Almost a year ago I wrote a post to propose/summarize a universal model for product development. I’ve now refined that model into what I believe is much closer to what the original intention was: a product development framework that is detailed enough to be practically usable, but generic enough to fit on top of any development paradigm (Agile, Waterfall, etc.).
I’ve decided to start a series of posts on software development and the Product Manager’s role in that process. The first, this one, is a very general overview — it’s basic, yes, but necessary to lay the groundwork. After that, I want to spend time writing down my thoughts on each of these stages in detail.
Why do this? Because I think the Product Management profession is finally starting to come into its own, and I’m hoping that through discussion we can, together, evolve a practical guide to what we do from day to day, something that is both flexible enough and rigid enough to be helpful without being constricting. And maybe also just to force myself to think through this in detail and become more deliberate and focused on each of these steps. I hope you’ll join the discussion!
I won’t be talking about scheduling, scrum methodology, or team organization in these posts. The goal is to focus on the work that needs to be done — whether it’s being done by an individual or a core team is not the focus here, and will be different depending on the company, the philosophy, and the team.
So let’s start here — a diagram of a proposed universal model for software product development: