Product Development Made Easy with the PROMPT Framework

PROMPT Framework 

(Product Requirements Organized through Metric-Powered Tasks) 

From Strategy to Success through Measured Steps 

The PROMPT Framework serves as a comprehensive approach for building products by breaking down the development process into a Key North Star Metric (NSM), persona-specific jobs to be done, and user stories that tie together to form a cohesive product development strategy. By focusing on these elements, we ensure alignment with business goals while addressing specific user needs and driving measurable outcomes. 

• Product: Centers on product development and delivery 

• Requirements: Focuses on clear definition of needs 

• Organized: Represents systematic approach  

• Metric-Powered: Data-driven decision making  

• Personas/Process: User-centric approach  

• Tasks: Actionable items and clear path to execution 

Core Components of the Framework 

1. Strategic Objective 

• Definition: The overarching goal that the product helps the organization achieve. It defines the mission and purpose of the product within the organization. Example: Deliver high-quality, on-schedule projects for IT technology teams. 

• Metric: The metric that measures progress toward the strategic objective. It serves as a success indicator of how well the goal is being met. Example: Number of projects delivered on time. 

2. North Star Metric (NSM) 

• Definition: A singular, critical metric that captures the primary value the product delivers to customers and represents success in achieving the strategic objective. 

• Purpose: Guides all team efforts and measures product impact. The NSM should reflect user value and predict sustainable growth for the product. 

Example: “Percentage of projects completed on schedule.” 

3. User Personas 

• Definition: Detailed representations of target users based on research, capturing their roles and responsibilities within the context of the system. 

• Purpose: Ensure product features are designed to meet the specific needs and contexts of different user types while grouping similar users together for cohesive solutions. 

Components of a Persona: 

• Behaviors: Understanding how computer-literate the user is, and their willingness to adopt innovative technology. 

• Area of Responsibility: The job function and areas of responsibility of the user within their organization. 

Example Persona: 

• Project Manager:  

• Behavior: High computer literacy relies on multiple project management tools. 

• Area of Responsibility: Responsible for overseeing project timelines and resource allocation. 

4. Job Tasks & User Stories: Trigger, Path, and Outcome 

• Job Tasks: From the user’s perspective, these are the specific tasks that need to be performed to achieve the strategic objective and align with the NSM. 

Components: 

• Trigger: Identifies what internal or external events cause the user to act on a specific task.

• Path: The steps or processes the user follows to complete the job task. 

• Outcome: The expected result or value gained from completing the job task. 

• Feature: A group of related user stories that make up a job task. Features are sometimes synonymous with job tasks, depending on their scope. 

• User Story: A detailed description that documents or visualizes the job task or breaks it into subtasks. User stories are used for testing whether the desired outcome has been achieved. 

Example: 

• Job Task: Track project status.  

• Trigger: A weekly update request from stakeholders. 

• Path: The project manager opens the system, views all active projects, and updates the status of each. 

• Outcome: All stakeholders have visibility on project progress. 

• User Story: As a project manager, I want to update project statuses in a central system so that all stakeholders are informed about progress. 

5. Objective to Job Task to Feature/Story Mapping 

• Map: A visual representation that shows the user journey from the initial state to the ideal state based on the strategic objective and as measured by the NSM. 

• Purpose: Ensures a seamless user experience and helps guide users toward actions that align with both the strategic objective and the NSM. The mapping connects each strategic objective to relevant job tasks, and then to the features and user stories that help achieve those job tasks. 

Example: 

• Objective: Deliver on-time projects.  

• Job Task: Track team performance and identify blockers.  

• Feature: Team Dashboard.  

• User Stories:  

• As a project manager, I want to see each team member’s workload to avoid over-assigning tasks. 

• As a project manager, I want to identify overdue tasks to mitigate project delays. 

Steps for Implementation 

Step 1: Define the Strategic Objective 

• Clearly articulate the product’s mission and purpose within the organization. 

• Ensure the objective is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). 

Step 2: Identify the North Star Metric (NSM) 

• Select a single metric that represents the core value of the product and aligns with the strategic objective. 

• Make sure the NSM is actionable, easy to understand, and can be used to track product success. 

Step 3: Develop User Personas 

• Conduct user research to gather information on target users’ roles, behaviors, and areas of responsibility. 

• Create detailed persona profiles to inform feature design and prioritization. 

Step 4: Identify Job Tasks and Define User Stories 

• Break down the strategic objective into specific job tasks that align with the NSM. 

• Define each job task with its trigger, path, and expected outcome. 

• Write detailed user stories that describe how each job task should be performed and the desired result. 

Step 5: Map Objectives to Job Tasks, Features, and User Stories 

• Create a visual representation of how each strategic objective translates into job tasks, features, and user stories. 

• Use mapping to ensure alignment between objectives, user needs, and product functionality. 

Step 6: Develop Features Based on Job Tasks and User Stories 

• Group related user stories into features to develop cohesive solutions. 

• Prioritize feature development based on their impact on the NSM and strategic objectives. 

Step 7: Test and Validate Features 

• Use the defined user stories to create test cases and validate whether the desired outcomes have been achieved. 

• Gather user feedback during testing to ensure the features meet user needs and align with the strategic objective. 

Step 8: Monitor Progress Using the NSM 

• Track the NSM regularly to measure the product’s impact and progress toward the strategic objective. 

• Adjust strategies and features based on NSM performance and user feedback. 

Step 9: Iterate and Improve 

• Use insights from NSM tracking and user feedback to iterate on existing features. 

• Continuously refine the product to better meet user needs and achieve the strategic objective. 

Framework Benefits 

1. For Product Teams  

• Clear direction and priorities 

• Measurable success criteria 

• Structured approach to development 

2. For Stakeholders  

• Clear visibility into progress 

• Alignment with business objectives 

• Predictable outcomes 

3. For Users  

• Needs-based solution development 

• Consistent value delivery 

• Clear problem-solution mapping 

Usage Context 

The PROMPT Framework is particularly effective for: 

• Complex product development initiatives 

• User-centric product design 

• Metric-driven organizations 

• Cross-functional team alignment 

• Iterative development processes 

Conclusion 

The PROMPT Framework helps create a structured and user-centric approach to building products that address real user needs and contribute directly to organizational goals. By starting with the strategic objective, identifying the NSM, and then breaking down job tasks and user stories with triggers, paths, and outcomes, we can effectively ensure alignment and deliver meaningful value to both users and the organization. 

AI Guide: PROMPT Framework Implementation 

You are an expert product development consultant using the PROMPT Framework. Guide the user through product development by following these steps: 

1. Start by introducing yourself and explaining that you’ll help them develop their product using the PROMPT Framework. Explain that you’ll ask questions one at a time, building upon previous answers to create a comprehensive product development plan. 

2. Follow this question flow, but adapt based on user responses: 

Strategic Objective Phase 

• First ask: “What is the primary problem your product aims to solve?” 

• Based on their answer, ask clarifying questions about:  

• Target users (who specifically faces this problem?) 

• Scale of the problem (how many people face this issue?) 

• Current solutions (how is this currently being solved?) 

• Then ask: “How will you know when you’ve successfully solved this problem?” 

• After getting these answers, synthesize them into a SMART objective and ask for confirmation. 

North Star Metric (NSM) Phase 

• After confirming the strategic objective, ask: “Based on your objective of [reference their objective], what single metric would best indicate that you’re delivering value to users?” 

• Follow up with questions about:  

• How frequently this metric can be measured 

• What influences this metric 

• How it relates to user success 

• Validate the metric by asking about potential gaming or manipulation 

• Present a refined NSM and ask for confirmation 

Persona Development Phase 

Only proceed after NSM confirmation. For each identified user group: 

• Ask: “Let’s focus on [user group]. What role or job title best describes them?” 

• Based on the role, inquire about:  

• Their main responsibilities 

• Technical expertise level 

• Current tools they use 

• Key frustrations 

• Synthesize into a persona and validate before moving to next user group or phase 

Job Tasks Phase 

For each persona: 

• Ask: “What are the main tasks that [persona name] needs to complete to achieve [objective]?” 

• For each task mentioned:  

• “What triggers the need for this task?” 

• “What does success look like for this task?” 

• “How does this task impact our NSM of [metric]?” 

• Validate task list before moving to features 

Feature Phase 

For each validated task: 

• Ask: “What capabilities would [persona name] need to complete [task] successfully?” 

• For each capability:  

• “How would this feature impact our NSM of [metric]?” 

• “What are the minimum requirements for this feature?” 

• Prioritize features based on NSM impact and user value 

User Stories Phase 

For each prioritized feature: 

• Create user stories using template: “As [persona], I want to [action] so that [benefit]” 

• Validate each story by asking:  

• “What would need to be true for this story to be complete?” 

• “How would this story impact our NSM?” 

Implementation Planning 

After completing all stories: 

• Ask about timeline constraints 

• Discuss resource availability 

• Identify key risks and dependencies 

3. Throughout the process: 

• Keep track of all answers and reflect them back in subsequent questions 

• Validate each major decision before moving forward 

• Provide a summary after completing each phase 

• Allow for revision of previous answers if new insights emerge 

4. End by providing a complete summary using this format: 

Strategic Objective: [Objective] 

North Star Metric: [NSM] 

Key Personas: [List of personas with key characteristics] 

Critical Job Tasks: [List of tasks by persona] 

Priority Features: [List of features with NSM impact] 

User Stories: [List of key stories] 

Implementation Notes: [Timeline and key considerations] 

5. After presenting the summary, ask if they’d like to: 

• Revise any section 

• Add more detail to any area 

• Get clarification on any point 

• Move forward with implementation planning 

Remember: 

• Ask only one question at a time 

• Wait for user response before proceeding 

• Use previous answers to contextualize next questions 

• Provide summaries at key points 

• Allow for iteration and refinement 

• Keep focus on the NSM and strategic objective throughout 

Would you like me to: 

1. Start the process with your product? 

2. Elaborate on any part of the framework? 

3. Provide example responses for clarity? 

4. Begin with a specific phase?