How to write an Internet product plan

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:writeInternetproductplan

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Introduction Learn how to write a useful Internet product plan Instructions Difficulty: Moderately

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Introduction

Learn how to write a useful Internet product plan

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You'll Need

  • Web Developers
  • Web Designers
  • Database Developers
  • UX (user experience) test team
  • Project managers (this may be you)
  • Testers

Steps

1

Step One

Identify the business need for the product. Everyone needs to know the vision for the product. Who will buy it? How much money will it make for the company? Add this and forecasts to the plan.
2

Step Two

Identify the product requirements. How is the product going to work? Describe the requirements of what it is supposed to accomplish. You can write use cases, scenarios and personas if they help define what is going to be accomplished with the product.
3

Step Three

Describe the product itself. You can do wire frames drawings of what the product will look like, how it will act, and how users will accomplish tasks. Add this information to the plan.
4

Step Four

Work with the developers, designers, and managers to understand the scale and scope of the project. Identify the underlying technical tasks that need to be accomplished. Add this information to the plan.
5

Step Five

Work with the marketing, support, and sales team to identify what is required to sell, document, and support the product. Talk to legal, accounting, and billing teams to make sure all the bases are covered. Include any localization teams as well in the discussion. Add all the action items, time requirements, and resource needs to the plan.
6

Step Six

Break the project up into manageable chunks (from 1 to 4 weeks in duration). Decide on milestones for the project, at it to the plan.
7

Step Seven

Create a schedule, assign resources, and add it to the plan.
8

Step Eight

Launch the project. Adjust the plan as needed.
9

Step Nine

After the project is completed run a post-mortem discussion. Figure out what worked, what did not work, and how to improve things in the future.

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • Learn how much detail is needed by letting developers, designers, and managers contribute to the plan
  • Test regularly with real users (at least 5) before you launch.
  • Too much detail in your plan can kill innovation and cause overly complex solutions -- give your developers room to fulfill the requirements with creativity
  • Too little detail in your plan can cause confusion and poor results. Find the right balance.
  • Be willing to adjust your plan. Things change. Get comfortable with some ambiguity.
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