Product Goal
The long-term objective for the Scrum Team, describing a future state of the product that serves as a target for Sprint Planning to plan against.
What it means
The Product Goal was formalized in the 2020 Scrum Guide as the commitment for the Product Backlog. It represents a single objective the Scrum Team works toward across multiple Sprints, giving direction beyond a single Sprint Goal.
A Scrum Team pursues one Product Goal at a time before moving to the next. The Product Owner is accountable for defining and communicating it, and it should be visible in the Product Backlog.
Common mistakes
Product Goals help avoid the trap of Sprint-to-Sprint thinking, keeping teams oriented toward a meaningful outcome, such as reaching a market segment or a measurable capability, rather than just clearing a backlog.
Example
'Become the fastest way for freelancers to invoice clients' is a Product Goal that will take several Sprints and multiple Increments to achieve.