Lifecycle
Where is my project, and what happens next? This page is the delivery workflow itself: the statuses a project moves through and the work that happens in each. The gates between the phase groups live on their own page, Gates and Approvals; how widely the feature is switched on lives in Release Phases.
The statuses are conventions you implement in whichever issue tracker your team uses (Linear, Jira, Shortcut, GitHub Projects, Asana, etc.). The names are what matter, not the tool.
The shape of it
Section titled “The shape of it”Product delivery flows through 3 phase groups with 3 gates:
Shape (Backlog → Shaping) → Shaping Checkpoint → Build (Readying for Build → Building → In Preview) → Launch Readiness Check → Go to Market (Ready for GTM → GTM Launch Planning → Ready for Launch → Launched) → Launch Retro Check
Projects can also be Cancelled, moved by PM or GTM Lead via agreement with Product.
Delivery Statuses
Section titled “Delivery Statuses”| Status | Phase Group | Who Moves Project Here | What’s Happening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backlog | Shape | Triaging ideas, evaluating priority | |
| Shaping | Shape | Product Manager | Writing RFC, technical feasibility |
| Readying for Build | Build | Tech Lead / Project Lead | Specs written, engineering scopes effort |
| Building | Build | Tech Lead / Project Lead | Active development, deployed behind flag |
| In Preview | Build | Tech Lead / Project Lead | Soft-launch with trusted customers (Private Preview) |
| Ready for GTM | Go to Market | GTM Lead | Preview successful, ready for launch planning |
| GTM Launch Planning | Go to Market | GTM Lead | Docs, training, launch materials in progress (Public Preview) |
| Ready for Launch | Go to Market | GTM Lead | All launch assets complete, awaiting release date |
| Launched | Go to Market | GTM Lead | Live to all customers (GA), tracking adoption |
| Cancelled | Product Manager / GTM Lead | Stopped, won’t be completed |
Shape: Backlog → Shaping
Section titled “Shape: Backlog → Shaping”Mental Model: Learn + Decide
Section titled “Mental Model: Learn + Decide”Every product decision traces back to evidence. The discipline is picking the highest-leverage work for the current strategy.
Behaviour
Section titled “Behaviour”- Validate the problem before committing engineering time
- Tag the persona: User, Admin, or Sponsor
- Apply Signal → Standard → Speed to pick the right path (Quick Win / Lightweight / Full Spec)
- Vision check: does this move a named outcome and its Signal? (Where one number captures the whole product, that Signal is the single headline metric.)
What You Do
Section titled “What You Do”Backlog:
- Talk to customers (3+ minimum); see Discovery
- Gather evidence (pain points, workarounds, urgency)
- Assess impact (how many customers, what magnitude?)
- Collect usage data and feedback patterns
Shaping:
- Write the RFC; use the RFC Template
- Score with RICE
- Get technical feasibility from engineering
- Review with Sales, Marketing, Product, Engineering
Deliverables
Section titled “Deliverables”- RFC
- RICE score with transparent reasoning
- Evidence base: Research Template, Customer Call Template
Exit: the Shaping Checkpoint.
Build: Readying for Build → Building → In Preview
Section titled “Build: Readying for Build → Building → In Preview”Mental Model: Build
Section titled “Mental Model: Build”The product is one thing. Our three product principles are engineering standards, not aspirations. If you can’t measure it, don’t ship it.
Behaviour
Section titled “Behaviour”- The RFC is the single living document: approved at the end of Shape, updated through delivery as decisions land
- Product principles applied as design and engineering standards, not post-hoc review criteria
- Instrumentation wired up before preview: events defined, dashboards built, guardrail metrics identified
What You Do
Section titled “What You Do”Readying for Build:
- Update the RFC with the agreed approach as design and engineering land decisions
- Hold project kick-off
- Set up the project in your tracker with milestones (see Project Standards)
- Engineering creates build tickets and estimates
“Ready to Build” is a conversation, not a formal gate. PM and Tech Lead confirm specs are clear and engineering is ready to start. No sign-off ceremony needed, just mutual confidence.
Building:
- Engineering builds feature behind flag (flag OFF); see Release Phases
- Weekly progress check-ins
- Create demo artefacts (short recorded walkthroughs)
- Train support team
- Set up metrics and monitoring
- Outcome UAT in a production-like environment: validate the user’s job end-to-end (job × surface), independent of unit tests (see Agentic Delivery)
In Preview:
- Enable flag for 5-10 trusted customer accounts (Private Preview)
- Gather feedback from preview customers
- Fix critical bugs
- Monitor production stability
- Summarise Private Preview results
Deliverables
Section titled “Deliverables”- RFC (delivery document)
- Instrumentation: events + dashboards covering all RFC success metrics
- Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) for irreversible decisions
- Changelog Draft
Exit: the Launch Readiness Check.
Go to Market: Ready for GTM → GTM Launch Planning → Ready for Launch → Launched
Section titled “Go to Market: Ready for GTM → GTM Launch Planning → Ready for Launch → Launched”Mental Model: Launch + Sell
Section titled “Mental Model: Launch + Sell”Shipping is the beginning, not the end. A feature nobody uses isn’t a success, it’s an unanswered question. Getting from “we built it” to “customers use it” takes deliberate effort.
Behaviour
Section titled “Behaviour”- Changelog entry for UX changes, support notification for everything
- GTM Lead owns transitions from Ready for GTM onward
- Structured post-launch reviews at three intervals:
- 2 weeks: Early signal. Is it being used? Any red flags?
- 30 days: Trend check. On track? Feedback patterns?
- 60–90 days: Full review. Data meets decision
What You Do
Section titled “What You Do”Ready for GTM → GTM Launch Planning:
- Widen the flag to the Public Preview cohort (see Release Phases)
- Write customer documentation
- Write release notes and changelog
- Train Sales team (positioning, value), for higher-stakes launches
- Train Support team (functionality)
- Prepare launch materials (blog, email, social), for higher-stakes launches
- Execute launch activities
- Get GA sign-off
Ready for Launch → Launched:
- Publish announcement and release notes
- Enable feature for broader rollout (gradual % or full)
- Monitor adoption metrics
- Respond to customer feedback
- Track self-onboarding conversion
- Measure sales enablement impact
Deliverables
Section titled “Deliverables”- Launch materials (scaled to the stakes of the launch)
- Post-Launch Review at 2wk/30d/60-90d intervals
- Changelog updates
Exit: the Launch Retro Check, run through the post-launch reviews.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Delivery Standards: the front door to the workflow
- Gates and Approvals: what has to be true to move between phase groups, and who signs off
- Release Phases: Private Preview → Public Preview → GA, and the flag state at each
- Project Standards: how projects are set up, tracked, and escalated
- Decision Framework: Signal → Standard → Speed
- Product Loop: the 6-phase operating model this workflow sits inside