# Product Management and Product Strategy - Processes Backlog

This document outlines Product Management processes that can be orchestrated using the Babysitter SDK framework.

---

## Process Categories

1. **Prioritization & Planning**
2. **User Research & Discovery**
3. **Product Launch & GTM**
4. **Metrics & Analytics**
5. **Strategic Planning**
6. **Stakeholder Management**

---

## Processes

### 1. Prioritization & Planning

#### Process: RICE Prioritization Framework
**Description**: Score and prioritize product features/initiatives using Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort scoring.

**Inputs**:
- List of features/initiatives with descriptions
- Target user segments
- Business objectives

**Process Steps**:
1. Collect feature requests from multiple sources (stakeholders, customers, analytics)
2. For each initiative, estimate Reach (users impacted per time period)
3. Score Impact on scale (3=massive, 2=high, 1=medium, 0.5=low, 0.25=minimal)
4. Assess Confidence level (100%=high, 80%=medium, 50%=low)
5. Estimate Effort in person-months
6. Calculate RICE score: (Reach × Impact × Confidence) / Effort
7. Rank initiatives by RICE score
8. Apply strategic filters and constraints
9. Generate prioritized backlog

**Outputs**:
- RICE scoring matrix
- Prioritized feature backlog
- Stakeholder communication document
- Roadmap recommendations

**References**: Intercom RICE Framework

---

#### Process: MoSCoW Prioritization
**Description**: Categorize requirements into Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won't have for release planning.

**Inputs**:
- Feature/requirement list
- Release timeline/constraints
- Critical business goals

**Process Steps**:
1. Gather all requirements and feature requests
2. Identify critical dependencies and blockers
3. Categorize each item:
   - Must have: Critical for release success
   - Should have: Important but not vital
   - Could have: Desirable but not necessary
   - Won't have: Out of scope for this release
4. Validate Must haves against release criteria
5. Assess feasibility of Should haves
6. Document rationale for each categorization
7. Review with stakeholders for alignment
8. Create release scope document

**Outputs**:
- MoSCoW categorized requirements
- Release scope definition
- MVP specification
- Stakeholder alignment document

**References**: ProductPlan MoSCoW Guide

---

#### Process: Quarterly Roadmap Planning
**Description**: Create strategic product roadmap aligned with OKRs and business objectives.

**Inputs**:
- Company OKRs
- Customer feedback and research
- Competitive analysis
- Technical constraints
- Resource capacity

**Process Steps**:
1. Review company OKRs and strategic goals
2. Analyze market trends and competitive landscape
3. Synthesize customer research and feedback
4. Identify strategic themes (e.g., "Improve onboarding", "Enterprise features")
5. Map initiatives to themes
6. Estimate effort and dependencies
7. Create quarterly timeline (70% committed, 30% exploratory)
8. Define success metrics for each initiative
9. Create stakeholder-specific roadmap views
10. Establish review cadence

**Outputs**:
- Multi-quarter product roadmap
- Theme-based initiative groupings
- Success metrics and milestones
- Risk assessment
- Resource requirements plan

**References**: Now/Next/Later Framework, OKR Alignment

---

### 2. User Research & Discovery

#### Process: Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Research
**Description**: Conduct customer research using JTBD framework to understand customer motivations and needs.

**Inputs**:
- Research objectives
- Target customer segments
- Initial hypotheses

**Process Steps**:
1. Define research questions and learning goals
2. Recruit participants from target segments
3. Prepare JTBD interview guide
4. Conduct interviews focusing on:
   - Situations/context (When)
   - Motivations (I want to)
   - Desired outcomes (So I can)
   - Progress-making forces (push, pull, anxiety, habit)
5. Record and transcribe interviews
6. Analyze for patterns and themes
7. Create Job Stories: "When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]"
8. Identify functional, emotional, and social job dimensions
9. Synthesize insights into recommendations
10. Present findings to product team

**Outputs**:
- JTBD interview recordings and transcripts
- Job Stories documentation
- Synthesis report with themes
- Product recommendations
- Updated product requirements

**References**: Bob Moesta JTBD Playbook, Intercom JTBD Guide

---

#### Process: Continuous Discovery Workflow
**Description**: Ongoing customer research and validation process to inform product decisions.

**Inputs**:
- Product analytics data
- Customer feedback channels
- Strategic objectives

**Process Steps**:
1. **Opportunity Identification**:
   - Review analytics for usage patterns
   - Collect feedback from support/sales
   - Monitor competitive landscape
   - Cross-functional brainstorming
2. **Research and Validation**:
   - Conduct user interviews
   - Create prototypes for concept testing
   - Run validation surveys
   - Analyze supporting data
3. **Prioritization**:
   - Apply RICE/ICE scoring
   - Align with strategic goals
   - Assess technical feasibility
   - Build business case
4. **Definition**:
   - Write requirements/user stories
   - Define success metrics
   - Create design specs
   - Stakeholder review
5. **Handoff to Delivery**:
   - Add to backlog with priority
   - Brief engineering team
   - Plan instrumentation

**Outputs**:
- Opportunity backlog
- Research reports (weekly)
- Prioritized initiatives
- Product requirements documents
- Success metrics definitions

**References**: Teresa Torres Continuous Discovery

---

#### Process: User Research Validation Study
**Description**: Validate product assumptions and feature concepts before development investment.

**Inputs**:
- Research questions
- Feature concepts/prototypes
- Target user segments

**Process Steps**:
1. Define what needs validation (assumptions, hypotheses)
2. Select research methods (interviews, surveys, usability tests)
3. Recruit participants from target segments
4. Prepare research materials (scripts, prototypes, surveys)
5. Conduct research sessions
6. Collect data (qualitative and quantitative)
7. Analyze findings for patterns
8. Synthesize into actionable insights
9. Make go/no-go/iterate recommendation
10. Update product requirements

**Outputs**:
- Research plan
- Session recordings/notes
- Analysis report
- Insights and recommendations
- Updated requirements/specs

**References**: The Mom Test, User Story Mapping

---

### 3. Product Launch & GTM

#### Process: Feature Launch Orchestration
**Description**: Coordinate cross-functional activities for successful feature launch.

**Inputs**:
- Feature specification
- Target segments
- Success metrics
- Launch timeline

**Process Steps**:
1. Define launch strategy and success criteria
2. Run closed beta with select customers
3. Collect and incorporate beta feedback
4. Coordinate with marketing for GTM materials
5. Align with sales on positioning and demos
6. Partner with customer success on adoption plan
7. Set up analytics instrumentation and dashboards
8. Prepare documentation (help docs, videos, in-app guides)
9. Configure feature flags for phased rollout
10. Execute phased launch by segment
11. Monitor metrics and user feedback
12. Iterate based on data
13. Conduct post-launch retrospective

**Outputs**:
- Launch plan with timeline
- Beta feedback summary
- Marketing/sales enablement materials
- Analytics dashboard
- Documentation suite
- Post-launch retrospective report

**References**: Feature Flagging (LaunchDarkly), Product Launch Frameworks

---

#### Process: Beta Program Management
**Description**: Run structured beta program to validate features with real customers before full launch.

**Inputs**:
- Beta-ready feature
- Target customer profile
- Success criteria

**Process Steps**:
1. Define beta objectives and success metrics
2. Create participant selection criteria
3. Recruit beta participants (10-50 customers)
4. Set up beta environment and access
5. Prepare beta documentation and onboarding
6. Launch beta with kickoff communication
7. Establish feedback collection mechanisms (surveys, interviews, analytics)
8. Monitor usage and engagement metrics
9. Conduct mid-beta check-ins with participants
10. Collect and analyze feedback
11. Prioritize improvements and bug fixes
12. Iterate on feature based on feedback
13. Prepare launch recommendations
14. Thank and reward beta participants

**Outputs**:
- Beta participant list
- Usage metrics and analytics
- Feedback synthesis report
- Bug and improvement list
- Launch readiness assessment
- Beta insights summary

**References**: Beta Testing Best Practices

---

### 4. Metrics & Analytics

#### Process: Product Metrics Dashboard Creation
**Description**: Define, instrument, and build analytics dashboards for product monitoring.

**Inputs**:
- Product areas to measure
- Strategic objectives
- Analytics platform access

**Process Steps**:
1. Define key product metrics (DAU/MAU, retention, conversion, engagement)
2. Map metrics to business objectives and OKRs
3. Create event taxonomy and data dictionary
4. Instrument product with tracking events
5. Validate data accuracy
6. Build dashboards in analytics platform (Amplitude, Mixpanel)
7. Create views for different stakeholders
8. Set up automated reports and alerts
9. Document metric definitions and calculations
10. Train team on dashboard usage
11. Establish review cadence

**Outputs**:
- Metrics framework document
- Event taxonomy and data dictionary
- Instrumented product code
- Analytics dashboards
- Automated reports
- Metrics review schedule

**References**: Amplitude, Mixpanel, Product Metrics Frameworks

---

#### Process: Weekly/Monthly Analytics Review
**Description**: Regular review of product metrics to identify trends, issues, and opportunities.

**Inputs**:
- Product analytics dashboards
- Previous period benchmarks
- OKR targets

**Process Steps**:
1. **Weekly Review (30-60 min)**:
   - Review key metrics (DAU/MAU, retention, conversion)
   - Identify anomalies or significant changes
   - Drill into segments for insights
   - Flag items for deeper investigation
2. **Monthly Deep Dive (2-3 hours)**:
   - Analyze feature adoption and engagement
   - Review cohort retention curves
   - Assess OKR progress
   - Conduct funnel analysis for key flows
   - Analyze user feedback and support tickets
   - Compare against competitors (when possible)
3. **Document Findings**:
   - Create insights summary
   - Identify action items
   - Update stakeholders
4. **Follow-up Actions**:
   - Create tickets for issues
   - Adjust roadmap priorities
   - Plan deeper research if needed

**Outputs**:
- Weekly metrics summary
- Monthly analytics report
- Insights and recommendations
- Action items and tickets
- Stakeholder communication

**References**: Analytics Review Best Practices

---

#### Process: A/B Test Design and Analysis
**Description**: Design, run, and analyze controlled experiments to optimize product decisions.

**Inputs**:
- Hypothesis to test
- Success metrics
- User segments
- Minimum sample size

**Process Steps**:
1. Define hypothesis (e.g., "New onboarding flow will increase activation by 15%")
2. Identify primary and secondary metrics
3. Calculate required sample size and test duration
4. Design experiment variants (control and treatments)
5. Set up experiment in platform (Optimizely, LaunchDarkly)
6. Implement tracking and instrumentation
7. Launch experiment with traffic split
8. Monitor data quality and balance
9. Wait for statistical significance
10. Analyze results (statistical significance, practical significance)
11. Document findings and recommendations
12. Make ship/don't ship decision
13. Roll out winner (or iterate)

**Outputs**:
- Experiment design document
- Statistical analysis report
- Recommendation and decision
- Learning summary
- Rollout plan

**References**: Experimentation Platforms, Statistical Testing Best Practices

---

### 5. Strategic Planning

#### Process: Product-Market Fit (PMF) Assessment
**Description**: Evaluate whether product has achieved product-market fit using quantitative and qualitative measures.

**Inputs**:
- Product usage data
- Customer feedback
- Retention metrics
- Growth metrics

**Process Steps**:
1. Define PMF indicators for your product context
2. Run Sean Ellis PMF Survey: "How disappointed would you be if this product no longer existed?"
   - Target: >40% "Very disappointed"
3. Analyze retention curves by cohort
4. Measure key engagement metrics (DAU/MAU, session frequency)
5. Calculate growth metrics (organic growth rate, viral coefficient)
6. Assess NPS and customer satisfaction
7. Conduct qualitative interviews for positioning validation
8. Analyze competitive win/loss data
9. Segment analysis (PMF may vary by segment)
10. Synthesize findings into PMF scorecard
11. If PMF not achieved, identify gaps
12. Create action plan for improvement

**Outputs**:
- PMF assessment report
- Sean Ellis survey results
- Retention analysis
- Engagement metrics dashboard
- Segment-specific PMF scores
- Action plan for improvement

**References**: Superhuman PMF Engine, Sean Ellis Test, Lenny's PMF Guide

---

#### Process: OKR Planning and Review Cycle
**Description**: Set, track, and review Objectives and Key Results on quarterly and annual cycles.

**Inputs**:
- Company-level OKRs
- Team capacity
- Historical performance data
- Strategic priorities

**Process Steps**:
1. **Quarterly Planning**:
   - Review company OKRs and strategy
   - Draft team/product OKRs aligned with company
   - Collaborate with stakeholders to refine
   - Define 3-5 measurable Key Results per Objective
   - Set ambitious targets (70% = success)
   - Share OKRs transparently
2. **Monthly Check-ins**:
   - Review KR progress
   - Update confidence levels
   - Identify blockers and risks
   - Adjust tactics (not objectives)
   - Communicate updates
3. **Quarterly Review**:
   - Grade KRs on 0.0-1.0 scale
   - Conduct retrospective
   - Celebrate wins, learn from misses
   - Use learnings for next quarter
4. **Annual Planning**:
   - Set annual OKRs
   - Align with long-term vision
   - Create annual roadmap

**Outputs**:
- Quarterly OKRs document
- Monthly progress reports
- Quarterly grades and retrospective
- Annual OKRs and roadmap
- Lessons learned documentation

**References**: John Doerr "Measure What Matters", Google OKR Playbook

---

#### Process: Competitive Analysis and Positioning
**Description**: Analyze competitive landscape and define product positioning strategy.

**Inputs**:
- List of competitors
- Product capabilities
- Customer feedback
- Win/loss data

**Process Steps**:
1. Identify direct and indirect competitors
2. Research competitor products (features, pricing, positioning)
3. Analyze competitor marketing and messaging
4. Conduct feature comparison matrix
5. Gather customer win/loss insights
6. Identify competitive advantages and gaps
7. Analyze market trends and opportunities
8. Define differentiation strategy
9. Craft positioning statement
10. Create competitive battle cards for sales
11. Develop response strategies for competitive threats
12. Monitor competitive changes (quarterly review)

**Outputs**:
- Competitive analysis report
- Feature comparison matrix
- Positioning statement
- Sales battle cards
- Differentiation strategy
- Monitoring plan

**References**: Crossing the Chasm, Competitive Intelligence Tools

---

### 6. Stakeholder Management

#### Process: Stakeholder Roadmap Communication
**Description**: Create and communicate product roadmap to different stakeholder audiences.

**Inputs**:
- Product roadmap
- Stakeholder groups
- Communication goals

**Process Steps**:
1. Identify stakeholder groups (leadership, sales, customers, engineering)
2. Understand each group's needs and interests
3. Create tailored roadmap views:
   - Executive: Strategic themes and business impact
   - Sales: Customer-facing features and timelines
   - Engineering: Technical initiatives and dependencies
   - Customers: Value and benefits focus
4. Prepare supporting materials (FAQs, rationale documents)
5. Schedule presentations/reviews with each group
6. Present roadmap with context and rationale
7. Collect feedback and questions
8. Address concerns and adjust as needed
9. Establish update cadence
10. Proactively communicate changes

**Outputs**:
- Stakeholder-specific roadmap views
- Presentation materials
- FAQ document
- Feedback summary
- Communication plan

**References**: Roadmapping Best Practices, Stakeholder Management

---

#### Process: Feature Request Intake and Triage
**Description**: Systematic process for collecting, evaluating, and responding to feature requests.

**Inputs**:
- Feature requests from multiple sources
- Product strategy
- Resource constraints

**Process Steps**:
1. Establish intake channels (forms, support tickets, sales CRM)
2. Create standardized request format (requester, use case, impact, urgency)
3. Collect request with context (who, why, business impact)
4. Log request in centralized system (Productboard, Canny)
5. Initial triage:
   - Duplicate check
   - Strategic alignment filter
   - Quick win vs. strategic assessment
6. Categorize by theme/area
7. Estimate effort (T-shirt sizing)
8. Apply prioritization framework (RICE)
9. Make decision: Roadmap / Backlog / Won't Do
10. Respond to requester with decision and rationale
11. Track requests in aggregate for trends
12. Review backlog quarterly

**Outputs**:
- Feature request database
- Triage decisions and rationale
- Stakeholder responses
- Trends analysis
- Backlog prioritization

**References**: Productboard, Feature Request Management

---

#### Process: Sprint Planning and Backlog Refinement
**Description**: Agile/Scrum process for planning sprints and maintaining healthy product backlog.

**Inputs**:
- Prioritized product backlog
- Team velocity
- Sprint goal

**Process Steps**:
1. **Backlog Refinement (Mid-sprint)**:
   - Review upcoming stories with team
   - Break down epics into user stories
   - Define acceptance criteria
   - Estimate effort (story points or T-shirt sizes)
   - Clarify dependencies
   - Ensure stories are ready for sprint
2. **Sprint Planning (Start of sprint)**:
   - Present sprint goal
   - Review prioritized backlog
   - Team selects stories to commit
   - Clarify requirements and acceptance criteria
   - Answer team questions
   - Finalize sprint commitment
   - Plan analytics instrumentation
3. **Daily Standup Participation**:
   - Attend team standup
   - Unblock with quick decisions
   - Answer requirement questions
4. **Sprint Review**:
   - Demo completed features
   - Accept/reject based on criteria
   - Gather stakeholder feedback
   - Preview next sprint priorities

**Outputs**:
- Refined product backlog
- Sprint commitment and plan
- User stories with acceptance criteria
- Sprint review notes
- Stakeholder feedback

**References**: Scrum Framework, Agile Product Ownership

---

## Process Implementation Notes

### Orchestration Considerations

When implementing these processes with the Babysitter SDK:

1. **Task Types**:
   - Use `agent` tasks for analysis, synthesis, and decision-making steps
   - Use `skill` tasks for specialized operations (data analysis, document generation)
   - Use `breakpoint` tasks for human approval gates
   - Use `node` tasks for automation and API integrations

2. **Quality Gates**:
   - Include verification steps after key deliverables
   - Use iterative loops for refinement (e.g., stakeholder feedback loops)
   - Implement approval breakpoints for strategic decisions

3. **Inputs and Outputs**:
   - Standardize JSON schemas for process inputs
   - Define clear output schemas for each process
   - Store artifacts in structured task directories

4. **Integration Points**:
   - Connect with analytics platforms (Amplitude, Mixpanel)
   - Integrate with project management tools (Jira, Linear)
   - Link with communication tools (Slack, email)
   - Connect with documentation systems (Notion, Confluence)

5. **Reusability**:
   - Create modular sub-processes for common patterns
   - Build composable process components
   - Share common schemas and templates

---

## Summary

**Process Count**: 18 distinct Product Management processes

**Categories**:
1. Prioritization & Planning (3 processes)
2. User Research & Discovery (3 processes)
3. Product Launch & GTM (2 processes)
4. Metrics & Analytics (3 processes)
5. Strategic Planning (3 processes)
6. Stakeholder Management (3 processes)

**Key Frameworks Covered**:
- RICE Scoring
- MoSCoW Method
- Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD)
- Product-Market Fit (PMF)
- OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)
- Continuous Discovery
- A/B Testing
- Roadmap Planning
- Stakeholder Management
- Agile/Scrum Product Ownership

**Primary Focus Areas**:
- Roadmap planning and strategic alignment
- Prioritization frameworks (RICE, MoSCoW)
- User research and discovery (JTBD, continuous discovery)
- Feature specification and requirements
- Product launch and GTM coordination
- PMF assessment and validation
- OKR planning and tracking
- Stakeholder management and communication
- Metrics definition and analytics review
- Sprint planning and backlog management

These processes provide a comprehensive toolkit for AI agents and development teams to execute product management workflows systematically using the Babysitter SDK orchestration framework.
