9 stages of PLM inspired by 9 forms of Durga

We’re right in the middle of a festive season in India and we’ve been in celebration mode since the Navaratri began.

Navaratri is a Hindu festival that honors Goddess Durga in her 9 forms over a period of 9 days.

Growing up, it was always a family tradition to observe fasts for these 9 days and daily prayers were a ritual where we would offer flowers and diyas to the goddess.

This year was different. I began to think about all 9 forms and what they represent.

And one day, while I was working, something clicked.

I was working on developing a product plan for a client where I was supposed to lead its entire lifecycle from inception to scale.?

I thought to myself, what if I could come up with my own framework that would help product owners like myself to clearly map out different stages and align them with tangible business goals?

It was the third day of Navratri and a light went on!

I realized that all 9 stages of Durga represent a stage in our life, project or any complex journey in the lifecycle of a product. And after going through all the details I could gather about each Devi, this is the framework I came up with.

Navdurgas: Nine manifestations or forms of Durga.

1. Shailaputri: Daughter of Mountain

This is what I call the incubation stage. This is the stage within a project that requires careful planning, development and a tangible manifestation of the first step of your vision, the prototype.

2. Brahmacharini: Mother of devotion and penance

This form of Durga pushes us to test our devotion to our vision. This is where we require rigorous market testing, feedback collection, prioritization, and a revised checklist for the prototype to come back with a product that we can relaunch.

3. Chandraghanta: Destroyer of demons

This stage brings us face to face with the potential risks, the course corrections, launch plans, the bug fixes etc. This is the stage where we fail fast and show agility.

4. Kushmanda: Goddess of The Cosmic Egg

This is where an MVP is created!

This stage gives birth to an actual product that works and is ready to be launched in the market.

5. Skandamata: Goddess of motherhood and children

This is the stage where learn how to facilitate growth for the MVP we have developed. We work on scale strategies, launching new features, increasing the user base etc. during this phase.

6. Katyayini: Goddess of intelligence and remover of hurdles

This phase teaches us to make smart financial & growth decisions with clarity & peace of mind. This is the stage where we understand the competition better, adapt to develop a niche, work on scale budgets and execute risk mitigation plans.

7. Kalaratri: Goddess of auspiciousness and courage

The phase when we rise above the competition by identifying our niche - the final product.

This is where we experience self-discovery - a product we are proud of!

8. Mahagauri: Goddess of wisdom and purity

This is the stage to find the right partners that stay true to the mission & vision of your project.

You collaborate and co-create with like-minded people to improve the maturity of your product and processes.

9. Siddhidhatri: Goddess of supernatural powers or “Siddhis”

With the right partnerships and constant dedication, you finally reach a supreme stage - A Unicorn!

It’s amazing how much you can learn and get inspired by all the little things that grow up watching.