Product Management Confabulation

Product Managers are kind of like the hall monitors of the tech world. We love creating rules and sticking to them. And that’s fine, methodologies and Product Management frameworks are there to help us all meet best practices and do things the right way.

As you grow and level up your Product Management skills, you’re going to naturally be picking up more and more Product Management frameworks to help you in your role. They’re like ammo, new weapons in your arsenal to allow you to tackle and overcome new challenges.

But here’s the thing: there are a lot of frameworks out there –  lot that you’re going to have to cram into your brain. Also, there are a lot of frameworks and models that often do the same thing. Depending on what you’re doing, it may start to feel like there are 101 ways to skin a cat.

If your brain is bulging with different Product Management Frameworks for prioritization, working out your pricing strategy, gathering data from customers – and everything else – it might be useful to shed some weight.

Now don’t think for a second that we’re saying that you need to forget and disregard the frameworks that don’t have the privilege of featuring on this list. Honestly, every single one has its place. We’re saying that, maybe, if you’re building up your knowledge of Product Management frameworks, these are the ones that you definitely need to know. They’re the tried and tested and effective frameworks that ensure you’re meeting the mark.

So, without further ado, here’s a look at the Product Management frameworks that you should be saving in your brain bank and why they’re worth following. 

Our Complete list of Product Management frameworks

Let’s do it. 16 worthwhile Product Management frameworks. Explained and listed out for you so that you know what models are worth turning to. This list is not exhaustive. If it was, we’d be here all day. And because of that, if you know of a Product Management framework that’s really helping you out that we don’t cover here, tell us. Please. We’d love to know.

To make things easier, we’ve even gone and organized it based on what you’re using the frameworks for. Click from this list below to skip down to the types of frameworks you’re looking for. 

Product Management Frameworks for Prioritization

In the grand scheme of things, you’ll find that most Product Management frameworks are going to be focused on prioritization in one way or another. That makes sense, figuring out what’s most important to work on is a major part of Product Management.

Here’s a quick overview of some of the most important, but there are sooooo many more you can use. Get a better sense of the power of Prioritization Frameworks by downloading our ebook below. There you’ll be able to learn multiple nifty ways to prioritize. Check it out below:

RICE scoring

Potential features or ideas aren’t just categorically ‘good’ or ‘bad’. There are multiple factors that all come together to dictate if it’s something you should pursue. RICE scoring helps you collate all these factors and pump out an actionable score to help you see what’s the best stuff to work on.

To do RICE scoring, you need to first give a score, typically out of 10, on these four areas:

• Reach: How many users will this feature or update affect?
• Impact: How significantly will it improve their experience?
• Confidence: How sure are we about the above estimates?
• Effort: How much work is required to implement it?

Oh, would you look at that, the first letters of each word spell R.I.C.E, who would have thought? From here, you can then work out your RICE score by plugging it into the pretty straightforward formula: 

With RICE scores generated for each of your new ideas, you can then compare them against each other to see which ones have the most potential to move the needle with the least amount of effort.

Of course, there’s WAY more to RICE scoring. Good job we’ve put together this glossary article so you can learn more: 

Weighted impact scoring

Weighted impact scoring is another Product Management framework that helps you work out the best things to focus on based on different factors. What makes this different from RICE scoring is that these different factors are weighted depending on what’s most important to you. Because certain factors are simply more important than others.

For example, say your team really values something that has high customer demand and doesn’t care as much about its technical feasibility. You can illustrate that with weighted scoring, meaning that the value you give to customer demand has a higher impact on the final score.

To do weighted scoring, you’ll follow a process like this: 

1. Identify criteria: Define the key factors influencing success, such as market demand, customer impact, cost, or technical feasibility.
2. Assign weights: Allocate importance to each item, making sure that the total equals 100%. For instance, market demand might carry 40% weight, while cost might have 20%.
3. Score ideas: Rate each idea against the criteria on a consistent scale, such as 1 to 10. A higher score indicates a better alignment with the criteria you’ve created.
4. Calculate weighted scores: Multiply each idea’s score by its corresponding weight, then add the results to generate a total weighted score.
5. Rank ideas: Use the total scores to rank options. The highest-scoring ideas are prioritized for implementation while low-scoring ones can be deprioritized or excluded.

By following these steps, you’ll get something like this: 

In this example, it’s clear that Product Idea 2 is the best to work on first and will provide the biggest impact. Learn more about Weighted Scoring in our full glossary article: 

Kano Model

The Kano Model is a survey that allows PMs to work out what features are most important to their customers, allowing them to prioritize feature development and improvements. In this survey, you’ll ask two sets of questions about your feature ideas: 

• How would you feel if we added this feature?
• How would you feel if this feature was missing?

Users can respond by ticking one of five options that range from “I like it” to “I dislike it”. From these answers, you can then categorize your ideas or existing features based on what users like and dislike, helping you know what to drop and what to focus your efforts on in the future. Through this survey, you’ll be able to categorize your features or ideas into 5 sections: 

1. Basic: Must-haves that users expect.
2. Performance: Features that increase satisfaction the more they’re improved.
3. Delighters: Unexpected features that delight users.
4. Indifferent: Features users don’t care about.
5. Dissatisfiers: Features that frustrate users if present or missing.

The Kano model is useful but involves a fair bit of work to get it done properly. If you’re keen to follow the model, check out our step-by-step instructions: 

MoSCoW Prioritization Model

If you’re struggling to work out which features you should have in your product or need to know which ideas on your roadmap or backlog are worth sticking with, the MoSCoW Prioritization framework can help you.

The Product Management Framework allows you to assess ideas based on their importance and urgency, making sure that you allocate resources properly.

When using this framework, you rank your ideas based on them being a… 

• M – Must Have: Non-negotiable essentials for project success.
• S – Should Have: Important but not critical; can be postponed if necessary.
• C – Could Have: Nice-to-have features that add value but are not priorities.
• W – Won’t Have: Explicitly excluded from the current scope but may be revisited later.

This is what the framework stands for. By organizing requirements into these categories, the MoSCoW model ensures that teams work smarter, delivering what matters most while setting realistic expectations for all stakeholders.

You’ve probably guessed it by now, but we also have a glossary article covering this Product Management framework – perfect if you want to learn more. Check it out: 

Product Management Frameworks for Product Discovery 

Product Discovery is very important, so much so that it’s a core part of the Product Management Lifecycle. PMs constantly need to be learning about their audience and product to make sure they’re building the best thing possible. Here are some of the best frameworks for that. 

Double Diamond

The Double Diamond Product Management framework is a design and problem-solving approach that helps teams go from an initial kernel of an idea to a well-defined solution. It visually represents the process with two diamonds: the first focuses on defining the problem, while the second centers on designing the solution.

The framework has four key stages: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.

The Discover phase involves exploring the problem space through research and gathering insights. Teams cast a wide net to uncover user needs and pain points.

In the Define stage, the insights are analyzed to pinpoint the core problem, narrowing the focus to define a clear, actionable problem statement.

The second diamond begins with the Develop phase, where teams ideate and prototype potential solutions. This is a collaborative process, encouraging creativity and exploration of multiple ideas.

Finally, in the Deliver stage, the team tests and improves solutions, ensuring they meet user needs before scaling and shipping it to market.

In the context of product discovery, the Double Diamond Product Management framework ensures that Product Managers and teams deliver solutions that are both user-centric and aligned with business goals. It encourages collaboration across disciplines and fosters a mindset of continuous improvement.

ICE Scoring 

ICE scoring is a very simple framework, and allows Product Teams to evaluate potential solutions based on three key factors: 

• It’s Impact 
• How Confident you are in the idea
• How Easy the idea is to implement

By looking at these factors alone, it creates a simple way to decide on which initiatives you should focus on and if your potential ideas are going to work out.

To work out your ICE score, you first score each factor between 1-10, and you then multiply them together to get your final ICE score. The higher, the better.

The simplicity of ICE Scoring makes it an ideal framework for quickly comparing a wide range of ideas. It encourages objective decision-making by breaking down initiatives into measurable components, reducing biases that may crop up from gut feelings or organizational politics. If you need to make fast decisions, then this Product Management Framework is definitely a good option to have in your back pocket.

Learn more about ICE scoring: 

Opportunity Solution Tree 

The Opportunity Solution Tree is a framework developed by Product Leader and ProdPad friend, Teresa Torres. It’s a great framework for mapping out desired outcomes and working up ideas for actionable solutions. It gives structure to your discovery work and makes sure that teams are working on the right problems before they jump ahead.

When building an Opportunity Solution Tree, you’ll plot on three levels: 

1. Outcome: The overarching goal or desired result. For example, “Increase user retention by 20%.”
2. Opportunities: User needs, pain points, or problems that could help achieve the outcome. These are identified through user research.
3. Solutions: Potential ways to address the opportunities. Teams brainstorm and validate ideas here.

With these plotted out, you’ll then build a tree that may look something like this: 

Using an Opportunity Solution Tree encourages a systematic approach to product discovery. Instead of jumping straight to solutions, teams spend time actually exploring the problem space, ensuring they address real user needs. Breaking the process into steps reduces wasted effort on misaligned initiatives. Everything is focused on outcomes, not outputs, and every solution is tied to a validated opportunity.

Of course, this is just the ‘root’ of the Opportunity Solution Tree (see what we did there). Fully get your head around it by checking out our detailed glossary article: 

Product Management Frameworks for Product Development

Sometimes, doing can be the hardest thing in Product Management. Building and then implementing a plan can be tricky – especially if you’re cautious about doing things the right way. Thankfully, there are frameworks you can follow that make sure you’re always on the right track when developing and building your product.

Here are some of the best Product Development frameworks.

Kanban Framework

The Kanban Framework is a visual workflow management method that helps teams manage the work they have in progress. It’s a visual planner that’s shared with your entire team to improve visibility and reduce bottlenecks.

At its core, Kanban revolves around tracking tasks on a Kanban Board, which consists of columns representing stages in the workflow:

To Do
In Progress
Done

Tasks, represented as cards, move across the board as they progress through these stages. By representing tasks as cards on the board, teams gain clarity on what’s being worked on, who’s working on what, and where potential delays exist.

When using Kanban, you have a limit on what tasks can sit in each column, preventing teams from overloading themselves and encouraging a focus on completing tasks before adding another one. This creates a steady workflow while team members consistently review the board and make tweaks to their processes to improve the development process.

This framework is particularly beneficial for teams seeking to improve delivery times and reduce waste without overhauling their existing processes. Its focus on continuous delivery and responsiveness to change makes it a cornerstone of Agile practices.

GIST Planning

The GIST Planning framework, created by Itamar Gilad, is a lightweight, Agile-friendly framework designed to simplify strategic planning and execution for product teams. GIST stands for: 

1. Goals: High-level objectives that the team aims to achieve, such as improving user retention or increasing revenue.
2. Ideas: Potential solutions or initiatives to reach the goals. These ideas are collected, evaluated, and prioritized.
3. Step-Projects: Small, actionable projects derived from prioritized ideas. These projects are designed to deliver measurable results quickly.
4. Tasks: Specific actions required to complete the step-projects.

Here, the goal is to take high-level, ambitious goals and break them into tiny pieces that are more manageable and easier to focus on. It’s like eating a great big chocolate bar, you nibble on each block instead of shoving the whole thing in your mouth at once.

GIST Planning is important because it bridges long-term strategy and short-term execution. It helps teams avoid overcommitting to rigid plans and instead fosters a culture of adaptability. By breaking large goals into manageable pieces, teams can focus on incremental progress and ensure alignment with user needs and business objectives.

This framework is ideal for fast-moving teams that need a clear structure without the constraints of traditional planning methods.

And that’s the gist of GIST. If you want to learn more, we’ve actually spoken to Itamar about the benefits of GIST over Product roadmaps. Get your hands on the on-demand video. 

V2MOM

The V2MOM Framework is a strategic planning tool to align teams and ensure everyone is clear on how you achieve your organization-spanning goals. It provides a structured approach to defining priorities, aligning efforts, and tracking progress.

V2MOM stands for:

1. Vision: The ultimate goal or outcome the team wants to achieve. It sets the direction and purpose.
2. Values (the second ‘V’ hence the 2): The principles and priorities that guide decision-making and define success.
3. Methods: The specific actions or strategies required to achieve the vision.
4. Obstacles: Potential challenges or risks that might hinder progress.
5. Measures: The metrics used to evaluate success and track progress.

Getting different teams and the members within them on the same page can be pretty tough. The simplicity of V2MOM makes it a powerful tool for aligning teams, especially in large organizations. Each component ensures that everyone understands not just what they’re working on, but why it matters and how success will be measured.

In product development, V2MOM is particularly useful for maintaining focus and cohesion in cross-functional teams. By clearly outlining objectives and strategies, it prevents misalignment and ensures that efforts are directed toward shared goals – not just the core metrics for each specific team.

This framework is valuable for Product Managers seeking to straddle strategy and execution, learn about it:

Product Management Frameworks for Team Management

Product Managers don’t act alone. You’re surrounded by a team made up of multiple cross-functional roles, not to mention other stakeholders who all have a shared interest in the product and its direction. Because of this, you’re going to have to learn how to properly manage these teams and create a structure to avoid everything spiraling into chaos, blockers, and silos.

Here are some great Product Management frameworks to help you manage your teams.

DACI Framework

The DACI Framework is a decision-making and accountability tool designed to clarify roles and responsibilities within teams. It clearly states who owns and is responsible for driving decisions, making sure that no one goes off and starts a task without consulting the rest of their squad.

DACI is particularly useful for cross-functional teams working on strategic initiatives, product development, and organizational change.

DACI defines the four different types of people in a team and their association to decision making: Driver, Approver, Contributor, and Informed:

1. Driver: The person or role responsible for driving the decision-making process. This individual coordinates the discussions, gathers input, and ensures that decisions are made within the set timeframe.
2. Approver: The person who has the final authority to approve or veto the decision. The approver is accountable for ensuring the decision aligns with business objectives and long-term strategy.
3. Contributors: These are team members who provide valuable input, expertise, and recommendations to help inform the decision. While contributors do not make the final decision, their insights are critical in shaping the options available.
4. Informed: Individuals who need to be kept in the loop regarding the decision and its outcome. They are not directly involved in the decision-making process but need to stay informed for context, communication, or implementation purposes.

Assigning these specific roles to team members prevents confusion and overlapping responsibilities, which can lead to inefficiencies and missed deadlines. It also fosters accountability, as everyone knows exactly what is expected of them and who has the final say. It helps streamline decision-making processes, making sure that key stakeholders are involved at the right stages and that the right people are making the final call.

We’ve got loads more on DACI right here: 

RACI Matrix

Another framework used for clarifying roles in a team is the RACI Matrix. It helps ensure that tasks are completed efficiently by defining who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed for each part of a project. The RACI Matrix reduces ambiguity, improves communication, and prevents tasks from falling through the cracks. Here’s each role in action:

1. Responsible: The individual or team responsible for completing the task or action. They perform the work or take direct responsibility for getting it done.
2. Accountable: The person who is ultimately accountable for the completion and success of the task. They own the outcome and are the final decision-maker. There should only be one accountable person per task to avoid confusion.
3. Consulted: These are subject-matter experts or team members who provide input, advice, or feedback during the task’s execution. Their consultation helps guide the responsible individual, but they do not directly perform the task.
4. Informed: Individuals or groups who need to be kept updated on the progress or completion of a task. They are not involved in the decision-making or execution but need to stay informed to maintain alignment.

Hang on, this sounds pretty similar to DACI, doesn’t it? Well, despite the rhyming name, don’t get these two confused. DACI is all about decision-making, whereas RACI is more focused on execution.

The RACI Matrix is essential in ensuring clear communication within teams. It provides a simple, straightforward way to ensure that every team member knows what is expected of them and who to turn to for advice or approval. 

Product Trios

There’s a lot to know about Product Trios, but here’s the general gist:

The Product Trio is a framework designed to foster close collaboration among three key roles in product discovery and development: the Product Manager, the Engineer, and the Product Designer. These cross-functional roles come together from the very beginning of a project, working in unison to inform decisions, bounce ideas off each other, and create products that are viable, desirable, and feasible. 

By creating a Product Trio, teams break away from the silos that traditionally isolate these roles, ensuring that everyone involved has visibility into the product development process at all stages. This integrated approach leads to better alignment, faster decision-making, and a more efficient product development cycle.

Of course, there are multiple other frameworks you can choose to follow to nail your Product Team Structure, including the use of squads and cross-functional teams. Yet, trios are the easiest to implement and help give your Product Team a solid structure to build off as you scale.

Product Management Frameworks for Customer Experience

Every change, tweak, and update made to a product is designed to improve the customer experience so that users become lifelong advocates and champions of your product. There are many different things you can do to ensure you’re working on improving the customer experience.

Here are some Product Management frameworks that are focused on improving the customer experience and showing them the value proposition of the product. 

Value Proposition Canvas

The Value Proposition Canvas is a powerful framework designed to help businesses create products and services that truly resonate with their customers. The canvas is really important when creating your value proposition, and is used within a value proposition workshop to visualize the key components of the product and align it with customer needs.

It consists of two main sections: Customer Profile and Value Map.

1. Customer Profile: This section is divided into three sub-sections: Jobs, Pains, and Gains. Jobs refer to what the customer is trying to achieve, whether functional, social, or emotional. Pains are the challenges or obstacles customers face in achieving these jobs, such as frustrations or risks. Gains represent the benefits or positive outcomes customers hope to achieve, such as improvements in productivity or happiness.
2. Value Map: The Value Map outlines how your product or service addresses these customer needs. It identifies the products and services that help customers complete their jobs, the pain relievers that mitigate their frustrations, and the gain creators that provide additional benefits or pleasures.

The framework helps to clarify why a product matters to the customer, which is essential in developing successful marketing strategies and sales messages. By mapping out how a product fits into the customer’s life, businesses can create offerings that stand out in the market and build stronger customer loyalty.

AARRR (Pirate Metrics)

AARRR, also known as Pirate Metrics, is a Product Management framework developed to help growth teams track and optimize the customer lifecycle. Here you’re mapping out and measuring how the customer behaves from first contact to when they choose your product over others. These five key stages help businesses understand the path a user takes and assess how you’re performing at each stage. The stages of AARRR are: 

1. Acquisition: This refers to how users find and discover your product. Acquisition metrics measure how effectively your marketing and outreach efforts bring new users to your product.
2. Activation: This stage tracks the user’s first experience with the product. It answers the question: When do users reach their wow moment with the product that indicates they see value in it?
3. Retention: Retention measures how many users come back after their initial experience. This is a critical metric for gauging user satisfaction and product stickiness.
4. Referral: At this stage, the focus is on how likely users are to refer others to your product. Referral metrics help assess the virality of your product – how well users are advocating for it to their networks.
5. Revenue: This stage measures how the product generates income, either through direct sales, subscriptions, or other revenue models. It helps track the financial viability of your products

AARRR metrics are vital for startups and growth-stage companies because they offer a clear, actionable framework for tracking and optimizing the customer journey. Each stage helps businesses pinpoint where they are excelling and where they need improvement. For example, if you have low retention but decent acquisition, the team knows that focusing on user experience will be the most impactful.

Be like a pirate and learn more about AARR: 

User Story Mapping

User Story Mapping is a visual framework used to organize and prioritize user stories, providing a structured way to align product features with user needs. This framework helps product teams understand the user journey by mapping out the steps users take to achieve their goals, allowing teams to identify the most critical features to build and prioritize based on real user value.

User Story Mapping is typically done on a wall or digital board, with user stories represented as cards that can be moved around. The process begins by identifying the user activities or high-level tasks that users need to complete within the product. These activities are placed on the horizontal axis.

Next, the team breaks down these activities into user stories, which are smaller, manageable tasks that contribute to achieving each activity. These stories are placed vertically under each activity, helping to map out the full flow of tasks. The map is then prioritized based on the user’s needs, with essential features placed at the top and lower-priority features at the bottom.

With this visual framework, teams can see what users need to do to reach one of their goals, which can then influence decisions on how they do things in the future. 

Setting the foundations

And there you have it. 16 of our most beloved and trusted Product Management frameworks, all organized nicely and neatly by the tasks you need the frameworks for. These 16 models alone should set up strong foundations to operate with best practices and really hit your product goals.

Of course, once you start to know these Product Management frameworks like the back of your hand, there’s nothing stopping you from learning more. One of the greatest skills a Product Manager can have is curiosity. Seek out new frameworks, check if they work for you, and equip yourself with more tools to handle anything the role may throw at you.

Product Management frameworks are like the formulas sheet for a Math test. They don’t give you the answers, but they tell you how to get there as long as you use the right one.

Looking for other ways to ensure best practices are at the heart of your processes? Use a tool that helps you stay on track. With ProdPad, our features are thoughtfully designed to support your growth and make you an even better Product Manager, empowering you to build products your users will love. Book a demo to see ProdPad in action. 

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