Product-Driven Development

Product-Driven Development (PDD) is a methodology that aligns all development activities with product strategy, goals, and roadmaps. Using the FlowState Product App (@epicdm/flowstate-app-product), teams can ensure every feature, task, and line of code contributes to measurable product outcomes.

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Core Concepts
3. Product-Driven Workflow
4. Using the Product App
5. Integration with Spec Workflow
6. Goal-Aligned Development
7. Roadmap-Driven Planning
8. Team Accountability
9. Measuring Success
10. Quick Reference

Overview

What is Product-Driven Development?

Product-Driven Development ensures that technical decisions and implementation work are always connected to:

• Strategic Goals: OKRs and KPIs that define success
• Product Roadmap: Initiatives planned across quarters
• Team Accountability: Clear ownership via RACI matrices
• Measurable Outcomes: Metrics that track progress

Why Product-Driven Development?

Core Principles

Core Concepts

Product Lifecycle

Products move through defined phases, each requiring different strategies:

+-----------+   +-------------+   +--------+   +--------+   +----------+   +---------+
| Ideation  |-->| Development |-->| Launch |-->| Growth |-->| Maturity |-->| Decline |
+-----------+   +-------------+   +--------+   +--------+   +----------+   +---------+

Goal Hierarchy

Goals follow a hierarchical structure supporting OKR methodology:

Product
    |
    +-- Objective 1 (parent goal)
    |       |
    |       +-- Key Result 1.1 (child goal with metrics)
    |       +-- Key Result 1.2 (child goal with metrics)
    |
    +-- Objective 2 (parent goal)
            |
            +-- Key Result 2.1 (child goal with metrics)

Initiative-to-Project Mapping

Initiatives on the roadmap link to projects for execution:

Roadmap
    |
    +-- Q1 2026
    |       |
    |       +-- Initiative: "User Authentication"
    |               |
    |               +-- Project: auth-implementation
    |               +-- Project: sso-integration
    |
    +-- Q2 2026
            |
            +-- Initiative: "Performance Optimization"
                    |
                    +-- Project: caching-layer

Product-Driven Workflow

Complete Workflow

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    Product-Driven Development Workflow                      |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                            |
|  1. PRODUCT CREATION                                                       |
|     +-- Define product via wizard (type, identity, strategy)               |
|     +-- Set initial phase (Ideation)                                       |
|     +-- Document problem/value proposition                                 |
|                                                                            |
|  2. GOAL SETTING (OKRs)                                                    |
|     +-- Create objectives (parent goals)                                   |
|     +-- Define key results with metrics                                    |
|     +-- Link goals to product                                              |
|                                                                            |
|  3. ROADMAP PLANNING                                                       |
|     +-- Create initiatives for each quarter                                |
|     +-- Prioritize initiatives (High/Medium/Low)                           |
|     +-- Assign quarters and status                                         |
|                                                                            |
|  4. TEAM ASSIGNMENT                                                        |
|     +-- Add team members with roles                                        |
|     +-- Define RACI areas                                                  |
|     +-- Assign responsibilities                                            |
|                                                                            |
|  5. PROJECT LINKING                                                        |
|     +-- Link projects to initiatives                                       |
|     +-- Track execution progress                                           |
|     +-- Monitor project health                                             |
|                                                                            |
|  6. SPEC WORKFLOW (per project)                                            |
|     +-- Requirements -> Design -> Tasks -> Implementation                  |
|     +-- See FLOWSTATE.md for full spec workflow                            |
|                                                                            |
|  7. MEASUREMENT & ITERATION                                                |
|     +-- Update goal metrics                                                |
|     +-- Review progress dashboards                                         |
|     +-- Adjust roadmap as needed                                           |
|                                                                            |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Before Starting Development

MANDATORY: Before starting any feature work, verify product alignment:

1. Identify the Product: Which product does this work support?
2. Link to Goal: Which product goal does this feature advance?
3. Check Roadmap: Is this work part of a planned initiative?
4. Verify RACI: Who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed?

// Query to verify product context
// Get product details
collection-get products {productId}

// Get linked goals
collection-query productGoals {"productId": "{productId}"}

// Get roadmap initiatives
collection-query initiatives {"roadmapId": "{roadmapId}"}

// Get team RACI
collection-query teamMembers {"productId": "{productId}"}

Using the Product App

Product Creation

Use the 6-step wizard for comprehensive product definition:

Access: /products -> "New Product" button

Goal Management

Create and track strategic goals with the OKR framework:

Goal Properties:

Access: Product Detail -> Goals Tab

Roadmap Planning

Plan strategic initiatives across quarters:

Initiative Properties:

Drag-and-Drop: Move initiatives between quarters (Timeline) or statuses (Kanban)

Access: Product Detail -> Roadmap Tab

Team Management

Define team composition and responsibilities:

RACI Definitions:

Access: Product Detail -> Team Tab

Project Integration

Link FlowState projects to track execution:

Access: Product Detail -> Projects Tab

Portfolio View

Monitor all products at the portfolio level:

Health Calculation: Based on goal status aggregation

Access: /products (Portfolio view)

Integration with Spec Workflow

Connecting Products to Specs

Every spec workflow should start with product context:

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    Product-Spec Integration Flow                           |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                            |
|  1. IDENTIFY PRODUCT CONTEXT                                               |
|     +-- Which product does this feature support?                           |
|     +-- Which goal does it advance?                                        |
|     +-- Which roadmap initiative does it belong to?                        |
|                                                                            |
|  2. CREATE/LINK PROJECT                                                    |
|     +-- Create FlowState project for this work                             |
|     +-- Link project to product via ProductProjects                        |
|     +-- Link project to initiative on roadmap                              |
|                                                                            |
|  3. EXECUTE SPEC WORKFLOW                                                  |
|     +-- Phase 1: Requirements (reference product goals)                    |
|     +-- Phase 2: Design + UX (align with product strategy)                 |
|     +-- Phase 3: Tasks (link to milestone)                                 |
|     +-- Phase 4: Implementation                                            |
|                                                                            |
|  4. UPDATE PRODUCT TRACKING                                                |
|     +-- Update initiative status                                           |
|     +-- Update goal progress/metrics                                       |
|     +-- Log activity                                                       |
|                                                                            |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Requirements Document Enhancement

Add product context to requirements.md:

# {Feature Name} - Requirements

## Product Context
- **Product**: {Product Name} ({productId})
- **Goal Alignment**: {Goal Name} - {Goal Description}
- **Initiative**: {Initiative Name} - {Quarter}
- **RACI**:
  - Responsible: {Name}
  - Accountable: {Name}
  - Consulted: {Names}
  - Informed: {Names}

## Overview
{Standard requirements content...}

Milestone Linking

Link milestones to product initiatives:

// When creating milestone, include product context
// collection-create milestones
{
  "title": "Feature: {Feature Name}",
  "description": "## Product Context\n\n- **Product**: {productName}\n- **Initiative**: {initiativeName}\n- **Goal**: {goalName}\n\n{rest of description}",
  "projectId": "{projectId}",
  "metadata": {
    "productId": "{productId}",
    "initiativeId": "{initiativeId}",
    "goalId": "{goalId}"
  }
}

Goal-Aligned Development

Writing Goal-Aligned Features

Every feature should trace back to a product goal:

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    Goal Alignment Verification                             |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                            |
|   Feature Request: "Add real-time notifications"                           |
|                                                                            |
|   Step 1: Identify Related Goal                                            |
|   +-- Goal: "Improve User Engagement"                                      |
|   +-- Key Result: "Increase daily active users by 20%"                     |
|   +-- Metric: DAU count with target 1000                                   |
|                                                                            |
|   Step 2: Define Feature Impact                                            |
|   +-- How does this feature impact the metric?                             |
|   +-- Hypothesis: Notifications increase return visits by 15%              |
|                                                                            |
|   Step 3: Define Success Criteria                                          |
|   +-- Feature is successful if DAU increases by X%                         |
|   +-- Measurable via analytics                                             |
|                                                                            |
|   Step 4: Document in Requirements                                         |
|   +-- Link goal in requirements.md                                         |
|   +-- Include success metrics                                              |
|                                                                            |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Updating Goals During Development

As work progresses, update goal status and metrics:

// Update goal progress
// collection-update productGoals {productGoalId}
{
  "status": "in-progress",
  "progress": 50,
  "metrics": [
    {
      "name": "DAU",
      "type": "count",
      "target": 1000,
      "current": 850,
      "trend": "up"
    }
  ]
}

Roadmap-Driven Planning

Quarterly Planning Process

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    Quarterly Planning Workflow                              |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                            |
|  PHASE 1: REVIEW (Week 1)                                                  |
|  +-- Review previous quarter results                                       |
|  +-- Assess goal progress                                                  |
|  +-- Identify completed/incomplete initiatives                             |
|                                                                            |
|  PHASE 2: PRIORITIZE (Week 1-2)                                            |
|  +-- Gather new initiative requests                                        |
|  +-- Score by impact and effort                                            |
|  +-- Align with strategic goals                                            |
|                                                                            |
|  PHASE 3: PLAN (Week 2)                                                    |
|  +-- Create initiatives in Product App                                     |
|  +-- Assign to quarters                                                    |
|  +-- Link to goals                                                         |
|                                                                            |
|  PHASE 4: ASSIGN (Week 2-3)                                                |
|  +-- Update RACI matrix                                                    |
|  +-- Create/link projects                                                  |
|  +-- Define milestones                                                     |
|                                                                            |
|  PHASE 5: COMMUNICATE (Week 3)                                             |
|  +-- Share roadmap with stakeholders                                       |
|  +-- Document decisions                                                    |
|  +-- Kick off first initiatives                                            |
|                                                                            |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Initiative Lifecycle

Backlog --> Planned --> In Progress --> Done
   |           |             |            |
   |           |             |            +-- All projects complete
   |           |             +-- Projects actively being worked
   |           +-- Scheduled for specific quarter
   +-- Ideas not yet scheduled

Moving Work Through the Roadmap

Team Accountability

RACI Matrix Best Practices

Defining RACI Areas

Common RACI areas for product development:

RACI Warnings

The Product App validates RACI assignments:

Measuring Success

Goal Metrics

Define measurable metrics for each goal:

Tracking Progress

Health Indicators

Product health is calculated from goal status:

Activity Tracking

All changes are logged in the Activity Feed:

Quick Reference

Product App Routes

MCP Tool Examples

// Create product
collection-create products {
  "name": "my-product",
  "title": "My Product",
  "type": "software",
  "phase": "ideation",
  "orgId": "{{orgId}}",
  "workspaceId": "{{workspaceId}}",
  "userId": "{{userId}}"
}

// Create goal linked to product
collection-create productGoals {
  "productId": "{{productId}}",
  "title": "Increase User Engagement",
  "category": "business",
  "status": "not-started",
  "progressMode": "automatic",
  "metrics": [{
    "name": "DAU",
    "type": "count",
    "target": 1000,
    "current": 0,
    "trend": "stable"
  }]
}

// Create initiative
collection-create initiatives {
  "roadmapId": "{{roadmapId}}",
  "name": "User Authentication",
  "description": "Implement auth system",
  "quarter": "Q1",
  "year": 2026,
  "status": "planned",
  "priority": "high"
}

// Link project to product
collection-create productProjects {
  "productId": "{{productId}}",
  "projectId": "{{projectId}}",
  "relationship": "implements"
}

// Add team member
collection-create teamMembers {
  "productId": "{{productId}}",
  "userId": "{{userId}}",
  "role": "contributor",
  "raciAssignments": [{
    "area": "Development",
    "role": "R"
  }]
}

Checklist: Starting Product-Driven Work

• [ ] Product exists in Product App
• [ ] Goal linked to this work
• [ ] Initiative on roadmap for this quarter
• [ ] RACI defined for team
• [ ] Project linked to product
• [ ] Project linked to initiative
• [ ] Milestone created with product context

Checklist: Completing Product-Driven Work

• [ ] Feature complete and deployed
• [ ] Initiative status updated to "Done"
• [ ] Goal metrics updated
• [ ] Activity logged
• [ ] Team notified

Related Documents

Version History