.webp)
Experience the power of Luzmo. Talk to our product experts for a guided demo or get your hands dirty with a free 10-day trial.
Great products don’t just come around. Building a product requires vision, planning, and research. And often lots of meetings. Product management frameworks will help you keep a structured development process and stay focused on initiatives that matter.
But which frameworks do even exist? Which ones are good for your specific team and product? Here’s a quick guide to all the most important product management frameworks.
We’ll discuss the pros and cons of each to help you make a better decision for your next software project.
A product management framework is a structured approach to developing and launching products.
These tools help product managers carry out their strategy from idea to result. Product frameworks help both junior and seasoned product managers become more efficient.
Effective product development is a complex process. You can’t tackle every step with the same framework. And depending on how your product team operates, some models might be a better fit than others. Luckily, you can have your pick between countless methods for product and project management.
There are four main types of product management frameworks:
We’ll discuss a few frameworks in each category in detail below.
Product teams want to bring successful products to market by making better decisions. Product management frameworks will get you one step closer to that goal.
Here are some of the many benefits they have:
However, there are some potential dangers that you should watch out for when choosing any product management framework. For example:
Like any tool, it’s important to pick a product management framework that fits your needs. Below, you’ll find a few examples to get started.
During product discovery, product managers get a deep understanding of their customer’s needs and pain points. Discovery frameworks expose and translate these needs into a product or feature, which increases retention and profitability.
Ash Maurya’s Lean Canvas is an adaptation to the business model canvas. Lean Canvas has become popular among startups. It’s a great canvas for exploring, based on 9 simple blocks.
In the Lean Canvas, you’ll jot down the essentials in minutes. Problem, solution, USP, market segments and more. The result is a simplified business model in less than an hour.
The double diamond framework takes you through two brainstorms.
You will first identify every possible challenge you want to solve. Then, you’ll narrow it down to the key problem you want to focus on in the customer journey and your development process.
Once you pinned down the problem, you will do the same by brainstorming as many solutions as possible. Then, you’ll settle down on the most fitting solution.
The double diamond method is great for product teams that want to innovate. Create diverse user stories to look beyond the most straightforward solution at hand.
Every product manager has faced the challenge of prioritization. There are a ton of models that make the job at hand easier.
The kano model is a simple framework to prioritize features based on two key factors.
If you struggle to align your product roadmap with business objectives, give kano a try. Whether your focus is business continuity, innovation or both.
The RICE method evaluates product ideas on 4 factors.
With RICE scoring, product teams can quickly spot both low-hanging fruit and long-term gains. It is a great framework to go from strategy to a tactical product roadmap and improve your workflows.
Jake Knapp from Google Ventures came up with the 5 phases of the Design Sprint Methodology. With one phase for each workday, you can test new ideas faster. This time-bound method is great for teams who struggle with time management.
Below are the five stages of the design sprint planning.
PS. it is also worth doing your research on iterative design to fully understand the design sprint methodology, including exploring sprint planning tools.
The CIRCLES method organizes your responses to product design questions. Many product managers use this method to ace their product manager job interviews.
With these 7 steps, you’ll be able to answer any product design question thoughtfully. Here is what the acronym stands for:
The North Star framework aligns your entire product strategy around a single metric. This method works best for high level strategic alignment. It connects the product vision directly to business objectives. It can help you clean out your backlog and prioritize the work that matters.
If you want to build customer-centric products, the Jobs-to-be-Done Theory is one of the best frameworks. Before anything else, it looks at the customer's needs.
For example:
❌ People don't want customer support software.
✅ Instead, they want happy customers.
The method helps you uncover unmet needs, and expose what your customer needs to achieve their goals. By optimizing for outcomes, your product strategy will put the customer at the center. It’s also useful if you want to find out what is necessary to build a good minimum viable product.
Anthony Ulwick's book, Jobs to be done, is a great resource to get started with this framework.
Choosing from so many frameworks can be an overwhelming task. Here are a few questions to answer before you decide.
With these guiding questions, you’ll get a better assessment of your current status and needs.
Building a product is a complex process. But with the right framework at hand, you’ll be equipped to build the best product experience for your customers. We encourage you to play around with these models to find out what works best for you.
Is customer-facing analytics currently on your roadmap? We’ve built a framework for product managers to assess and improve their current reporting features. Read the whitepaper to explore the Customer Analytics Experience framework.
Experience the power of Luzmo. Talk to our product experts for a guided demo or get your hands dirty with a free 10-day trial.
