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Product outline

Use a product outline to describe your problem statement and hypotheses and keep track of how your service evolves after the Research and Discovery phase.

Creating a product outline

Each product outline is different depending on the service and how the team wants to use it.

The sections in the template below are suggestions, not requirements. Use them if your team finds them useful.

Example - Product outline

Problem Statement

Veterans have trouble applying for dependent benefits. Currently the only way they can apply is with paper form that they have to mail in. This leads to a lot of missing data that makes processing their applications difficult and they often have to wait a long time to receive a declaration.

Solution Goals

Our goal is to offer a way for to submit the 686 Dependents form on their computer or smartphone and reduce the amount of applications that come in with incomplete data.

Business Requirements

Veterans must be able to upload supporting documents in certain scenarios to support their dependent claim.

Research Insights

Veterans have indicated that one of most difficult parts of the 686 Form is gathering information on their Spouse’s previous marriages. In addition, they don’t understand why this information is relevant when applying to declare a dependent.

Solution Approach

We plan on building a digital form with React.js on the frontend and a backend submission connection to the Central Mail API. This will enable users to quickly submit the 686 form with supporting documentation. We’re shooting to launch a first version (MVP) of this form on June 1st, 2018.

Key Performance Indicators

  • Decrease the time it takes for a user to get a dependents declaration
  • Decrease the number of applications that are received with incomplete data
  • Increase the number applications submitted

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Template - Product outline

[Service/Product Name] Outline

  • GitHub Label:
  • Slack channel:
  • Product link:
  • Demo video link:

Table of contents

Summary

Problem statement


Solution goals

  • User goals

  • Business goals

Assumptions


Requirements and constraints


Discovery takeaways


Solution approach


Value propositions

  • User value

  • Business value

KPIs


Implementation information

Status


Solution narrative

  • Date: summary of any big changes and why
  • Date: summary of any big changes and why

Team

  • VA Executive Sponsor *:
  • VA Policy Expert(s):
  • VA Digital Strategist(s) *:
  • Product Manager *:
  • Design Lead:
  • Engineering Lead:
  • VA Web Comms Partner:
  • VA Call Center Partner(s):
  • Production Testing Partner(s):
  • Designer(s):
  • Content Writer(s):
  • Front-end Engineer(s):

  • Back-end Engineer(s):

    * = approval required for launch

Resources and documentation

  • Resources
    provide links to the following
    • Discovery and research
    • Technical documentation
    • Product specs
    • Design
    • Roadmap
    • ATO documentation

  • How to access in staging
    • Link:
    • Password protection info:
    • User authentication info: