Product App
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is the Product App?
The Product App is FlowState's comprehensive product management application. It enables product managers and teams to:
- Manage product portfolios through their complete lifecycle
- Define and track strategic goals using OKR methodology
- Plan product roadmaps with initiatives organized by quarter
- Coordinate team accountability using RACI matrices
- Link projects to products for execution tracking
- Monitor portfolio health with aggregated dashboards
Who should use this app?
The Product App is designed for:
| Role | Primary Use Cases |
|---|---|
| Product Managers | Define products, set goals, plan roadmaps, manage team assignments |
| Product Owners | Link projects to products, track initiative progress |
| Team Leads | Assign RACI roles, manage team composition |
| Executives | Portfolio view, health monitoring, strategic goal tracking |
How does this app differ from the Projects App?
The Product App focuses on strategic product management:
- Product lifecycle phases (Ideation to Decline)
- Strategic goals (OKRs) and metrics
- High-level roadmap planning by quarter
- Team accountability via RACI
The Projects App focuses on execution:
- Project tasks and milestones
- Sprint/iteration planning
- Day-to-day work tracking
- Team assignments at task level
Products can link to multiple projects, creating a strategic-to-tactical connection.
Products
What product types are supported?
The Product App supports five product types:
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Digital products, applications, platforms | Mobile app, SaaS platform |
| Physical | Tangible goods with supply chain | Consumer electronics, furniture |
| Service | Service offerings and experiences | Consulting, support services |
| Content | Media and information products | Courses, publications, videos |
| Custom | Any other product type | Hybrid or unique offerings |
What are product lifecycle phases?
Products progress through six phases:
Ideation --> Development --> Launch --> Growth --> Maturity --> Decline
- Ideation: Concept exploration and validation
- Development: Building and preparing for market
- Launch: Initial market release
- Growth: Scaling and expanding market share
- Maturity: Stable market position, optimization focus
- Decline: Decreasing relevance, sunset planning
Can I skip lifecycle phases?
Yes, you can transition between any phases. The system records all transitions with timestamps and optional notes for audit purposes. However, following the natural progression helps maintain accurate product history.
How do I archive or delete a product?
To remove a product:
- Open the product detail view
- Click the Edit button
- Select Delete Product
- Confirm the deletion in the dialog
Products are soft-deleted and can potentially be recovered by an administrator. Contact support if you need to restore a deleted product.
Goals & OKRs
What is the goal hierarchy?
Goals support parent-child relationships:
Strategic Goal (Top-Level)
|
+-- Key Result 1 (Child Goal)
| |
| +-- Initiative Metric
|
+-- Key Result 2 (Child Goal)
This allows you to create traditional OKR structures where:
- Objectives are top-level goals
- Key Results are child goals with specific metrics
What goal categories are available?
Goals can be categorized as:
- Growth: Revenue, market share, user acquisition
- Quality: Product quality, customer satisfaction
- Efficiency: Cost reduction, process improvement
- Innovation: New capabilities, R&D outcomes
How is goal progress calculated?
Progress is calculated based on the goal's progress mode:
| Mode | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Manual | You set the progress percentage directly |
| Automatic | Average of linked metrics' progress toward targets |
For automatic mode, each metric calculates: (current - start) / (target - start) * 100
Can I link goals to initiatives?
Goals and initiatives are separate entities but can be conceptually connected:
- Create goals that represent desired outcomes
- Create initiatives that will achieve those outcomes
- Use naming conventions to indicate relationships
- Track both to ensure alignment
Future versions may support direct goal-initiative linking.
Roadmap Planning
What views are available for the roadmap?
Two views are available:
| View | Organization | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | Initiatives grouped by quarter (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) | Long-term planning, stakeholder communication |
| Kanban | Initiatives grouped by status (Backlog, Planned, In Progress, Done) | Day-to-day management, status tracking |
How do I plan across multiple years?
Use the Year Navigator control:
- Click the year display (e.g., "2026")
- Use arrows to navigate to previous or future years
- Each year shows its four quarters independently
- Initiatives are associated with specific year-quarter combinations
What initiative statuses are available?
Initiatives have four statuses:
- Backlog: Not yet scheduled
- Planned: Scheduled but not started
- In Progress: Actively being worked on
- Done: Completed
Can I link multiple projects to one initiative?
Yes, initiatives support multiple project links. This is useful when:
- An initiative spans multiple workstreams
- Different teams contribute to the same initiative
- Multiple deliverables compose a single strategic item
Team & RACI
What is a RACI matrix?
RACI is a responsibility assignment matrix that clarifies roles:
| Letter | Role | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| R | Responsible | Does the work |
| A | Accountable | Approves/owns the outcome (exactly one per area) |
| C | Consulted | Provides input before work is done |
| I | Informed | Kept updated on progress |
What are RACI areas?
RACI areas are the responsibilities you want to assign. Examples:
- Product Strategy
- Technical Architecture
- User Research
- Marketing Launch
- Customer Support
- Quality Assurance
Create areas specific to your product and team structure.
What team roles are available?
Team members can have one of three roles:
| Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
| Owner | Full control, can edit all product aspects |
| Contributor | Can edit goals, roadmap, and linked items |
| Viewer | Read-only access to all product information |
Portfolio Management
How is portfolio health calculated?
Health is calculated from the aggregate status of a product's goals:
| Health | Indicator | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy | Green | >70% of goals are On Track or Complete |
| At Risk | Yellow | 30-70% of goals are On Track |
| Critical | Red | <30% of goals are On Track |
Products without goals show a "No Data" indicator.
How do I filter the portfolio view?
The portfolio supports multiple filters:
- Phase: Filter by lifecycle phase
- Type: Filter by product type
- Health: Filter by health status
- Owner: Filter by product owner
Filters can be combined for precise views.
Data & Integration
Does the app work offline?
Yes, the Product App uses RxDB with local-first architecture:
- Data is stored locally in your browser
- Changes sync automatically when online
- You can view and edit products while offline
- Sync occurs when connection is restored
Can I export product data?
Export functionality is not currently available in the UI. For data export needs:
- Use the FlowState MCP tools for programmatic access
- Contact your administrator for bulk export requests
- Use browser developer tools to access local data (advanced)
How do I integrate with external tools?
The Product App integrates with:
- Projects App: Link projects directly to products and initiatives
- FlowState MCP: Query and modify products via AI assistants
External integrations (Jira, Asana, etc.) are on the roadmap.
Technical
Which browsers are supported?
The Product App supports the latest versions of:
- Google Chrome (recommended)
- Mozilla Firefox
- Apple Safari
- Microsoft Edge
For best experience, keep your browser updated to the latest version.
Is my data secure?
Yes, security measures include:
- All data encrypted in transit (HTTPS)
- RxDB supports encryption at rest
- Organization and workspace isolation
- Input validation on all forms
See your organization's security documentation for details.
What permissions do I need?
Access to the Product App requires:
- Membership in a FlowState organization
- Access to at least one workspace
- No special permissions required for basic access
Product-level permissions (Owner, Contributor, Viewer) control what you can do within each product.
Still Have Questions?
If your question is not answered here:
- Check Troubleshooting for common issues
- Review Features & Capabilities for detailed documentation
- Contact your FlowState administrator
- Submit feedback through the FlowState support channel