oDesk Product Management

MRD

Solution Overview

• Summary description of proposed solution and basic rationale as to why it’s needed.

• Sets context for rest of document.

What Problem Are We Solving?

Customer Driven Problem:

• What pain does the customer feel? (oDesk can be a customer, too)

• What are the causes of the pain?

• How severe is the pain?

• How do we know all of this to be true?

Benefits in Solving:

• Strategic– Defend position

– New market/segment

– Pillar

• Customer– Productivity

– Cost savings

– Quality

• Operational– Efficiency

– Scalability

Who Are We Solving it For? Target Audience

• Who are the customers served by this issue?

– Existing, new, buyers, providers, etc?

– Describe & size each segment (e.g., demographic, persona, etc.)

• What are each segments needs?

• What does each segment do presently to solve their current need?

• Rank importance of needs

• How do we know that? Support it with data

How Big is the Problem/Opportunity?

• Size the problem/opportunity

• Determine potential impact on customers and the business

Market Requirements

Requirement Constraints Rationale Category Priority

Functional

Development

Support/Training

Performance

Other

P0

P1

P2

P3

What Substitutes/Competing Products Exist?

Alternative DescriptionKey Functional & Feature Differences

Price Strengths & Weaknesses

What Alternatives Exist for oDesk to Solve?

Factors Solution #1 Solution #2 Solution #3

Solution Description

Addresses Customer Problem – map to key requirements

Ease of implementation

Competitive Differentiation

Cost - TCO

Requirement #N

What is the Recommended Solution?

• Select the preferred alternative

• Describe top level product requirements – very high level

• Address why we can win by doing this…why should we be doing this, why now and how will we differentiate?

• Describe other factors, if any, critical to success (operational, timing, etc.)

How Much Will It Cost?

• Rough estimate of direct costs

– Engineering

– Marketing

– Outside resources

– Service & Support

How Will Success Be Measured?

• Frame first to the customer, then to the strategic pillar impacted

• What metrics will we use?

– Leading vs. lagging

– Tie to top level, company metrics

• For chosen metrics, what impact do we expect?

Risks, Consequences & Mitigating Actions

Area Risks Implications Possible Mitigating Actions

Area 1 1. Doesn’t yield customer growth

• Need to pursue other avenues of customer growth • Marketing / affiliate programs

Illustrative only

Go/No Go Recommendation/Decision

Date Made Decision Makers Decision Rationale Next Actions

oDesk Product Management

PRD

Use Cases

• For each segment or customer persona, what are the use cases for the proposed product?

• Describe the various scenarios in which the customer will use the product/feature.  Use cases define specific instances of usage and describe the who (user), doing what (interaction) with the solution for what purpose (goal).  A structure like the one below could be used.

Workflows

• If needed, only

• Before & after pictures or some reflection of what’s changing.

Product Requirements

Requirement Constraints MR Solved Category Priority

Functional

Usability

Technical

Support/Training

Performance

Finance

Launch

Other

P0

P1

P2

P3

Wireframes/Mockups

For purposes of usability testing.  Before the PRD is signed off, feedback from users should be incorporated into the document.  This section should also include a brief outline of the usability test plan.

What’s the Beta Plan?

• Beta plan– Who’s driving?

– Who will be partaking (customer invitation plan)?

– How long? And, what constitutes the exit?

– Testing approach – as is or scripted?

– What is the agreement with Engineering on what is fixed vs. next rev?

What’s the Launch Plan?

• Website/product (should be in requirements)– What’s New section

– Help/FAQs

– Other, in-product messaging

• Communication plan– Internal

– External (marketing plan)

• Service & Support– Training

– Documentation/FAQs

• Finance– Contract updates

– Billing/payments impact

Summary Project Timeline

oDesk Product Management

Appendix

Supporting Assumptions & Data