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Cheatsheet
Product Process Cheatsheet
Visual summary of the three product tiers — process flow, artefact requirements, project sizing rules, and tier assignment quick test.
Product Process
Three tiers of work, proportionate process. Detail in the full document — this is the at-a-glance reference.
Tier 1Feature
1
Capture
PM writes ticket from user conversation
2
Refinement
Standard squad session
Go/No-Go: PM
3
Build & Release
Standard dev process
Tier 2Enhancement
1
Discovery
User conversations, competitor scan, data
2
PRD + Design
PM writes PRD, wireframes in parallel
Go/No-Go: PM + Head of Product
CTO if 4+ sprints
3
Refinement
Multiple sessions from PRD
4
Build & Release
Phased delivery behind flags
Tier 3Initiative
0
CTO Alignment
Quick conversation before any work
1
Framing
Hypothesis, questions, investment boundary
2
Discovery
Research, market, feasibility spike
3
One-Pager + PRD + Design
Executive summary, detailed spec, hi-fi
Go/No-Go: HoP + CTO + Exec
Board if capital investment
4
Refinement + Build
Increments of 1–4 sprints, go/no-go each
Artefacts Required
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Ticket
✓
✓
✓
Discovery notes
—
✓
✓ structured
PRD
—
✓
✓ detailed
One-pager
—
—
✓
Wireframes
if UI work
✓
✓ hi-fi
Prototype
—
validation only
validation only
Tech feasibility
at refinement
Lead Dev conv.
✓ spike
ADRs
if significant
if significant
✓
Prototypes vs wireframes: Use interactive prototypes for user validation. Use wireframes for build handoff. Engineers build from the design system, not by recreating prototypes.
Project Sizing Rules
| Duration | Rule |
|---|---|
| 1–3 days | No special rules (Tier 1) |
| 1 sprint | No special rules |
| 2–4 sprints | Sprint-level milestones. Tangible output every sprint. Phases defined in PRD. |
| 4+ sprints | Independently shippable increments of 1–4 sprints. Each has own go/no-go. Can be paused or killed. |
Tier Assignment — Quick Test
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Solution obvious? | Yes → Tier 1 |
| Fits in 1–3 days? | Yes → Tier 1 |
| Needs design exploration? | Yes → Tier 2+ |
| Spans multiple sprints? | Yes → Tier 2+ |
| Problem space unclear? | Yes → Tier 3 |
| Needs exec approval? | Yes → Tier 3 |
| Strategic commitment? | Yes → Tier 3 |
Escalation is normal. A Tier 1 that needs design becomes Tier 2. A Tier 2 that reveals a market question becomes Tier 3. Reclassify as understanding develops.
For the full process details, see the Product Process guide.