Product bootstrap flow — from zero to first Charge

Prerequisites

• Forge SDLC is configured (forge/forge.config.yaml exists, or run forge-setup first).
• blueprints/ is available as a submodule or copy.
• docs/product/ directory exists (or will be created during bootstrap).

The pipeline

  The pipeline

  Start
      |
      v
  Core steps (see walkthrough below)
      |
      v
  Outcome

Step 1: Problem definition

PDLC phase: P1 (Discover)

Goal: Articulate the core problem in customer language.

Dialog questions: - Who is the target user or customer? - What problem or unmet need do they have? - How are they solving it today (alternatives, workarounds)? - Why does this problem matter (frequency, severity, willingness to pay)?

Output: Populate docs/product/vision/VISION.md using template: - blueprints/product/templates/VISION.template.md (lightweight) or - blueprints/pdlc/templates/PRODUCT-VISION.template.md (comprehensive)

Versona checkpoint: Consider invoking BA Versona to review problem clarity.

Step 2: Market analysis

PDLC phase: P1 (Discover)

Goal: Size the opportunity and understand market dynamics.

Dialog questions: - What market or category does this product belong to? - How large is the total addressable market (TAM)? - What segments can you realistically serve (SAM)? - What share can you realistically capture near-term (SOM)? - What market trends or technology shifts are relevant? - What regulatory or compliance constraints exist?

Output: Create docs/product/discovery/market-analysis.md using template: - blueprints/pdlc/templates/MARKET-ANALYSIS.template.md

Step 3: Competitive landscape

PDLC phase: P1 (Discover)

Goal: Map the competitive landscape and identify differentiation.

Dialog questions: - Who are the direct competitors (same problem, same audience)? - Who are the indirect competitors (same problem, different approach)? - Who could enter this market (adjacent players, platforms)? - Where do competitors excel? Where are they weak? - What is your differentiation — the 1–2 things no competitor matches? - What moats exist or can be built (network effects, data, switching costs)?

Output: Create docs/product/discovery/competitive-analysis.md using template: - blueprints/pdlc/templates/COMPETITIVE-ANALYSIS.template.md

Versona checkpoint: Consider invoking Product Management Versona to review competitive positioning.

Step 4: Business case

PDLC phase: P3 (Plan & Commit) — or P1 for lightweight version

Goal: Justify the investment with costs, benefits, and risks.

Dialog questions: - What is the estimated cost to build (time, people, infrastructure)? - What are the expected benefits (revenue, cost savings, strategic value)? - What are the key risks and assumptions? - What alternatives were considered? - What does success look like (quantified)?

Output: Create docs/product/business-case.md using template: - blueprints/disciplines/product/ba/templates/business-case.template.md

Step 5: Product vision and metrics

PDLC phase: P3 (Plan & Commit)

Goal: Define the product vision, OKRs, and success metrics.

Dialog questions: - What is the product vision (one sentence)? - What are the top 2–3 objectives for the next 6–12 months? - What key results would prove progress on each objective? - What is the North Star metric? - What health metrics must not degrade?

Output: - Update docs/product/vision/VISION.md with strategy sections. - Create docs/product/metrics/PRODUCT-METRICS.md using blueprints/pdlc/templates/PRODUCT-METRICS.template.md.

Step 6: High-level roadmap

PDLC phase: P3 (Plan & Commit)

Goal: Sequence initiatives against the strategy.

Dialog questions: - What are the major themes or initiatives for the next 2–4 quarters? - What is the delivery approach for each (PoC, MVP, Phase)? - What are the dependencies between themes? - What is committed (near-term) vs aspirational (far-term)?

Output: Create docs/ROADMAP.md using: - blueprints/sdlc/templates/ROADMAP.template.md

Structure the roadmap as: NOW (committed, next 1–2 iterations) / NEXT (planned, next quarter) / LATER (aspirational, 2+ quarters).

Before Step 7, apply Roadmap Definition of Ready to each theme or row (Outcome, Evidence, Horizon, OKR / strategy fit, Dependencies, Non-goals, Next gate) — see forge-product-manager.mdc.template.

Versona checkpoint: After the roadmap is drafted, run Product Management Versona (versona-product-management) or versona-all if routing is unclear; follow Suggested next Versonas in the §5 output before deep WBS. Optional playbook: ../versona/catalog/workflow/versona-roadmap-gate.mdc.template.

Step 7: WBS decomposition

PDLC phase: P3 / SDLC Phase A

Goal: Break the roadmap into a work breakdown structure.

Dialog questions: - What are the major themes (high-level groupings)? - For each theme, what are the epics (large deliverables)? - For each epic, what are the stories (user-facing value units)? - For each story, what tasks are needed?

Output: Create docs/requirements/WBS.md using: - blueprints/pdlc/templates/WBS.template.md

Use the project's ID scheme (e.g. M1E1S1T1) as defined in PLANNING-FLOW.md.

Versona checkpoint: Consider BA Versona for requirements completeness, Project Management Versona (governance) for delivery constraints and schedule feasibility. Product Management Versona should already have reviewed the roadmap at Step 6; do not substitute governance PM for that product-strategy pass.

Step 8: First Product Spark

PDLC phase: P3 → SDLC Phase A

Goal: Define the first Product Spark with a clear delivery approach.

Dialog questions: - What is the highest-priority initiative from the roadmap? - What is the appropriate approach: PoC (validate hypothesis), MVP (deliver core value), or Phase (incremental capability)? - What are the Assay Gate criteria for this Product Spark? - How many Forge iterations will this take (estimate)?

Output: Create the Product Spark plan using the appropriate template: - PoC: blueprints/sdlc/methodologies/forge/planning/poc-plan.template.md - MVP: blueprints/sdlc/methodologies/forge/planning/mvp-plan.template.md - Phase: blueprints/sdlc/methodologies/forge/planning/phase-plan.template.md

Place the plan in forge/releases/ or docs/requirements/ per project convention.

Step 9: First Charge

Goal: Populate the first Forge Charge with product bootstrap Sparks.

If product artifacts from Steps 1–8 are not yet complete, use the first charge template to create a Charge that completes them as Sparks.

If Steps 1–8 are complete, skip to Step 10 and create a Charge with implementation Sparks.

Output: Create or update forge/charge.md from: - first-charge.template.md (this package) — if bootstrapping - blueprints/sdlc/methodologies/forge/daily/charge.template.md — if ready for implementation

Step 10: Plan Sparks through dialog

Goal: Decompose the first Product Spark into phase-tagged Sparks.

Dialog approach: 1. List the Ingots (Epics/Stories) from the WBS that belong to this Product Spark. 2. For each Ingot, decompose into Sparks with phase prefixes: - discover: — research, interviews, analysis - specify: — requirements, acceptance criteria, specifications - design: — architecture, UX design, data modeling - build: — implementation, integration - verify: — testing, validation, QA - release: — deployment, documentation, communication 3. Estimate each Spark (1–4 hours). 4. Assign Sparks to Forge iterations. 5. Identify which Versonas should review which Sparks (discipline lens / §5 when used).

Output: Updated backlog with phase-tagged Sparks assigned to iterations.

After bootstrap

Once the first Charge is populated and Sparks are planned:

1. Begin daily execution using forge-daily — pull Sparks into Charge, switch hats, log in journal.
2. Run Versona sessions at refinement and review ceremonies.
3. Update the roadmap as you learn — new Ore from P5 discovery.
4. Prepare for Assay Gate — assemble evidence against the Product Spark's criteria.

References

• Planning flow — vision to daily Sparks — Forge planning pipeline
• Forge ↔ SDLC ↔ PDLC bridge — Forge lifecycle bridge
• Forge — ceremonies & events (prescriptive) — ceremony details
• Product management — body of knowledge — body of knowledge
• Product Management ↔ SDLC ↔ PDLC bridge — lifecycle bridge