The Journey from Idea to Value
Every great product starts with an 'idea,' but transforming vague inspirations into products that truly solve problems and create value requires a systematic and rigorous process. This section will guide you through the core stages of this journey. Innovation isn't born out of thin air; it typically stems from a deep understanding of problems and opportunities. Hover over the flowchart below to explore the meaning of each step.
💡 Generating Innovative Product Ideas
- Pain points are the source of innovation: unmet needs, inefficient processes, poorly designed products.
- Brainstorming, user feedback, market trend analysis, competitive analysis.
User Stories: The Smallest Deliverable Unit of Requirements
In agile development, user stories are the core way to describe product functionality. They focus on the user's perspective, ensuring we always prioritize creating value for the user, rather than just implementing features. This section will help you master user story writing and core principles through interactive exercises.
Definition & Purpose
A user story describes software functionality from the user's perspective, focusing on user value rather than a list of features.
They help us focus on users, facilitate communication, and adapt to changes.
Classic Template
Examples
1. As a student, I want to see my learning progress bar on the course page so that I can clearly understand my learning status and motivate myself.
2. As a teacher, I want to export all student assignment grades with one click so that I can quickly complete grade statistics and entry.
Core Principles
3C Principles
- Card – Written concisely on a card
- Conversation – Story is the starting point for discussion
- Confirmation – Acceptance criteria (Definition of Done)
INVEST Quality Standards
Requirements Gathering: The Bridge from Users to Product Managers
Now that we have a good way to describe requirements (user stories), how do we discover these stories? This requires effective requirements gathering methods. Different methods are suitable for different scenarios, some aiming for breadth, others for depth. This section will help you intuitively understand the characteristics and applicability of various methods through interactive cards and charts.
Requirements Gathering Method Comparison
Technique Summary: Cross-validation, multi-channel acquisition, active listening, documentation and organization.
Product Requirements Classification and Management
After collecting numerous requirements, effective classification and management are crucial. This helps the team clarify direction and allocate resources reasonably. In this section, you'll practice classifying requirements through a drag-and-drop exercise, deepening your understanding of different requirement types, and learning about core requirement management activities.
Requirements Classification
Functional Requirements
What the product does (e.g., login, payment, search functionality).
Non-functional Requirements
How well it performs (e.g., performance, security, usability, maintainability).
Business Requirements
High-level organizational goals (e.g., improve retention, reduce costs).
User Requirements
User goals and needs (e.g., "I want to conveniently find courses").
Requirements Classification Exercise
Drag the requirement cards from the left to the corresponding classification areas on the right.
Requirements Pool
Requirement Classification
Functional Requirements
Non-functional Requirements
Business Requirements
User Requirements
Requirements Management
Effective requirements management involves several core activities:
- Tracking - Monitor the status of each requirement throughout the development lifecycle
- Change Control - Manage and evaluate requirement changes systematically
- Prioritization - Determine which requirements to implement first based on value and urgency
Popular Tools: Jira, Trello, Confluence, and other project management platforms help teams track and manage requirements effectively.
Connecting with PMBOK Knowledge Areas
Product requirements management is not an isolated activity; it is closely linked to the core concepts within the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). Understanding these connections helps product managers collaborate better with project teams and ensure successful product delivery. This section will clarify the relationship between requirements management and two key PMBOK performance domains.
Stakeholder Performance Domain
Understanding stakeholder needs is the cornerstone of project success. The requirements gathering process itself involves effective communication with stakeholders (e.g., users, clients, management) to identify and analyze their expectations and needs. Product managers need to identify all key stakeholders and manage their engagement and expectations, ensuring their voices are heard and incorporated into requirement considerations.
Delivery Performance Domain
The 'deliverables' are the products or services built based on 'clear, accurate requirements.' The quality of requirements directly impacts the quality and efficiency of delivery. User stories and agile methodologies emphasize small, rapid iterations and continuous delivery of valuable features, which aligns perfectly with the goals of the delivery performance domain.
Data Collection and Analysis Methods
The previously mentioned methods such as interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, and observation are commonly used 'data collection' tools and techniques in PMBOK. During the requirements gathering phase, product managers utilize these tools to 'analyze' and 'organize' raw information, ultimately forming structured product requirements.
🎯 Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
- Understand how to transform innovative ideas into actionable product requirements.
- Master user-story writing techniques and their core role in agile development.
- Familiarize with various requirements-elicitation methods and apply them in practice.
- Understand the importance of product-requirements classification and management.
- Recognize the relationship between stakeholder & delivery performance domains in PMBOK.
✨ Remember: Effective requirements management is the foundation of successful product development!