SPACE protocol defines specific guidelines for implementing practices, tools, roles, and other significant elements of product management activities.
Practices defined
Product visioning
- What initiates: Client request / Product initiation team request
- When is performed: After product initiation
- How often is performed: Once (unless revisioning is required)
- How long takes: At least 1 collaborative session
- Who is involved: Client, Product apex
- Who conducts: Product owner
- What is the expected result: Product vision
Product mapping
- What initiates: Product vision completion
- When is performed: After Product vision completion
- How often is performed: Once (unless revisioning is required)
- How long takes: At least 1 collaborative session
- Who is involved: Product apex
- Who conducts: Product owner
- What is the expected result: Product roadmap
Product sync
- What initiates: Portfolio team activity calendar
- When is performed: First week of the quarter
- How often is performed: Every quarter
- How long takes: Up to half-day (4 hours)
- Who is involved: Cluster / Portfolio apex
- Who conducts: Portfolio owner
- What is the expected result: Inputs for syncronized updates of Product visions, roadmaps, backlogs
Sprint planning
- What initiates: Portfolio team activity calendar
- When is performed: T+1 of the sprint
- How often is performed: Every sprint; Sprints lenght is 1 month
- How long takes: Up to half-day (4 hours)
- Who is involved: Product apex
- Who conducts: Product sherpa
- What is the expected result: Sprint backlog
- What else is covered: Level of adherence to the Product roadmap
Weekly standups
- What initiates: Portfolio team activity calendar
- When is performed: First day of the week; 10:00 AM
- How often is performed: Every week
- How long takes: 1 hour
- Who is involved: Product team
- Who conducts: Product sherpa
- What is the expected result: Weekly backlog
- What else is covered:
- Level of adherence to the Sprint backlog (have we done everything we planned to do last week; are we expecting any deviations from the scope of the backlog)
- Issues and risks developed during the previous week affecting current and following week and Sprints
Daily standups
- What initiates: Portfolio team activity calendar
- When is performed: Each day of the sprint; 10:00 AM
- How often is performed: Each day of the sprint
- How long takes: 15 minutes
- Who is involved: Product team
- Who conducts: Product sherpa
- What is the expected result: Daily backlog
Sprint review
- What initiates: Portfolio team activity calendar
- When is performed: Last 3 days of the sprint
- How often is performed: Every sprint; Sprints lenght is 1 month
- How long takes: Up to half-day (4 hours)
- Who is involved: Client, Product team
- Who conducts: Product sherpa
- What is the expected result: Sprint release
Sprint retrospective
- What initiates: Portfolio team activity calendar
- When is performed: Last 2 days of the sprint
- How often is performed: Every sprint; Sprints lenght is 1 month
- How long takes: Up to half-day (4 hours)
- Who is involved: Product team
- Who conducts: Product sherpa
- What is the expected result: Adjusted management and technical practices of the Product team
Tools defined
Product vision
- Who is responsible for formulation: Product owner
- How does it look: A formal document
- What is the scope: Key product scope and strategy questions are addressed:
- Who is the client of the product?
- What client needs will it satisfy?
- What functions will the product contain?
- When does the client need the product?
- How long will the client use the product?
- What are expected changes in the environment that might affect the client and hence, his expectations from the product and the way the client would use it?
- How does the product differentiates itself from one the client is using now and other market products?
- Who are other stakeholders of the product?
- How will the product impact them?
Product roadmap
- Who is responsible for formulation: Product owner
- How does it look: A calendar plan
- What is the scope: Key milestones and actions for all work streams to be taken are addressed:
- What needs to be done?
- Who is responsible?
- When it has to be done?
- What are the dependencies?
Product backlog
- Who is responsible for formulation: Product owner
- How does it look: A list of activities (tasks to perform of different level of detail, including development ones ranging from epics through features to user stories as well as other work streams items)
- What is the scope: Current understanding of activities to be performed in order to manage product evolution for the client’s satisfaction:
- What needs to be done?
Sprint backlog
- Who is responsible for formulation: Product owner
- How does it look: A list of specific detailed activities
- What is the scope: Establishment of the work plan for the Sprint:
- What needs to be done?
- Who is responsible?
- How long will it take?
- What are the dependencies?
Daily backlog
- Who is responsible for formulation: Team lead
- How does it look: A list of specific detailed activities
- What is the scope: Establishment of the work plan for the day:
- What needs to be done?
- Who is responsible?
Changes defined
New functionality
- Who initiates change: Client, Product owner
- When change is initiated: Any time
- When change is started: After updating Product vision and Product roadmap and adding new functionality items to Product backlog and Sprint backlog
- When change is fully implemented: Over the course of several Sprints
- Who approves change: Portfolio owner
- Who performs acceptance of results: Client
- Who executes change: Product team
Advancing existing functionality
- Who initiates change: Client
- When change is initiated: Any time
- When change is started: After adding new items to Product backlog and Sprint backlog
- When change is fully implemented: Over the course of several Sprints
- Who approves change: Doesn’t need approval
- Who performs acceptance of results: Client
- Who executes change: Product development team
Improving existing functionality
- Who initiates change: Client
- When change is initiated: Any time
- When change is started: After adding new items to Product backlog and Sprint backlog
- When change is fully implemented: Over the course of one Sprint
- Who approves change: Doesn’t need approval
- Who performs acceptance of results: Client
- Who executes change: Product development team
Current tuning
- Who initiates change: Client
- When change is initiated: Any time before next Sprint starts
- When change is started: After adding new items to Product backlog and Sprint backlog
- When change is fully implemented: Over the course of one Sprint
- Who approves change: Doesn’t need approval
- Who performs acceptance of results: Client
- Who executes change: Product support team
Major overhaul
- Who initiates change: Client, Product team
- When change is initiated: Any time
- When change is started: After updating Product vision and Product roadmap and adding new functionality items to Product backlog and Sprint backlog
- When change is fully implemented: Over the course of several Sprints
- Who approves change: Portfolio owner
- Who performs acceptance of results: Client
- Who executes change: Product team
Losts
- Who initiates change: Client
- When change is initiated: During the Sprint
- When change is started: After change initiation and approval
- When change is fully implemented: Over the course of estimated change delivery (if below 2 FTE days)
- Who approves change: Portfolio owner
- Who performs acceptance of results: Client
- Who executes change: Product team
Fixes
- Who initiates change: Client, Product team
- When change is initiated: During the Sprint
- When change is started: After change initiation and approval
- When change is fully implemented: Over the course of estimated change delivery
- Who approves change: Portfolio owner
- Who performs acceptance of results: Client
- Who executes change: Product team