Product based planning

Hi !

Today I want to talk about product based planning. Product Based Planning is a four step process that helps us define a product we are trying to build and what to do.
The are four steps in product based planning:

1. An Overall Product Description
   This is simply a clear description of the major product we are trying to build in this project or program. This could be, for example, a database, a car, or a submarine, for example. If you already have a project team in place then you should already have an understanding of what the project is trying to deliver.
2. A Product Breakdown Structure
   A Product Breakdown Structure is simply a hierarchical and complete decomposition of the overall product we are trying to create. You can follow the link to learn how to create one, but a simple example of one is shown below. The advantages of breaking down the overall product into lower and lower levels include that it makes it easier to estimate the project, it makes it easier to apply quality criteria, and it helps us avoid missing products or sub-products.
   
3. Product Descriptions for each product
   Once you’ve developed your Product Breakdown Structure you need to develop a Product Description for every product in your PBS. This is essentially a clear and precise description of the product. The typical questions asks are: What is the product?, why is it needed?, what are the key quality factors? and how will quality be judged?
   
4. A Product Flow Diagram
   The final thing to do in Product Based Planning is to produce a Product Flow Diagram (PFD). To create the PFD you take the products from the PBS and sequence them in the order they will be created.
   

A significant advantage of product-based planning is the ability to surface critical assumptions and constraints.

I hope you like my summary about product based planning. I think it is a really interesting tool to identify good products and then how projects get structured and value is defined. This can impact a high impact on the final result.