Product

The discipline of building things people want. This cluster covers product management as a function, strategy and discovery, the agile/scrum/kanban operating frameworks, prioritization methods (RICE, Kano), design and UX, testing (alpha, beta, usability), and launch mechanics. 40 entries.

Product is where insight meets execution. The frameworks here are the operating systems most modern product orgs run on.

Product management roles and function

[Product Management], the discipline and the role.
[Product Team], how product orgs are structured.
[Chief Product Officer], the senior product role.

Strategy and discovery

[Product Strategy], the answer to "what we're building and why."
[Product Vision], the longer-term north star.
[Product Discovery], figuring out what to build.
[Continuous Discovery], Teresa Torres' ongoing discovery framework.
[Product Roadmap], what gets built when.
[North Star Metric], the single metric the company organizes around.
[Product Lifecycle], from launch to maturity.
[Pivot], the deliberate strategy change.

Operating frameworks

[Agile], the parent methodology.
[Scrum], the iterative agile variant.
[Sprint], the time-boxed work unit.
[Kanban], the continuous-flow variant.
[Design Sprint], Google Ventures' 5-day sprint format.

Requirements and backlog

[Product Requirements Document], the PRD format.
[Product Backlog], the ordered list of work.
[User Story], the "as a X, I want Y, so that Z" pattern.

Prioritization

[Feature Prioritization], the general discipline.
[RICE Framework], Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort scoring.
[Kano Model], must-haves vs delighters.
[Jobs To Be Done], Clay Christensen's framework.

Design and user experience

[User Experience], UX as a discipline.
[User Interface], UI as visual and interaction layer.
[User Research], research methods that inform design.
[Design Thinking], IDEO's empathy-driven framework.
[Design System], component library and pattern guide.
[Wireframe], low-fidelity layout sketches.
[Prototype], interactive mockup before code.
[Accessibility], designing for everyone.

Testing and validation

[Usability Testing], observing real users.
[Alpha Testing], internal pre-release testing.
[Beta Testing], external pre-release testing.
[Feature Flag], gradual rollout and instant rollback.

Launch mechanics

[Launch Criteria], what must be true to ship.
[Soft Launch], quiet release to a limited audience.
[GA Launch], general availability launch.
[Minimum Lovable Product], beyond MVP; product that delights.

Product analytics

[Product Analytics], measuring product usage and outcomes.

About the Author

Ryan Rutan

Founding Partner @ Startups.com platform | Clarity.fm, Launchrock, Fundable, Zirtual, and Co-Host of The Startup Therapy Podcast. Ryan has 15 years of experience as a Founder, Advisor, Mentor, and Investor — the quintessential startup guerrilla. He works with 100's of the best startups every year on everything from ideation, idea validation, early marketing traction, customer acquisition to fundraising, scaling, and operations.

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