Growth & Differentiation %
Percentage of the planned roadmap (typically next 1–2 quarters) allocated to offensive bets — net-new capabilities, market expansion, differentiation moats, new monetization. The "what proportion of the plan is about winning" view. Common pitfall: counting "improvements to existing features" as offensive when the change is really table-stakes parity work. Boards should expect a McKinsey-style horizon framing (Horizon 1 = core, Horizon 2 = adjacent, Horizon 3 = transformational) or an equivalent classification, and apply it consistently. Per the original McKinsey "Three Horizons" framing (Baghai/Coley/White, "The Alchemy of Growth", 1999), a healthy portfolio funds all three — over-indexing on any one is a strategic risk. — Product KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).
I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier)
No public third-party standard anchors this KPI yet, so I'mBoard authors and maintains the definition — transparently labeled as editorial tier. See the ontology methodology for the published vs editorial tier system and the back-attribution workstream.
Rogue ID: product.offensive_roadmap_pct
Type: Percentage (%)
Domain: Product
Definition
Percentage of the planned roadmap (typically next 1–2 quarters) allocated to offensive bets — net-new capabilities, market expansion, differentiation moats, new monetization. The "what proportion of the plan is about winning" view. Common pitfall: counting "improvements to existing features" as offensive when the change is really table-stakes parity work. Boards should expect a McKinsey-style horizon framing (Horizon 1 = core, Horizon 2 = adjacent, Horizon 3 = transformational) or an equivalent classification, and apply it consistently. Per the original McKinsey "Three Horizons" framing (Baghai/Coley/White, "The Alchemy of Growth", 1999), a healthy portfolio funds all three — over-indexing on any one is a strategic risk.
Formula
offensive_roadmap_pct = (roadmap_capacity_allocated_to_offensive_initiatives / total_roadmap_capacity) × 100, where "offensive" includes net-new capabilities, market-expansion work, differentiation features, and new monetization. Complement of `defensive_roadmap_pct` (they should sum to ~100% in a fully-classified roadmap).Why it matters
Encodes the company's strategic posture in one number. Boards use this to check the roadmap against the strategy narrative — a company saying it is "going on offense" while showing a 30% offensive roadmap has a story-versus-execution gap worth flagging.
How to interpret
Industry folk-wisdom, not citation-grade: 50–70% offensive in growth-stage companies pursuing market expansion; 30–50% in companies stabilizing a platform; below 30% in turnaround / harden-the-base modes. Pair with defensive_roadmap_pct and innovation_capacity_pct — strategic offense requires both intent (this metric) and available bandwidth (innovation capacity). The right number is stage-, market-, and strategy-dependent — the trend and the stated rationale matter more than the absolute level.
Related KPIs
product.defensive_roadmap_pctproduct.innovation_capacity_pctproduct.portfolio_strategyproduct.feature_adoptionproduct.key_initiatives_status
Source
I'mBoard editorial — authored and maintained by I'mBoard, first published 2026-04-01. No third-party standard is cited for this KPI; when one emerges, the definition is back-attributed and promoted to the published tier (a minor version bump). Read the ontology methodology for the published vs editorial tier system, attribution rules, and dispute process.
Stage relevance
| Company stage | Priority |
|---|---|
| Series A | Recommended |
| Series B | Recommended |
| Series C+ | Recommended |
| Public | Recommended |
Suggested for stages: Series A, Series B, Series C+, Public.
Default owning functions
- Product
Machine-readable
- This KPI as JSON:
/api/ontology/product/offensive_roadmap_pct.json - All Product KPIs:
/api/ontology/product.json - Full catalog:
/api/ontology/index.json
Key Initiatives Status
Stoplight-plus-narrative status of the strategic product initiatives committed for the current quarter / half — each initiative ideally tagged on-track / at-risk / blocked / shipped, with a one-line explanation. The execution-pulse view that connects strategy intent to delivery reality. Common pitfall: every initiative defaults to "on track" until two weeks before the deadline, then turns red — a board that only sees binary green-or-red status without intermediate "at-risk" signaling is being managed reactively. Pair with `delivery_predictability` to detect this pattern; require at-risk initiatives to surface a mitigation plan, not just a label. — Product KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).
Product Portfolio
Container handle for the field-array of products in the portfolio — each entry tracks the product name, its portfolio classification (e.g. growth engine / cash cow / innovation bet / sunset candidate, or Horizon 1/2/3), ARR contribution, investment thesis, and lifecycle stage. The structured, per-product companion to the `product.portfolio_strategy` narrative: the narrative tells the story, this gallery makes each product line individually visible and trackable. Renders via the CollapsibleFormItemCardGallery widget (the reused gallery pattern shared with sales pipeline deals and HR key hires / openings). Common pitfall: a portfolio gallery that lists products without an explicit classification or investment thesis per item — that is an inventory, not a portfolio. — Product KPI, I'mBoard-authored (editorial tier).