North Star / FAQ
North Star FAQ
Is it right for us
Can North Star turn our product vision into a roadmap we can act on?
Yes. Your vision becomes a set of measurable bets and an ordered roadmap. North Star is Mantle's workshop-led framework for product strategy.
Can North Star get product leaders and funders working from one plan?
Yes. Funders and product leaders work from one plan. Your product leaders and the executives who fund them build the strategy together. The roadmap shows outcomes per quarter, with a rationale your CFO can test.
Will North Star define why our product exists for the years ahead?
Yes. You leave with your product's reason to exist, sized to the years ahead and anchored to your corporate strategy. That vision is then turned into measurable bets, so the roadmap follows from it.
How it works
Will we leave with a roadmap and a story we can take to our board?
Yes. You leave with a roadmap and a one-page narrative for your board. You also get a vision statement, a customer evidence map and your competitive position. Each bet has a hypothesis, a measurable signal, an expected value and a kill criterion. The roadmap sets outcomes per quarter, with the trade-offs explained.
Will we see what each bet costs and how soon it shows a signal?
Yes. You see the cost of each bet up front. The bet portfolio canvas and hypothesis register record capital, time-to-signal, expected value and kill criteria. A sequencing rationale and resourcing model make the trade-offs explicit.
Will our engineers still decide how to build what's on the roadmap?
Yes. Your roadmap sets outcomes per quarter, not features per sprint, and engineering owns the how.
Can we drop weak bets early and move the capacity to stronger ones?
Yes. Bets that need real-world proof go to Litmus before code is written. Bets that fail are dropped at low cost, freeing capacity for the ones that survive.
Your systems and data
Will North Star link our product plan to company strategy?
Yes. Your product strategy stays linked to company strategy. North Star anchors it to the corporate strategy you set with Trajectory, our corporate strategy framework. Bets that need real-world proof go to Litmus for testing before any code is written. Mantle Counsel can work alongside your product leaders as execution begins.
Will our roadmap rest on real customer evidence, not the loudest voice?
Yes. Your roadmap follows evidence. North Star builds a customer evidence map, and each bet is anchored to real customer signal, so the loudest stakeholder doesn't set the roadmap.
Getting started
Can we talk to your team about a North Star engagement?
Yes. Use the form on our contact page, and our team will be in touch.
Will the work run in clear steps, from vision to roadmap?
Yes. North Star runs in three steps. First it crystallizes the vision, anchored to your corporate strategy. Then it quantifies each bet. Finally it sequences the roadmap, with outcomes per quarter and a rationale your CFO can test.
Pricing and support
Can we get a price for North Star that fits our scope?
Yes. Pricing depends on scope. Use the contact form and our team will be in touch.
Will our bets be reviewed and reweighted once the roadmap is set?
Yes. Your roadmap keeps learning. A regular recalibration rhythm reweights bets against signal, and Mantle Counsel works alongside your product leaders as execution begins.