# Plan a Product Initiative from Your Opportunity Backlog

Group two to six backlog opportunities that share one customer problem into a Deck initiative with a clear goal, linked evidence, and written outcomes.

- URL: https://getdeck.io/playbooks/plan-initiative
- Author: Matt Teixeira
- Published: 2026-11-01
- Updated: 2026-11-01
- Stage: Act

## What Is a Product Initiative?

A product initiative groups two to six related opportunities that share one customer problem under one goal. It holds the evidence from each opportunity, an overview of the problem in customers' words, and the outcomes you expect after the work ships. Projects for those opportunities sit under it, so the roadmap reads as bets, not tickets.

## Why Roadmap Bets Drift from the Customer Problem

Your backlog has forty opportunities and the planning meeting wants three bets. So people group them by team or by code area, and the initiative ends up as a list of tickets with a vague goal. Nobody can say which customer problem it solves or how you will know it worked.

## How Deck Builds Initiatives from Ranked Evidence

Deck creates an initiative straight from a ranked opportunity, with the title and goal pre-filled and a link back to it. You group the opportunities that share one customer problem, keep the goal to one sentence, and put the Projects under it. The overview, evidence, and outcomes sit on the same page, so the goal stays tied to what customers said.

Deck features used:

- [Initiatives](https://getdeck.io/product/initiatives)
- [Opportunity Backlog](https://getdeck.io/product/opportunity-backlog)

## How to Plan a Product Initiative in Deck

### 1. Shortlist Opportunities That Share One Problem

Open Build → Opportunity Backlog and read the ranked list. Pick 2 to 6 opportunities that share one customer problem or one outcome. Open each one and leave out any whose evidence does not match.

### 2. Check for an Existing Initiative

Open Build → Initiatives, or search the command palette by title or goal. If an initiative already covers the topic, add to it instead of starting a second one.

### 3. Create the Initiative from the Top-Ranked Opportunity

Open the opportunity with the best rank and choose ⋯ → Create Initiative. Deck pre-fills the title and goal. Name it after the shared outcome, keep the goal to one sentence, and set any target number yourself.

### 4. Write the Overview and Outcomes

On the Overview tab, write the shared problem in the customers' words, why it matters now, and which opportunities it covers. On the Outcomes tab, write what must change in the feedback when the work ships.

### 5. Put the Projects Under It

When you create a Project for one of these opportunities from Build → Projects → New Project, link it to the initiative. Opening the initiative then shows all its Projects in one place.

### 6. Set the Status

On Build → Initiatives, click the status badge in the Status column and pick Exploring while you refine the scope. Keep Archived for initiatives you drop.

## Plan an Initiative with Your AI Agent

You need:

- Deck MCP connected to your agent
- Customer feedback already in Deck

Your agent starts with the `explore_opportunity_backlog` tool.

Paste this prompt into your agent:

```text
Use Deck MCP. Fetch and follow https://docs.getdeck.io/docs/agents/workflows/plan-initiative.md
```

Full agent workflow: https://docs.getdeck.io/docs/agents/workflows/plan-initiative.md

## Initiative Plan Template

### Initiative Plan

```text
## Initiative
Title: [Shared outcome, e.g. Faster first report for new admins]
Goal: [One sentence with the change you want. You set any target number]
Status: Exploring

## Opportunities (2 to 6)
| Opportunity | Deck impact | Insights | Why it belongs |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Anchor, best rank] | [Deck score] | [Deck count] | [Shared problem] |
| [Opportunity] | [Deck score] | [Deck count] | [Reason] |

LEFT OUT
- [Opportunity]: [Why its evidence does not match]

## Overview
Problem in customers' words: "[Quote]"
Why now: [Reason]

## Outcomes
What must change in the feedback: [e.g. fewer negative insights in [Theme]]

## Projects
- [Project]: [Status]
```

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How many opportunities should one initiative hold?

Two to six that share one customer problem or outcome. If you have more, plan a second initiative. Group by the customer problem, not by team or code area.

### Can Deck write the initiative for me?

Yes. On an initiative, Generate with AI takes a topic and writes the Overview and Evidence tabs from your themes, subthemes, insights, NPS responses, and segments.

### Can I focus it on one customer segment?

Yes, when segments are on for your workspace. If an initiative has segments, AI generation uses only feedback from those segments.

### Does linking change the opportunity's other links?

No. An opportunity keeps its other links. Moving a Project under a new initiative does replace its current parent initiative, so check that first.

### Will Deck set a target number for the goal?

No. The goal is one sentence about the change you want, and you set any target number. Your agent never invents one.

### Can my AI agent run this?

Yes. With Deck MCP connected, paste the prompt on this page. The agent shortlists opportunities, shows you a draft plan, and asks before it creates the initiative. It can also link the other opportunities, add their evidence, and move existing Projects under it.

## Related Playbooks

- [Turn Customer Feedback into Linear Projects and Jira Epics](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/opportunity-to-delivery.md): Turn a ranked backlog opportunity into a Deck Project that keeps its customer evidence, then link it to one Linear project or Jira epic for delivery.
- [Prioritize Your Product Backlog with Customer Evidence](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/prioritize-backlog.md): Pick the top opportunities from a backlog ranked on customer evidence, with a reason, a risk, and quotes for each pick. Run it in Deck or with your AI agent.
- [Validate Your Product Roadmap with Customer Evidence](https://getdeck.io/playbooks/roadmap-evidence-check.md): Find the initiatives and Projects with little customer evidence, link the evidence Deck already has, and see what your team is building on gut feel.