- Handbook
- Software delivery
- Forge — deep-dive package (blueprint)
- Product creation → delivery — industry, Forge, and PMI-style map
Product creation → delivery — industry, Forge, and PMI-style map
Purpose: Map problem statement through product delivery using industry language, Forge work units, and a compact Inputs → Process → Outputs (IPE) view per lifecycle phase. Deep definitions live in linked canon; this file…
Guide · Updated · Source
Canon: Product development lifecycle (PDLC) (P1–P6) · Software development lifecycle (A–F) · Forge ↔ SDLC ↔ PDLC bridge · Planning flow — vision to daily Sparks · Forge — major processes & flow maps
Legend
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Industry | Plain product/delivery language. |
| Forge | Ore → Ingot → Spark → Charge, Product Spark, iteration, Assay — see Forge & planning — naming reference. |
| Example Sparks | Illustrative phase-prefixed Forge Sparks (discover:, specify:, …). Exploration spikes (learning) use Versona sessions per Discipline exploration spike — lifecycle and anchors, not the delivery board. |
PDLC P1 — Discover problem
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Market signals, support data, strategy themes | Interviews, synthesis, competitive scan, persona checks | Problem statement, research synthesis, opportunity sizing, G1 evidence |
| Industry | Validate a real problem before solution work. |
| Forge | Validated problems feed Ore; no delivery commitment. |
Disciplines — example Sparks
| Discipline | Example Spark |
|---|---|
| Product Management | discover: synthesize interviews → problem statement |
| UX research | discover: run interview protocol |
| BA | discover: stakeholder / process context |
| Marketing | discover: competitor positioning matrix |
| Architecture | discover: optional feasibility of problem space (or exploration spike) |
| Data | discover: metric definitions for evidence |
PDLC P2 — Validate solution
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| P1 artifacts, hypotheses | Prototypes, usability tests, experiments, tech spikes | Hypothesis outcomes, feasibility view, G2 evidence |
| Industry | Test solution concepts (desirability, viability, feasibility, usability). |
| Forge | Ore refined with evidence; PoC Product Spark possible; Versona on feasibility. |
Disciplines — example Sparks
| Discipline | Example Spark |
|---|---|
| Product Management | specify: hypothesis cards; verify: experiment readout |
| UX | design: prototype; verify: usability results |
| BA | specify: scenarios tied to hypotheses |
| Architecture | Exploration spike or discover: time-boxed feasibility |
| Security | discover: data-classification sketch for concept |
PDLC P3 — Plan & Commit
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| P2 validation | Vision, OKRs, roadmap, business case, GTM, resourcing | Funded initiative, roadmap/WBS seeds, G3 approval |
| Industry | Commit budget, timeline, success metrics, GTM. |
| Forge | Product Sparks (PoC/MVP/Phase); Ingots scoped for SDLC handoff. |
Disciplines — example Sparks
| Discipline | Example Spark |
|---|---|
| Product Management | specify: roadmap themes; release: stage-gate pack |
| BA | specify: epic / capability outline |
| PM (governance) | specify: dependencies; verify: gate criteria |
| Architecture | design: context diagram + NFR list |
| DevOps | discover: pipeline / env readiness |
| Compliance | specify: compliance checklist for build |
SDLC A — Discover / prioritize
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| P3 handoff | Prioritize, rough size, WBS/backlog updates | Ordered backlog; items ready to specify |
| Industry | Backlog intake and ordering. |
| Forge | Ore intake; discover: Sparks. |
Disciplines — example Sparks: Product discover: ordering workshop · BA discover: epic draft · Architecture discover: enabler Ore · PM discover: dependency map.
SDLC B — Specify
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Prioritized items | Refinement, AC, risks | Ingots with AC; definition of ready |
| Industry | Requirements and acceptance criteria. |
| Forge | Ore → Ingot; specify: Sparks. |
Disciplines — example Sparks: BA specify: story + AC · UX specify: UX notes · Testing specify: test ideas · Security specify: security AC.
SDLC C — Design
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Ready Ingots | Design reviews, ADRs | Design artifacts; Ingot → Spark plan |
| Industry | Technical and UX design. |
| Forge | design: Sparks; planning decomposition. |
Disciplines — example Sparks: Architecture design: ADR · SE design: component note · UX design: handoff · DevOps design: pipeline change.
SDLC D — Build
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Design + tasks | Implementation, tests | Code, PRs, CI green |
| Industry | Implementation. |
| Forge | Charge; build: Sparks. |
Disciplines — example Sparks: SE build: feature slice · FE build: UI · DevOps build: workflow · Data build: job/model code.
SDLC E — Verify
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Build output | Tests, reviews, regression | Evidence; done candidates |
| Industry | QA, CI, UAT. |
| Forge | Assay preparation; verify: Sparks. |
Disciplines — example Sparks: Testing verify: e2e / exploratory · Security verify: review · Product verify: stakeholder sign-off.
SDLC F — Release
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Verified increment | Go/no-go, deploy, communicate | Released artifact; handoff to P4 |
| Industry | Ship, comms, rollback readiness. |
| Forge | Assay Gate; release: Sparks. |
Disciplines — example Sparks: DevOps release: deploy runbook · Product/Marketing release: notes + announcement · CS release: support FAQ.
PDLC P4 — Launch
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Shippable increment, GTM | Beta/GA, training, monitoring | Live product; G4 satisfied |
| Industry | Market activation. |
| Forge | release: + ops Sparks; launch criteria vs P3 metrics. |
Disciplines — example Sparks: Marketing release: launch checklist · CS release: playbook · DevOps release: dashboards/alerts.
PDLC P5 — Grow
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Live metrics | Experiments, funnel work | Iteration backlog → SDLC A; G5 signals |
| Industry | Adoption, retention, growth loops. |
| Forge | New Ore from data; continuous feedback. |
Disciplines — example Sparks: Product/Data discover: metrics review → Ore · Marketing verify: growth experiment analysis.
PDLC P6 — Mature / sunset
| Inputs | Process / practices | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle assessment | Sunset, migration, comms | EOL or reposition to P1 |
| Industry | Retire or harvest. |
| Forge | Deprecation Ingots; build:/release: migration work. |
Disciplines — example Sparks: Product specify: sunset plan · SE build: export tooling · release: decommission.
One-page cheat sheet
| Industry stage | Phase | Forge focus |
|---|---|---|
| Problem insight | P1 | Ore (problems), research |
| Solution proof | P2 | Experiments; optional PoC Product Spark |
| Commit & plan | P3 | Product Spark(s), roadmap, Ingots |
| Ready & build | A–D | Ore → Ingot → Sparks → Charge |
| Prove & ship | E–F | verify:, Assay, release: |
| Go live | P4 | Launch, G4 |
| Learn | P5 | New Ore from metrics |
| End of life | P6 | Migration / deprecation |
Related
- Forge & planning — naming reference — term → source file index
- Forge ↔ SDLC ↔ PDLC bridge — alignment tables and worked example