Navigating the Journey from Idea to Launch
As a startup CTO who has led multiple products from conception to full launch, I’ve picked up some lessons along the way. One key learning is that having a solid product development framework is crucial for setting teams up for success.?
In my experience, many founders dive right into building without considering the full product journey. This leads to misalignment across teams and unclear objectives. It can be the difference between launching an innovative product people love versus something that completely misses the mark.
Over the years, I’ve refined a framework that outlines the key phases and activities involved in taking a product to market. I call it the Product Go-To-Market Lifecycle (PGTML). It provides a high-level map for the road from idea to launch and beyond.?
In this post, I’ll share an overview of the framework so you can apply it within your own startup.
The PGTML Phases?
The framework consists of 10 core phases:
Phase 1 - Business Vision ?
This phase involves nailing down your broad business goals and strategy, which gives direction for everything that follows. Key activities include market research, identifying target customers, defining success metrics and creating a business plan.
Phase 2 - Product Ideation and Customer Research
Next, you ideate on specific product concepts and validate them through customer research. This involves brainstorming ideas, creating user personas, interviewing potential users, and mapping product concepts to target customer needs.
Phase 3 - Go-to-Market Strategy
Now it’s time to define your messaging and go-to-market strategies to effectively convey the product benefits. This includes developing positioning, crafting campaigns, and planning PR strategy.
Phase 4 - Product Requirements
With your direction validated, you dive into defining detailed product requirements and specs to communicate to engineering. This results in documentation like user stories and acceptance criteria.
Phase 5 - Technical Specification
Engineering takes the reins, hammering out technical specs and architecture to fulfil the product requirements.
Phase 6 - Prototyping and Validation
Before full dev work, prototypes are built to validate technical approach and design. Testing and iteration here prevents wasted effort.
Phase 7 - Alpha Release
Initial lightweight version of the product for internal dogfooding and testing. Gives final validation before exposing to customers.
Phase 8 - Beta Release
Limited external release to validate product-market fit and messaging with a smaller set of real-world users.
Phase 9 - Early Access Release
Opt-in release available to all target customers to build awareness and refine ahead of full launch.?
Phase 10 - General Availability
Full public launch of the product!
While the phases are sequential, some may repeat or overlap depending on learnings uncovered. The key is not to view this as rigid, but rather as guideposts for the product journey.
Using the Framework
I suggest holding a kickoff workshop with key leadership to walk through the framework together. Plot out your initial assumptions for timelines, objectives and team responsibilities within each phase.?
Then revisit it continuously as a north star check-in across departments to validate alignment as you progress. Are you on track? Does anything need adjusting??
Clearly defining phases sets expectations, ensures appropriate sequencing of activities, and gets everyone on the same page for a unified go-to-market motion.
Of course, reality never perfectly matches the plan. Use the framework as a tool for navigating the twists and turns as they happen. Leverage the phases to course correct quickly when things veer off track.?
I hope this high-level overview provides a template to make your next product launch process smoother. The PGTML isn’t set in stone - adapt it to your needs. Just don’t skip having an intentional plan altogether.
This framework merges learnings from both the Product Led Growth philosophy and the Software Development Lifecycle. It aims to combine an outside-in, customer-centric approach with efficient software delivery.
I took key aspects of Product Led Growth, like rapid validation through constant customer feedback. And integrated cross-functional collaboration from the Software Development Lifecycle. The result is a blueprint for shipping products users love, the right way.
Wishing you much success on your journey from idea to impact! Excited to hear your thoughts and experiences applying the framework.
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The Product Go To Market Lifecycle
Phase 1 - Business Vision
What's it about? Nailing down your broad business goals and strategy. Provides direction for everything that follows.
Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: Business plan, market research, competitive analysis
Making sure it aligns: Understand customer needs and the market landscape. Envision the messaging.
KPIs/Metrics: Market analysis completeness, business plan approval
Phase Transition: Move to Phase 2 once business plan is approved. If not approved, rework plan based on feedback.
If Fails: Rework business plan and repeat Phase 1.
Phase 2 - Product Ideation and Customer Research
What's it about? Come up with product concepts and test them with customers.
Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: Personas, user stories, roadmap
Making sure it aligns: Link concepts to customer jobs and pain points. Develop messaging.
KPIs/Metrics: Number of concepts identified, customer validation coverage
Phase Transition: Move to Phase 3 once concepts are validated by research. If concepts not validated, redo research and ideation.
If Fails: Repeat research and ideation until concepts validated.
Phase 3 - Go-to-Market Strategy
What's it about? Figure out messaging and go-to-market strategies.
Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: Press releases, website content, sales material
Making sure it aligns: Finalise messaging aligned to product and customers.
KPIs/Metrics: Message resonance with customers, awareness metrics
Phase Transition: Move to Phase 4 once messaging resonates with target customers. If not resonating, rework messaging.
If Fails: Refine messaging until it resonates before moving forward.
Phase 4 - Product Requirements
What's it about? Define detailed product requirements and priorities.
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Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: PRD, user stories, acceptance criteria
Making sure it aligns: Ensure requirements address key customer needs and messaging.
KPIs/Metrics: Requirements approval, prioritisation coverage
Phase Transition: Move to Phase 5 once requirements fully defined. Rework if not sufficiently detailed.
If Fails: Repeat requirements gathering until execs approve.
Phase 5 - Technical Specification
What's it about? Figure out the technical approach to meet product requirements.
Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: Technical specs, architecture diagrams
Making sure it aligns: Ensure technical approach enables metrics needed for launch.
KPIs/Metrics: Technical approval, adherence to requirements
Phase Transition: Move to Phase 6 after technical approach approved. If not approved, rework technical specs.
If Fails: Refine technical specs until product team approves.
Phase 6 - Prototyping and Validation
What's it about? Build lightweight prototypes and test them out.
Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: Prototypes, spike solutions
Making sure it aligns: Improve product before full development.
KPIs/Metrics: Prototype coverage of scenarios, customer feedback
Phase Transition: Move to Phase 7 if prototypes validate product direction. If not, redo prototypes as needed.
If Fails: Continue prototyping until product validated.
Phase 7 - Alpha Release
What's it about? Initial internal release for testing and feedback.
Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: Limited feature product version
Making sure it aligns: Gather final feedback before external beta release.
KPIs/Metrics: Feature completeness, bug metrics
Phase Transition: Move to Phase 8 if alpha approved internally. If issues, redo release as needed.
If Fails: Fix issues based on feedback and repeat alpha release.
Phase 8 - Beta Release
What's it about? Limited external release to test the product and messaging.
Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: More complete product version
Making sure it aligns: Finalise messaging based on beta feedback.
KPIs/Metrics: Customer feedback, message resonance
Phase Transition: Move to Phase 9 if beta feedback positive. If not, refine messaging and product based on feedback.
If Fails: Address feedback from beta and repeat beta release.
Phase 9 - Early Access Release
What's it about? Opt-in release available to all customers to build awareness.
Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: Production-ready, feature-complete product
Making sure it aligns: Build awareness through messaging and PR.
KPIs/Metrics: Conversion rate, product stability
Phase Transition: Move to Phase 10 once metrics meet targets. If not hitting targets, optimise based on early access learnings before full launch.
If Fails: Improve product based on early access feedback and repeat.
Phase 10 - General Availability
What's it about? Full public launch of the product.
Key activities:
Who's involved?
The key stuff: Live product, marketing launch
Making sure it aligns: Launch messaging and marketing campaigns.
KPIs/Metrics: Adoption rates, customer retention
Phase Transition: N/A - full launch!
If Fails: Address any issues based on early usage metrics. Pause full launch if necessary until resolved.
Originally published: https://blog.jinskadwood.com/navigating-the-journey-from-idea-to-launch
Incubating new growth engines at BT Group | Ex Booz & Company
1 年Nice one! Love a good framework to help structure thinking. Although I’d be looking at how to bring phase 6: prototyping and validation much earlier into the framework right after coming up with some ideas. The key thing I’d be wanting to understand before I’d get too deep down the rabbit hole of product requirements and tech specs is validating the key assumptions we are making with our ideas and target users first. Run rapid low effort tests using non-function or functional prototypes that provide greater confidence that the idea and desired users find value with the concept or idea, that the designs we think we want are usable, that the underlining business model is viable and that we can feasibly build it