In partnership with
Find out why 1M+ professionals read Superhuman AI daily.
In 2 years you will be working for AI
Or an AI will be working for you
Here's how you can future-proof yourself:
Join the Superhuman AI newsletter – read by 1M+ people at top companies
Master AI tools, tutorials, and news in just 3 minutes a day
Become 10X more productive using AI
Join 1,000,000+ pros at companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon that are using AI to get ahead.
🌟 Editor's Note
Today we’re diving into Geoffrey Moore’s Zone to Win framework; a fancy way of saying: “Stop treating your moonshots like they’re payroll projects.”
Too many teams try to innovate with the same rules they use to file expense reports. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t work. This edition is your cheat sheet to keep experiments alive, keep the lights on, and keep leadership from losing sleep.
🎯 What Is Zone to Win?
The Zone to Win framework, introduced by Geoffrey Moore, helps organizations manage the tension between sustaining today’s business and investing in tomorrow’s opportunities. It divides the company into four distinct zones, each with its own purpose, operating style, metrics, and risk appetite.
Think of Zone to Win as a business version of a reality show:
One group is grinding to pay the bills
Another is building spreadsheets and telling you to fill out Form 27-B… again
A third group is in a garage somewhere, setting off fireworks and calling it “innovation”
And the last group is trying to turn that garage experiment into a billion-dollar empire
💪 Pro Tip: Next time you start a project, ask your sponsor: “Which zone is this in?” If they can’t answer, congratulations, you’ve just uncovered why half your projects go sideways.
📖 Suggested Resource: “How to Implement Zone to Win” — LogRocket
🧩 The Four Zones
Performance Zone → Brave, bold, and…all about the revenue. These projects must perform or they’re toast.
Productivity Zone → Not flashy, but vital. HR, IT, Legal. They keep the castle standing while everyone else waves wands.
Incubation Zone → Curious minds trying new spells (AI, VR, blockchain-on-toast). Lots of ideas, very little revenue…yet.
Transformation Zone → Ruthlessly ambitious. This is where one big bet either makes the company legendary or…well, you get the idea.
💪 Pro Tip: Not all zones should have the same KPIs. If you ask an incubator to deliver quarterly ROI, you’re basically telling a toddler to run payroll.
📖 Suggested Resource: Podcast: Geoffrey Moore on “Zoning in on Zone to Win”
🛠 Why It Matters (Especially for PMs)
As PMs, we’re constantly thrown into projects without knowing which zone they belong in. And then…chaos.
Roll out a shiny new AI pilot → That’s incubation, not a guaranteed moneymaker.
Lead a strategic “pivot” → Congrats, you’re in transformation. Wear a helmet.
Implement an HR system → Productivity zone, baby. Enjoy your ticketing system.
The magic of Zone to Win: when you know the zone, you know the expectations, politics, and likelihood of career glory (or blame).
💪 Pro Tip: Label your projects by zone in your status updates. It makes you look strategic and gives cover when leadership inevitably asks: “So where’s the ROI?”
📖 Suggested Resource: Unicorny Podcast: How to Overcome the Innovator’s Dilemma.
🚧 Common Pitfalls (and How Not to Look Foolish)
Zone Confusion → Treating an incubation project like a performance project is like asking a toddler to pay rent. Not gonna happen.
Resource Hogging → Performance always wins funding fights (because…well, revenue). Incubation usually ends up living off leftover pizza and goodwill.
Transformation Lite → You can’t half-transform. That’s like saying, “I’ll partially go skydiving.” Good luck.
💪 Pro Tip: If leadership says “We’ll transform, but let’s not disrupt too much,” you’re in for Transformation Lite™. Translation: brace yourself for frustration.
📖 Suggested Resource: NTT Data: Zoning in on Real Transformation.
⚡What To Do Next
Map Your Projects: Figure out which zone each belongs in before chaos ensues.
Adjust Your Metrics: Stop judging moonshots by quarterly ROI. Judge them by learning and validation.
Get Executive Cover: Especially for transformation projects. Without it, you’re just rearranging chairs on the Titanic.
Check Back Often: Today’s weird idea could be tomorrow’s core business. (Or tomorrow’s failed hackathon project. Either way, track it.)
Pro Tip: Want instant credibility? Create a “zone map” of current initiatives. Execs love a good 2×2, and you’ll look like a strategic genius.
Suggested Resource: Medium: Coaching Innovation Teams to Victory.
🚀 Quick Hits: Zone To Win Edition
Short, sharp updates on the Zone To Win framework to keep you in the loop:
🏁 Final Thoughts
The Zone to Win framework isn’t just for CEOs, it’s a mindset shift for PMs too. Projects aren’t all created equal. Some are about efficiency, some about innovation, and some about betting the company. Knowing the zone gives you, and your sponsors, the clarity to play the game right.
Till next time,
Project Pulse Team
If you have comments, feedback, or would like to see a specific topic covered in the newsletter - we’d love to hear from you!
📧 Email: [email protected].