The Basics Every Team Should Have in Place
Eight foundational elements for high-performing teams
Once you've defined your teams, assigned scopes, clarified topologies, set funding models, and identified actionable inputs, your team is in a strong position to run with clarity and purpose. This is the point where the basics should come into focus—not as bureaucracy, but as essential scaffolding for sustainable, high-performing teams.
We're not here to add process for process's sake. But we've seen it time and again: teams that lack a few foundational elements often find themselves spinning, reacting, and repeating mistakes. It's not always their fault—but the outcome is the same: drained energy, scattered execution, and missed potential.
That's why we encourage teams using the Starter Pack to align on a minimal viable set of practices—a baseline operating system for product teams inside a Product Operating Model.
The Basics: Eight Things Every Team Should Eventually Have in Place
If your team can assemble a functional version of these eight elements, you'll be operating with more clarity and intentionality than most teams ever reach. Think of these as a living, evolving set of practices—not a checklist to complete once, but a durable structure to support continuous learning and alignment.
1. Charter and Mission
A simple document (or even just a few paragraphs) that makes the team's purpose visible:
- Who do you serve?
- What problem spaces or outcomes are you accountable for?
- What do you care about? What are your working principles?
- What are your current working agreements?
Even in dynamic environments, teams benefit from stable focus areas that span multiple quarters—or years.
2. Strategy
Yes, your team should have a strategy. It doesn't need to be 40 slides. It just needs to be coherent.
- What are you trying to win at?
- What's your approach?
- What's out of bounds?
Start small. Refine often. Read Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt.
3. One or More Models
Great teams use lightweight models to connect strategy to action:
- Customer journeys
- Capability maps
- Value loops
- Input-output chains
Use whatever helps your team reason clearly. A good model will help you clarify bets, align inputs, and reflect when things don't go as planned.
4. A Roadmap Filled with Bets
This isn't a list of features or delivery dates—it's a narrative of your current and upcoming bets.
- One-year view
- Suitable detail (detailed at the last responsible moment)
- Updated continuously
Your roadmap should feel like a living record of decisions and hypotheses—not a commitment ledger.
5. Artifacts for Bets
Every major bet should have a core artifact set:
- A one-pager summarizing intent
- A research folder (even if lightweight)
- A learning backlog (what do we want to learn?)
- A core team and extended team
- A single advocate
If a bet is long-running, also maintain a 3–6 page "parent" doc. If it's short-term, keep it tight. Don't write documents for future work you're not committed to yet.
6. Bet Metrics & Input Targets
Every bet should define:
- Bet-specific metrics (e.g., error rates, usage by cohort, success %)
- One or more targeted inputs the bet aims to move
This is where the work starts to integrate with your measurement model. Over time, many bets should target the same few persistent inputs. If they don't, that's a signal worth investigating.
7. Goals
These can be bet-specific or quarterly. Either is fine. OKRs work if used carefully—don't let them crowd out clarity.
- Make goal-setting safe
- Keep goals lightweight
- Treat goals as a sense-making tool, not a performance trap
8. Great Kickoffs & Learning Reviews
This is where culture shows up. Every significant bet should start with a clear, well-facilitated kickoff. And every bet should end (or pause) with a learning review:
- What happened?
- What changed?
- What did we learn?
Teams that run great kickoffs and great learning reviews outperform their peers—not because of the ceremonies, but because of the shared understanding they generate.
Why This Matters
These aren't "process" artifacts. They're clarity tools. When you have them in place—even in their roughest form—you can:
- Anchor your discussions in shared understanding
- Minimize chaos and reactivity
- Spot patterns across bets, goals, and inputs
- Build a culture of continuous alignment and learning
Most importantly, you start to free up mental space—so your team can spend more time solving meaningful problems, and less time wondering what they're doing and why. Once you've reached this point in the Starter Pack setup, your team isn't just configured—it's ready to run with purpose.
Where to Find and Manage the Basics in Dotwork
Once your teams are configured in Dotwork with scopes, topologies, funding models, and actionable inputs, you have the foundation in place. But operational clarity doesn't stop there. The next step is activating the eight essentials that support high-performing product teams. Below is a detailed guide on where to find, create, and manage each of these in Dotwork.
1. Charter and Mission
Where to Manage It:
- Navigate to Team Profile > About Tab
- Use the "Mission & Purpose" field to document who the team serves, their focus areas, core principles, and current working agreements
This section is lightweight but powerful. It anchors team identity and clarifies shared purpose.
2. Strategy
Where to Capture Strategy:
- In Team Profile > Strategy Tab, use the rich text editor or link to an external doc
- Tag with "Strategy" under the artifact type selector
- Reference higher-level product strategy if linked to your team
Best practice: Upload a 1-pager or link a living document. Don't aim for perfection—just coherence.
3. One or More Models
Where to Create Models:
- Go to Models > Add Model
- Choose from templates like: Capability Map, Customer Journey, Value Loop
- You can create your own model and link nodes to scopes, teams, and actionable inputs
Bonus: These models are graph-aware. They can be used as filters when prioritizing bets or reviewing performance.
4. A Roadmap Filled with Bets
Where to Build It:
- Head to Bets > Roadmap View
- Use time-based columns (1–3 weeks, 1–3 months, 1–3 quarters)
- Link each bet to: Strategy, Scope(s), Actionable Inputs, Metrics, Owners
The roadmap isn't just a plan—it's a linked system of logic across time.
5. Artifacts for Bets
Where to Attach Artifacts:
- Open any Bet Page > Artifacts Section
- Add: One-pager (choose from Dotwork templates), Insight Briefs, Kickoff Docs, Research folders (linked from external storage or inline), Learning backlogs
Long-running bets can have a parent document (3–6 Pager) for continuity.
6. Bet Metrics & Input Targets
Where to Set Metrics:
- In each Bet, scroll to "Metrics & Inputs"
- Add custom metrics or link to tracked Actionable Inputs
- Use tags to denote outcome vs. input metrics
Graph insight: You can view which inputs are being influenced by which bets directly in the Graph View or Input Explorer.
7. Goals
Where to Manage Goals:
- Use the Goals Module (within the Strategy workspace or Team Dashboard)
- Attach bets to quarterly or initiative-specific goals
- Use "Focus Metrics" to connect goals with Inputs or Drivers
Pro Tip: Don't over-format. If it helps sense-making, it's good enough.
8. Great Kickoffs & Learning Reviews
Where to Run These:
- Use Bet Templates > Kickoff Template when launching a bet
- Use Learning Review Template at the end (or major milestone)
- Archive these as part of the Artifact set on the Bet Page
Culture-building move: Ask your team to tag learnings as "Shared Insight" to pull them into the Insight Library.
Summary
| Element | Where to Manage It in Dotwork |
|---|---|
| Charter & Mission | Team Profile > About Tab |
| Strategy | Team Profile > Strategy Tab |
| Models | Models Library > Add Model |
| Roadmap of Bets | Bets > Roadmap View |
| Bet Artifacts | Bet Page > Artifacts Section |
| Metrics & Inputs | Bet Page > Metrics & Inputs |
| Goals | Strategy Workspace > Goals Tab |
| Kickoffs & Reviews | Bet Templates > Kickoff & Learning Review |
When these elements are in place, your team is positioned not just to execute, but to learn, adapt, and drive toward purpose. The Starter Pack gives you the scaffolding. Now it's time to make it yours.