The stages
A product moves through five stages. A stage ends when its check passes, not on a date. A change of direction goes back to Explore. The guide walks through each one.
| Stage | What happens | It ends when | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Direction | You and an agent settle who it is for, the problem, what it replaces and what it will not do. | context/ is filled in, and the next work is written down. | Page 4 |
| 2. Prove the loop | One small task goes the whole way. | One task is done, and a bad change turned the checks red. | Page 5 |
| 3. Explore | Only explorations. Wireframes come first. Design comes after the wireframes are locked. | You say that the direction is locked. | Page 6 |
| 4. Plan | The done explorations become tasks and milestones, in one sitting. | Each task of the first milestone is written. | Page 7 |
| 5. Build | The queue runs. Rules grow from corrections. | The product is out, or the direction changes. | Page 8 |
#Why this order
- Direction first, because each session reads it. A wrong direction makes each later session wrong.
- The loop before the exploring, so that you know the checks work before you depend on them.
- Exploring before planning, because a plan written before you know the answers is wrong, and costs time to change.
- Planning in one sitting, so that the tasks agree with each other.
This order comes from the dates in the history of a working hub. It is not a stated method. Change it when it does not fit your product.