The Product Momentum Gap: Bringing together product strategy and customer value

Book Review: 2/5 Impact On Me (Book By Dave Martin, Andrea Saez)

Read more about the book here

I read The Product Momentum Gap twice. I wasn’t sure about the major takeaways because much of it felt familiar. It covered topics I already knew—like how to make a pre–product-market fit startup successful, how to cross the chasm, and how to align your go-to-market strategy with your product or user segment. It also talked about building features that match your audience’s needs. These are all things I’ve come across before.

One part that stood out was the example of Figma. Figma doesn't design features for a specific user persona. Instead, it builds for a purpose or a job to be done. That focus on purpose over persona was interesting.

The authors introduced a framework called Product VCP, but since I didn’t get an accompanying PDF with the audiobook, I still need to look it up and review it separately. While reading the book, I kept thinking—this feels like an ideal organization. The book assumes people are only misaligned because of missing information, not because of deeper cultural or political issues. That’s understandable—authors often describe things in ideal conditions.

Overall, the book’s impact on me was 2 out of 5. I struggled to find something new. The idea of a new framework is interesting, especially because it's different from a typical product vision. But I’m not sure I’ll get much short-term benefit from it.

i wonder if this book was written to bolster the author’s consulting credentials. i believe in them after reading the book, but I didn’t gain as much.