195 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
195 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
# Module 04: Product Brief
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**Your Strategic Foundation in 30-45 Minutes**
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---
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## Module Overview
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This module teaches you how to create a Product Brief - the strategic foundation that prevents chaos and saves weeks of rework. Learn what the document is, why it matters, and how WDS makes creating it fast through AI-guided conversation.
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**Time:** 46-58 minutes (6 lessons)
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**Prerequisites:** Module 02 completed (WDS installed)
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**What you'll create:** Product Brief (2-3 pages) + optional strategic documents as needed
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---
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## What You'll Learn
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- Why projects fail without strategic foundation (and how to prevent it)
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- The 5 strategic questions every Product Brief must answer
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- What the document looks like and how it's structured
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- How WDS makes this fast (30-45 min vs days of meetings)
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- How teams use the Product Brief throughout the project
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- Additional strategic documents you can create as needed
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---
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## Lessons
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### [Lesson 1: The Chaos Problem](lesson-01-chaos-problem.md)
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**Time:** 6-8 minutes
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Why projects fail before they start:
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- The cost of no foundation (wasted design, misalignment, scope creep)
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- What the Product Brief does (single source of truth)
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- Time investment vs payoff (30-45 min saves weeks)
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- Your insurance policy against chaos
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### [Lesson 2: The 5 Strategic Questions](lesson-02-five-questions.md)
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**Time:** 10-12 minutes
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What every Product Brief must answer:
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- **What & Why** - Vision and positioning
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- **Who** - Target users and stakeholders
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- **How We'll Know** - Success criteria (measurable outcomes)
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- **Context** - Competitive landscape (alternatives, differentiation)
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- **Boundaries** - Constraints (technical, business, design)
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### [Lesson 3: The Document Structure](lesson-03-document-structure.md)
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**Time:** 8-10 minutes
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What a Product Brief actually looks like:
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- Template structure walkthrough
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- Key sections and what goes in each
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- How to keep it concise (2-3 pages max)
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- Making it scannable and useful
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- Living document approach
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### [Lesson 4: How WDS Makes This Great](lesson-04-wds-advantage.md)
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**Time:** 8-10 minutes
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The unique features that ensure excellence:
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- Human-in-the-loop thinking partnership (BMad methodology)
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- AI-guided discovery (no blank page paralysis)
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- Conversational approach (talk it out, Saga writes it down)
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- Structured output (proper formatting automatically)
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- Built-in best practices (SMART goals, constraint checklists)
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- Two levels: Simplified vs Complete (based on project needs)
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### [Lesson 5: Using Your Product Brief](lesson-05-using-brief.md)
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**Time:** 6-8 minutes
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How this document powers your entire project:
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- How designers use it (reference for every decision)
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- How developers use it (understand the "why")
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- How stakeholders use it (track progress, prevent scope creep)
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- How product managers use it (roadmaps, user stories)
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- When to update it (and when not to)
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### [Lesson 6: Additional Strategic Documents](lesson-06-additional-documents.md)
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**Time:** 8-10 minutes
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Expanding your strategic foundation:
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- Core Features Document (feature prioritization)
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- Tone of Voice Guide (brand personality, communication)
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- Visual Design Brief (visual direction, inspiration)
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- Technical Architecture Brief (platform, integrations)
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- Content Strategy (content types, publishing)
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- Localization Strategy (multi-language planning)
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- Accessibility Requirements (compliance, user needs)
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- Data & Privacy Strategy (collection, storage, compliance)
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---
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## Tutorial
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**[Tutorial: Create Your Product Brief →](tutorial-04.md)**
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Step-by-step hands-on guide to creating your Product Brief with Saga.
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**Time:** 30-45 minutes
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**What you'll create:** Complete Product Brief document
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---
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## Key Concepts
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**Product Brief:**
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- 2-3 page strategic document
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- Answers 5 critical questions (What/Why, Who, How We'll Know, Context, Boundaries)
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- Single source of truth for entire team
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- Created in 30-45 minutes through AI-guided conversation
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- Living document that evolves with the project
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**The 5 Strategic Questions:**
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1. **What & Why** - Vision and positioning (what you're building, why it matters, who it's for)
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2. **Who** - Target users and stakeholders (who uses it, who decides, who builds)
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3. **How We'll Know** - Success criteria (user, business, technical, design metrics)
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4. **Context** - Competitive landscape (alternatives, differentiation, positioning)
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5. **Boundaries** - Constraints (technical, business, design limitations)
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**WDS Advantage:**
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- **Speed:** 30-45 min vs days of meetings
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- **AI-Guided:** Saga asks the right questions, no blank page
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- **Conversational:** Natural dialogue, not form-filling
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- **Professional:** Built-in best practices (SMART goals, checklists)
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- **Flexible:** Two levels (simplified vs complete)
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- **Living:** Easy to update as you learn
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**Additional Documents:**
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- Optional strategic documents created as needed
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- All live in Project Brief folder
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- Same conversational approach with Saga
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- Expand foundation based on project complexity
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---
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## Learning Outcomes
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By the end of this module, you will:
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- ✅ Understand why the Product Brief prevents chaos and saves weeks
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- ✅ Know the 5 strategic questions that guide every design decision
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- ✅ Be able to structure a clear, concise Product Brief
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- ✅ Understand how WDS makes this fast through AI guidance
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- ✅ Know how teams use the Product Brief throughout the project
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- ✅ Be able to create additional strategic documents as needed
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- ✅ Have confidence to create your own Product Brief in 30-45 minutes
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---
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## What You'll Create
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**Core:**
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- ✅ Product Brief (2-3 pages)
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- Vision & positioning
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- Target users & stakeholders
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- Success criteria (measurable)
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- Competitive landscape
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- Constraints (technical, business, design)
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**Optional (as needed):**
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- ✅ Core Features Document
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- ✅ Tone of Voice Guide
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- ✅ Visual Design Brief
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- ✅ Technical Architecture Brief
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- ✅ Content Strategy
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- ✅ Localization Strategy
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- ✅ Accessibility Requirements
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- ✅ Data & Privacy Strategy
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---
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## Start Learning
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**[Begin with Lesson 1: The Chaos Problem →](lesson-01-chaos-problem.md)**
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---
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[← Back to Course Overview](../00-course-overview.md) | [Next: Module 05: Trigger Mapping →](../module-05-trigger-mapping/module-05-overview.md)
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*Part of the WDS Course: From Designer to Linchpin*
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