oDesk Product Management
MRD
Solution Overview
• Summary description of proposed solution and basic rationale as to why it’s needed.
• Sets context for rest of document.
What Problem Are We Solving?
Customer Driven Problem:
• What pain does the customer feel? (oDesk can be a customer, too)
• What are the causes of the pain?
• How severe is the pain?
• How do we know all of this to be true?
Benefits in Solving:
• Strategic– Defend position
– New market/segment
– Pillar
• Customer– Productivity
– Cost savings
– Quality
• Operational– Efficiency
– Scalability
Who Are We Solving it For? Target Audience
• Who are the customers served by this issue?
– Existing, new, buyers, providers, etc?
– Describe & size each segment (e.g., demographic, persona, etc.)
• What are each segments needs?
• What does each segment do presently to solve their current need?
• Rank importance of needs
• How do we know that? Support it with data
How Big is the Problem/Opportunity?
• Size the problem/opportunity
• Determine potential impact on customers and the business
Market Requirements
Requirement Constraints Rationale Category Priority
Functional
Development
Support/Training
Performance
Other
P0
P1
P2
P3
What Substitutes/Competing Products Exist?
Alternative DescriptionKey Functional & Feature Differences
Price Strengths & Weaknesses
What Alternatives Exist for oDesk to Solve?
Factors Solution #1 Solution #2 Solution #3
Solution Description
Addresses Customer Problem – map to key requirements
Ease of implementation
Competitive Differentiation
Cost - TCO
Requirement #N
What is the Recommended Solution?
• Select the preferred alternative
• Describe top level product requirements – very high level
• Address why we can win by doing this…why should we be doing this, why now and how will we differentiate?
• Describe other factors, if any, critical to success (operational, timing, etc.)
How Much Will It Cost?
• Rough estimate of direct costs
– Engineering
– Marketing
– Outside resources
– Service & Support
How Will Success Be Measured?
• Frame first to the customer, then to the strategic pillar impacted
• What metrics will we use?
– Leading vs. lagging
– Tie to top level, company metrics
• For chosen metrics, what impact do we expect?
Risks, Consequences & Mitigating Actions
Area Risks Implications Possible Mitigating Actions
Area 1 1. Doesn’t yield customer growth
• Need to pursue other avenues of customer growth • Marketing / affiliate programs
Illustrative only
Go/No Go Recommendation/Decision
Date Made Decision Makers Decision Rationale Next Actions
oDesk Product Management
PRD
Use Cases
• For each segment or customer persona, what are the use cases for the proposed product?
• Describe the various scenarios in which the customer will use the product/feature. Use cases define specific instances of usage and describe the who (user), doing what (interaction) with the solution for what purpose (goal). A structure like the one below could be used.
Workflows
• If needed, only
• Before & after pictures or some reflection of what’s changing.
Product Requirements
Requirement Constraints MR Solved Category Priority
Functional
Usability
Technical
Support/Training
Performance
Finance
Launch
Other
P0
P1
P2
P3
Wireframes/Mockups
For purposes of usability testing. Before the PRD is signed off, feedback from users should be incorporated into the document. This section should also include a brief outline of the usability test plan.
What’s the Beta Plan?
• Beta plan– Who’s driving?
– Who will be partaking (customer invitation plan)?
– How long? And, what constitutes the exit?
– Testing approach – as is or scripted?
– What is the agreement with Engineering on what is fixed vs. next rev?
What’s the Launch Plan?
• Website/product (should be in requirements)– What’s New section
– Help/FAQs
– Other, in-product messaging
• Communication plan– Internal
– External (marketing plan)
• Service & Support– Training
– Documentation/FAQs
• Finance– Contract updates
– Billing/payments impact
Summary Project Timeline
oDesk Product Management
Appendix
Supporting Assumptions & Data