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Products Category

Overview

The Products category represents the offerings your organization provides to customers. Products are standalone entities without a hierarchical structure.

Hierarchy

graph TD Products[Products
Flat list] --> Product1[Product A] Products --> Product2[Product B] Products --> Product3[Product C] Product1 -.composed of.-> Features[Features] Product1 -.sold to.-> Customers[Customer Actors] Product1 -.supported by.-> Systems[Backend Systems] style Products fill:#f0e1ff style Product1 fill:#f0e1ff style Product2 fill:#f0e1ff style Product3 fill:#f0e1ff

Note: Products are a flat list without parent-child relationships. Use product attributes and connections to other categories for organization.

Element Types

Product

  • Purpose: Represents a product or service offering
  • Parent: None (flat structure)
  • Children: None (flat structure)
  • Attributes: Name, description, pricing, target market, lifecycle stage
  • 📖 Detailed Documentation →

Product Types

  • Digital Products: Software applications, SaaS platforms, mobile apps
  • Physical Products: Manufactured goods, hardware devices
  • Services: Consulting, support contracts, managed services
  • Hybrid Products: Combinations of physical goods and services (e.g., hardware + subscription)
  • Product Bundles: Packaged offerings of multiple products

Connections to Other Categories

→ Systems (Features & Data Objects)

Products are composed of system features. A product is the customer-facing view of technical capabilities.

graph LR Product[E-Commerce Platform
PRODUCT] --> Feature1[Shopping Cart
FEATURE] Product --> Feature2[Checkout
FEATURE] Product --> Feature3[Order Tracking
FEATURE] Feature1 --> System1[Web Application] Feature2 --> System1 Feature3 --> System1 style Product fill:#f0e1ff style Feature1 fill:#fff4e1 style Feature2 fill:#fff4e1 style Feature3 fill:#fff4e1

📖 Learn more: Systems Category →

→ Actors

Actors are customers who use products or owners responsible for product success.

📖 Learn more: Actors Category →

→ Processes

Products may trigger or be outcomes of business processes (e.g., "Product Development Process").

📖 Learn more: Processes Category →

→ Components (Contexts)

Products may be owned by or aligned with specific business contexts.

📖 Learn more: Components Category →

Product Lifecycle

Products typically move through stages:

  1. Ideation: Concept and planning phase
  2. Development: Building and testing
  3. Launch: Market introduction
  4. Growth: Scaling and feature expansion
  5. Maturity: Stable operation and optimization
  6. Decline/Sunset: Phase-out or replacement

Usage Guidelines

  1. Define clear product boundaries - what's included in the offering
  2. Link to system features that implement product capabilities
  3. Associate product owners (actors) for accountability
  4. Document target customers and market segments
  5. Track lifecycle stage to manage portfolio
  6. Connect to revenue streams and business metrics

Product Management Best Practices

  • Customer-centric naming: Use names customers understand, not internal codenames
  • Clear value proposition: Document why customers buy this product
  • Feature mapping: Link all product features to underlying system capabilities
  • Competitive positioning: Document how the product compares to alternatives
  • Roadmap tracking: Use product attributes to track planned enhancements
  • Dependency management: Understand which systems and teams support the product

Product vs. System Feature

Product (Customer View):

  • External offering with pricing
  • Marketed to customers
  • Business value focus
  • May bundle multiple system features

System Feature (Technical View):

  • Internal capability or function
  • Implementation detail
  • Technical functionality
  • Part of a system architecture

Example:

  • Product: "CRM Suite - Professional Edition"
  • System Features: Contact Management, Email Integration, Reporting Dashboard, API Access