North Star Framework from the Trenches

The North Star Framework is simple. Using it effectively is not.

Most teams face the same problems again and again:

• strategic clarity that never reaches the teams
• internal misalignment between Product, Engineering, Sales and Customer Support
• goals that don't connect to real outcomes
• overly technical or output-heavy planning
• no shared rhythm across the organisation

This book shows you how to overcome those obstacles — not with theory, but with practical examples and patterns that come directly from real usage.

The book gives you a step-by-step understanding of how to:

• introduce NSF in your organisation — how to explain the model, create buy-in and remove early friction
• define a strong North Star — what makes a good North Star, and how to avoid the common traps
• create Product Drivers that guide decision-making — drivers that inspire teams and move your North Star
• identify Top Problems — avoid feature-thinking and focus your team on real obstacles
• set Current Goals that actually matter — measurable, realistic and outcome-driven
• break work down in a way the whole organisation understands — slice initiatives into atomic, human-readable Work items
• run NSF Cycles with rhythm and clarity — establish a cadence that creates focus, transparency and learning
• align leadership, Product, Engineering, CS, Sales and Marketing — use NSF as a shared language across the entire company
• avoid the most common adoption pitfalls — traps, anti-patterns and misunderstandings, and how to fix them

This book is designed for:

• CPOs, CTOs, VPs and Heads of Product/Engineering
• Product Managers, Tech Leads and Team Leads
• Founders and leadership teams
• Cross-functional teams working across departments
• Companies shifting from output- to outcome-thinking
• Anyone trying to make strategy part of daily work

You don't need to be a product expert. You don't need to know agile in depth. You only need a desire to create clarity, focus and alignment.

The Framework page on this site teaches you the essentials.

NSF Board helps you use the framework in your daily work.

This book shows you how to make NSF succeed organisationally — in the messy, real world.

Think of it like this:

• Framework = the concept
• NSF Board = the tool
• The book = the playbook

A closer look at what the chapters cover:

• why companies lose alignment
• how to define a North Star that truly matters
• the role of Product Drivers in decision-making
• the power of Top Problems
• how to write Current Goals
• running effective NSF Cycles
• real examples from real teams (names anonymised)
• common failure patterns and how to recover
• how leadership and teams stay aligned
• how to scale NSF as the company grows

Both English and Swedish edition is coming soon — sign up to get:

• early access
• sample chapters
• release updates

An email form will live here — for now, you can reach out if you want to be added manually.

Want to get started today? Explore the condensed version of the North Star Framework on this site — or try NSF Board right away.