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name: "phase_01_vision_strategy" description: "You'll transform your business idea into a concrete, funded, and approved product vision. Through structured workshops and stakeholder alignment, you'll create a compelling business case, detailed PRD, and secure executive sponsorship. This is where dreams become funded realities." phase: 1 phase_name: "Vision & Strategy" owner: "Product Owner" secondary_owner: "Executive Sponsor" participants: ["Executive Sponsor", "Project Manager", "CTA", "Security Lead", "Finance"] entry_criteria: ["Business idea or opportunity identified", "Executive sponsor identified"] exit_criteria: [ "Business case approved by Executive Sponsor", "PRD completed and reviewed", "Technical feasibility confirmed by CTA", "Security considerations documented", "Stakeholders aligned and committed", "Resources identified", "Go/no-go decision to proceed to Phase 2" ] estimated_duration: "1 week" dependencies: [] outputs: [ "Business Case Document", "Product Requirements Document (PRD)", "Market Analysis", "Competitive Analysis", "Financial Model", "Risk Assessment", "Stakeholder Register", "Communication Plan", "RACI Matrix" ] next_phase: "phase_02_requirements_scope"

Phase 1: Vision & Strategy

Where Your Vision Becomes a Funded Reality

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Welcome to the Beginning of Something Great

Hey there! I'm genuinely excited you're here. This phase is where the magic starts—where that spark of an idea begins its transformation into something real, something funded, something that could change things for your users.

I know what you might be thinking: "Is this going to be endless meetings and paperwork?" Let me reassure you—we're going to make this tangible, meaningful, and even enjoyable. You're not just filling out templates; you're building the foundation for something remarkable.

Here's what you'll walk away with:

A business case that gets your executive team saying "yes, let's fund this" A crystal-clear product vision that everyone understands Stakeholders who are genuinely excited and aligned Security built in from day one (not bolted on later) A clear go/no-go decision—no ambiguity

Time investment: 4-7 weeks (we've seen teams move faster with strong sponsorship)

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What This Phase Feels Like (A Real Story)

Last year, I worked with a team building an AI-powered healthcare triage system. They came in with a rough idea and left 6 weeks later with:

• Executive approval and resource commitment (full team allocated)
• C-Suite champions in three departments
• Security buy-in before writing a single line of code (huge time-saver later)
• A competitor analysis that revealed an untapped market niche

The Product Owner told me: "I thought this would be bureaucracy, but every artifact we created helped us think clearer. When we walked into the exec review, we weren't nervous—we were prepared."

That's the feeling we're aiming for. You'll leave this phase confident, aligned, and ready to build.

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Your Journey Through This Phase

Think of this phase as a story in three acts:

Emotional checkpoint: You'll start with excitement (maybe some anxiety), move through deep thinking and alignment challenges, and end with confidence and clarity. It's a journey, and we'll navigate it together.

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Who's on This Journey With You?

Great products are never built alone. Here's your core team:

Product Owner (You): You'll lead workshops, write the PRD, present to executives, and keep the vision clear. Expect 60-70% of your time focused on this phase.

Executive Sponsor: Not just a signature—they'll attend 2-3 key meetings, review drafts, and actively champion your initiative. Their involvement predicts 73% of project success (PMI data).

CTA: They'll spend 5-10 hours reviewing your approach, asking tough questions about scalability, and ensuring technical feasibility. One good CTA review saves months of rework.

Project Manager: They'll schedule meetings, track action items, and ensure stakeholders are engaged. They're your operational engine.

Security Lead: Early involvement is a competitive advantage. They'll identify data classification needs (PII, financial, health) and regulatory considerations (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS) before you design anything.

Finance: They'll stress-test your revenue models and ROI calculations. Their validation gives execs confidence in your numbers.

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Step 1: Building Your Business Case

What You'll Achieve

You'll create a compelling document that answers the question every executive asks: "Why should we invest in this?"

The outcome: A business case so clear and well-supported that approval feels like the natural next step.

Your Action Plan

Common Blockers (And How to Navigate Them)

This happens more than you think—and it's not necessarily a problem. Here's how to address it:

Strategy 1: Expand Your Definition

• Initial: "Project management software for tech startups"
• Expanded: "Project management software for knowledge workers"
• Be honest about your beachhead market, but show the expansion potential

Strategy 2: Focus on Market Growth

• If the current market is small but growing 40% annually, highlight that
• Use phrases like "We're entering a growing market with significant expansion potential"

Strategy 3: Emphasize Profitability Over Size

• Some execs prefer niche dominance over broad markets
• "We can capture 30% of this underserved market in 3 years"

Real example: A team I advised had a focused initial market. By showing a clear expansion path, they got executive approval.

What Success Looks Like

Your business case is ready when:

An intelligent executive can understand it in 10 minutes Your executive sponsor says "I'd present this to the board" Finance validates your model (no "these numbers are unrealistic") CTA says "technically feasible with these resources" Security flags are documented (not ignored!) You feel proud to present it

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Step 2: Crafting Your Product Requirements Document

What You'll Achieve

You'll transform your business case into a detailed PRD that answers: "What exactly are we building, for whom, and how will we know it's working?"

The outcome: A PRD so clear that developers, designers, and stakeholders all see the same product in their minds.

What "Good" Looks Like: PRD Quality Signals

Your PRD is ready when:

A new developer can read it and understand what to build Your CTA says "I see how to architect this" Stakeholders say "this reflects what I asked for" No one asks "but what exactly does feature X do?" Success metrics are specific and measurable The MVP scope is clear and defensible

The Situation: A team was building a developer collaboration tool. Their initial PRD had vague user stories like "Users can collaborate on code."

The Problem: Developers built something, but it didn't match stakeholders' mental models. After 8 weeks of work, they had to rebuild core features.

How They Fixed It: They rewrote their PRD with:

• Detailed user personas (4 specific developer types)
• Concrete user stories with acceptance criteria
• User journey maps showing exact workflows
• Mockups and prototypes (even rough ones)

The Result:

• Stakeholder alignment went from 40% to 95%
• Development velocity increased 3x (less confusion)
• Zero rework needed after initial implementation
• Launched 2 months ahead of schedule

The Lesson: Invest in PRD quality now, or pay for confusion later.

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Step 3: Stakeholder Alignment

What You'll Achieve

You'll build a coalition of stakeholders who are informed, aligned, and committed to your product's success.

The outcome: Stakeholders who champion your product, not just tolerate it.

The Stakeholder Interview Guide

Conduct 30-45 minute 1:1 interviews with key stakeholders. Use this structure:

Opening (5 minutes)

"Thanks for making time. I'm [name], leading [product]. I want to ensure we build something that truly meets your needs and the organization's goals. This conversation will help me understand your perspective and concerns."

Core Questions (20-25 minutes)

Understanding Their Role:

1. "Can you describe your role and how this product might impact your work?"
2. "What are your top 3 priorities right now? How might this product help (or hinder)?"

Their Needs & Expectations: 3. "What would make this product extremely valuable to you personally?" 4. "What problems do you hope this product will solve for you?" 5. "If this product could do ONE thing amazingly well, what should it be?"

Concerns & Risks: 6. "What concerns do you have about this project? What keeps you up at night?" 7. "What could cause this project to fail from your perspective?"

Success Criteria: 8. "How will you measure if this product is successful? What does 'good' look like to you?"

Closing: "This is incredibly helpful. I'll share a summary and our plans. Your input will shape what we build."

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Security: Start Now, Not Later

I can't emphasize this enough: security in Phase 1 saves months in Phase 6.

What to Consider Now (Even Before Designing)

Output from this phase: One page in your business case titled "Security Considerations." It doesn't need to be detailed—just thoughtful.

The Situation: A team was building a fintech app for peer-to-peer payments.

Initially: They planned to address security "later, after we have the features working."

Fortunately: Their Security Lead insisted on a Phase 1 security review.

What they discovered:

• Their initial architecture would violate PCI DSS (cardholder data in memory)
• They needed tokenization (adjusting architecture to meet requirements)
• They needed SOC 2 Type II certification (6-month process)

Because they addressed it in Phase 1:

• They adjusted the business case with realistic costs
• They got executive buy-in on the security-first approach
• They designed security in from day one
• They launched on schedule, fully compliant

The lesson: Security isn't a feature—it's a foundation.

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Quality Gates: Before You Move to Phase 2

Completing this phase is a big deal. Take a moment to celebrate—you've turned an idea into a funded initiative.

Before moving forward, confirm these boxes are checked:

Exit Criteria Checklist

• ☐ Business case approved by Executive Sponsor (not just "looks good"—formal approval)
• ☐ PRD completed and reviewed (all stakeholders have reviewed and provided feedback)
• ☐ Technical feasibility confirmed by CTA (written confirmation this is buildable)
• ☐ Security considerations documented (one page in business case, reviewed by Security Lead)
• ☐ Stakeholders aligned and committed (RACI matrix signed, key stakeholders committed)
• ☐ Resources identified (team roles defined)
• ☐ Go/no-go decision documented (explicit decision to proceed to Phase 2)

What "Go" Looks Like

Your go/no-go decision should be explicit:

CopyGO/NO-GO DECISION: Phase 1 → Phase 2

Date: [Date]
Decision: [GO or NO-GO]

Rationale:
[Why this decision was made - 3-5 sentences]

Conditions:
[Any conditions for proceeding - e.g., "Must hire Data Architect by Week 2"]

Approvals:
- Executive Sponsor: [Name, Signature]
- Product Owner: [Name, Signature]
- CTA: [Name, Signature]

If NO-GO: Don't panic. This is progress. You've learned something important. Document why and what would need to change to get to GO.

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Templates and Examples

Everything you need is in these directories:

Copy./templates/
├── business_case_template.md         # Fill this out for Step 1
├── prd_template.md                   # Fill this out for Step 2
├── stakeholder_register_template.md  # Track your stakeholders
├── raci_matrix_template.md           # Clarify roles and responsibilities
└── go_no_go_template.md              # Document your decision

./examples/
├── sample_business_case.md           # See what a great one looks like
├── sample_prd.md                     # Example PRD with comments
└── sample_stakeholder_analysis.md    # Example stakeholder mapping

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Phase Completion: Celebrate Your Progress

You've accomplished something significant:

Turned an idea into a structured business case Got executive approval Created a clear product vision and requirements Built a coalition of aligned stakeholders Started with security in mind

Next up: Phase 2, where you'll define detailed requirements. You're building momentum—keep it going!

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Previous Phase: None (you're at the start!) Next Phase: Phase 2: Requirements & Scope

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Questions or need guidance?

• Framework Overview: See ../../README.md
• All Phase Details: See skills/phase_*/SKILL.md
• Role Definitions: See skills/shared/roles/SKILL.md
• Security Guidance: See skills/shared/security/SKILL.md

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Version: 2.0.0 (Expert Mentor Edition) Reviewed By: OCTALUME EXPERT MENTOR TEAM

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You're doing great work. Let's keep building something extraordinary.

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Version 1.0.0 | OCTALUME Enterprise Lifecycle Framework