift toward a conscientious waste-free food ecosystem

PRODUCT VISION

Food Distro is an online tool that connects organizations with excess food to those in need. Our aim is to strengthen the relationships between organizations and to empower users through education on the seamless redistribution of surplus food.

Next steps

Next steps include usability testing, incorporating feedback, and iterating on the user flows and design. In addition, adjustments to the content and branding is needed.