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Vision and Product Planning Workflows

This document outlines the vision and product planning workflows for SaaS products generated by the ConnectSoft AI Software Factory. These workflows transform raw business ideas into structured, validated product strategies through vision creation, product planning, roadmap development, user story creation, and business requirements analysis.

Vision and product planning workflows are orchestrated by the Vision Architect Agent, Product Manager Agent, Product Owner Agent, and Business Analyst Agent, working collaboratively to ensure alignment between business goals and technical execution.

Overview

Vision and product planning workflows cover the strategic foundation of product development:

  1. Vision Creation - Transform business ideas into structured vision documents
  2. Product Planning - Develop product roadmaps, MVP plans, and personas
  3. Requirements Analysis - Extract and model business requirements and processes
  4. User Story Creation - Translate plans into backlog-ready user stories
  5. Strategic Alignment - Ensure traceability from vision to execution

Workflow Architecture

graph TB
    Vision[Vision Creation] --> ProductPlan[Product Planning]
    Vision --> Requirements[Requirements Analysis]
    ProductPlan --> UserStories[User Story Creation]
    Requirements --> UserStories
    UserStories --> Alignment[Strategic Alignment]

    Alignment -->|Feedback| Vision
    Alignment -->|Ready| Architecture[Architecture Phase]

    style Vision fill:#e3f2fd
    style ProductPlan fill:#e8f5e9
    style Requirements fill:#fff3e0
    style UserStories fill:#f3e5f5
    style Alignment fill:#ffebee
    style Architecture fill:#e1bee7
Hold "Alt" / "Option" to enable pan & zoom

1. Vision Creation Workflow

Purpose

Transform high-level business ideas, prompts, or requirements into structured, comprehensive vision documents that define the product's purpose, goals, target audience, and success criteria.

Workflow Steps

sequenceDiagram
    participant Stakeholder
    participant VisionAgent as Vision Architect Agent
    participant Memory as Semantic Memory
    participant ProductAgent as Product Manager Agent
    participant AnalystAgent as Business Analyst Agent

    Stakeholder->>VisionAgent: Submit Business Idea/Prompt
    VisionAgent->>Memory: Search Similar Visions
    Memory->>VisionAgent: Related Visions & Patterns
    VisionAgent->>VisionAgent: Create Vision Document
    VisionAgent->>VisionAgent: Validate Vision Structure
    VisionAgent->>ProductAgent: Emit VisionDocumentCreated
    VisionAgent->>AnalystAgent: Emit VisionDocumentCreated
    VisionAgent->>Stakeholder: Vision Document Ready
Hold "Alt" / "Option" to enable pan & zoom

Key Activities

  1. Idea Intake

    • Receive business idea or prompt
    • Extract key concepts and goals
    • Identify stakeholders and context

  2. Vision Research

    • Search semantic memory for similar visions
    • Review industry patterns and best practices
    • Identify related products and solutions

  3. Vision Document Creation

    • Define product purpose and mission
    • Identify target personas and user segments
    • Establish success metrics and KPIs
    • Outline high-level features and capabilities
    • Define non-functional requirements

  4. Vision Validation

    • Ensure completeness and clarity
    • Validate against ConnectSoft standards
    • Check for conflicts or ambiguities

  5. Vision Distribution

    • Emit VisionDocumentCreated event
    • Store in artifact repository
    • Index in semantic memory

Agent Responsibilities

Vision Architect Agent:

  • Orchestrates vision creation workflow
  • Creates structured vision documents
  • Validates vision completeness
  • Emits events for downstream agents

Semantic Memory System:

  • Provides similar vision examples
  • Stores and retrieves vision patterns
  • Enables learning from past visions

Success Metrics

  • Vision Document Completeness: All required sections present
  • Stakeholder Alignment: Vision approved by stakeholders
  • Traceability: Vision links to downstream artifacts
  • Reusability: Vision patterns stored for future use

Artifacts Produced

  • Vision Document (vision.md)
  • Vision JSON Schema (vision.json)
  • Persona Definitions
  • Success Metrics Definition

2. Product Planning Workflow

Purpose

Transform vision documents into actionable product plans including roadmaps, MVP definitions, release phases, and feature prioritization.

Workflow Steps

flowchart TD
    Start[Vision Document Received] --> Analyze[Analyze Vision]
    Analyze --> DefinePersonas[Define Personas]
    DefinePersonas --> CreateRoadmap[Create Product Roadmap]
    CreateRoadmap --> DefineMVP[Define MVP Scope]
    DefineMVP --> PlanReleases[Plan Release Phases]
    PlanReleases --> Prioritize[Prioritize Features]
    Prioritize --> Validate[Validate Product Plan]
    Validate -->|Valid| Emit[Emit ProductPlanCreated]
    Validate -->|Invalid| Refine[Refine Plan]
    Refine --> Validate
Hold "Alt" / "Option" to enable pan & zoom

Key Activities

  1. Vision Analysis

    • Extract goals and objectives
    • Identify key features and capabilities
    • Understand target market and personas

  2. Persona Development

    • Define primary and secondary personas
    • Identify pain points and goals
    • Map personas to features

  3. Roadmap Creation

    • Define product roadmap phases
    • Establish timeline and milestones
    • Identify dependencies and risks

  4. MVP Definition

    • Determine minimum viable product scope
    • Identify core features for MVP
    • Define success criteria for MVP

  5. Release Planning

    • Plan release phases (v1.0, v2.0, etc.)
    • Define feature sets per release
    • Establish release criteria

  6. Feature Prioritization

    • Prioritize features by value and effort
    • Apply prioritization frameworks (RICE, MoSCoW)
    • Balance business value and technical feasibility

Agent Responsibilities

Product Manager Agent:

  • Orchestrates product planning workflow
  • Creates product roadmaps and plans
  • Defines MVP scope and release phases
  • Prioritizes features and capabilities

Vision Architect Agent:

  • Provides vision context
  • Validates plan alignment with vision

Business Analyst Agent:

  • Provides requirements context
  • Validates feature feasibility

Success Metrics

  • Roadmap Completeness: All phases defined
  • MVP Clarity: Clear MVP scope and criteria
  • Stakeholder Approval: Plan approved by stakeholders
  • Traceability: Plan links to vision and user stories

Artifacts Produced

  • Product Plan (product-plan.md)
  • Product Roadmap (roadmap.md)
  • MVP Definition (mvp-definition.md)
  • Feature Prioritization Matrix
  • Persona Definitions (personas.md)

3. Requirements Analysis Workflow

Purpose

Extract, model, and structure business requirements, rules, processes, and constraints from vision documents and stakeholder inputs.

Workflow Steps

sequenceDiagram
    participant VisionAgent as Vision Architect Agent
    participant AnalystAgent as Business Analyst Agent
    participant Memory as Semantic Memory
    participant ProductAgent as Product Manager Agent
    participant OwnerAgent as Product Owner Agent

    VisionAgent->>AnalystAgent: Vision Document
    AnalystAgent->>AnalystAgent: Extract Requirements
    AnalystAgent->>Memory: Search Similar Requirements
    Memory->>AnalystAgent: Related Patterns
    AnalystAgent->>AnalystAgent: Model Business Processes
    AnalystAgent->>AnalystAgent: Define Business Rules
    AnalystAgent->>AnalystAgent: Identify Constraints
    AnalystAgent->>ProductAgent: Emit BusinessRequirementsReady
    AnalystAgent->>OwnerAgent: Emit BusinessRequirementsReady
Hold "Alt" / "Option" to enable pan & zoom

Key Activities

  1. Requirements Extraction

    • Extract functional requirements
    • Identify non-functional requirements
    • Capture business rules and constraints

  2. Process Modeling

    • Model business processes
    • Define workflows and user journeys
    • Identify process dependencies

  3. Business Rules Definition

    • Define business rules and logic
    • Identify validation rules
    • Specify calculation rules

  4. Constraints Identification

    • Identify technical constraints
    • Define compliance requirements
    • Specify integration constraints

  5. Requirements Validation

    • Validate requirements completeness
    • Check for conflicts or ambiguities
    • Ensure traceability to vision

Agent Responsibilities

Business Analyst Agent:

  • Orchestrates requirements analysis workflow
  • Extracts and models requirements
  • Defines business rules and processes
  • Validates requirements completeness

Vision Architect Agent:

  • Provides vision context
  • Validates requirements alignment

Product Manager Agent:

  • Provides product context
  • Validates requirements feasibility

Success Metrics

  • Requirements Completeness: All requirements captured
  • Requirements Clarity: Clear and unambiguous
  • Traceability: Requirements link to vision
  • Validation: Requirements validated by stakeholders

Artifacts Produced

  • Business Requirements Document (requirements.md)
  • Business Rules Document (business-rules.md)
  • Process Models (process-models.md)
  • Constraints Document (constraints.md)

4. User Story Creation Workflow

Purpose

Transform product plans and business requirements into backlog-ready user stories with acceptance criteria, ready for development.

Workflow Steps

flowchart TD
    Start[Product Plan & Requirements] --> Analyze[Analyze Features]
    Analyze --> CreateEpics[Create Epics]
    CreateEpics --> CreateStories[Create User Stories]
    CreateStories --> DefineCriteria[Define Acceptance Criteria]
    DefineCriteria --> Estimate[Estimate Stories]
    Estimate --> Prioritize[Prioritize Stories]
    Prioritize --> Validate[Validate Stories]
    Validate -->|Valid| Emit[Emit BacklogReady]
    Validate -->|Invalid| Refine[Refine Stories]
    Refine --> Validate
Hold "Alt" / "Option" to enable pan & zoom

Key Activities

  1. Feature Analysis

    • Analyze product plan features
    • Break down features into epics
    • Identify user story candidates

  2. Epic Creation

    • Group related user stories into epics
    • Define epic goals and outcomes
    • Establish epic acceptance criteria

  3. User Story Creation

    • Write user stories (As a... I want... So that...)
    • Link stories to personas
    • Associate stories with features

  4. Acceptance Criteria Definition

    • Define detailed acceptance criteria
    • Specify test conditions
    • Identify edge cases

  5. Story Estimation

    • Estimate story complexity
    • Assign story points
    • Identify dependencies

  6. Story Prioritization

    • Prioritize stories within epics
    • Balance value and dependencies
    • Optimize for delivery flow

Agent Responsibilities

Product Owner Agent:

  • Orchestrates user story creation workflow
  • Creates epics and user stories
  • Defines acceptance criteria
  • Prioritizes backlog

Product Manager Agent:

  • Provides product plan context
  • Validates story alignment with roadmap

Business Analyst Agent:

  • Provides requirements context
  • Validates story completeness

Success Metrics

  • Story Completeness: All features broken into stories
  • Acceptance Criteria: All stories have clear criteria
  • Backlog Readiness: Stories ready for development
  • Traceability: Stories link to features and requirements

Artifacts Produced

  • User Stories (user-stories.md)
  • Epics (epics.md)
  • Acceptance Criteria (acceptance-criteria.md)
  • Product Backlog (backlog.md)

5. Strategic Alignment Workflow

Purpose

Ensure continuous alignment between vision, product plan, requirements, and user stories throughout the planning phase.

Workflow Steps

graph TB
    Vision[Vision Document] --> CheckVision{Vision Valid?}
    CheckVision -->|Yes| ProductPlan[Product Plan]
    CheckVision -->|No| RefineVision[Refine Vision]
    RefineVision --> Vision

    ProductPlan --> CheckPlan{Plan Aligned?}
    CheckPlan -->|Yes| Requirements[Requirements]
    CheckPlan -->|No| RefinePlan[Refine Plan]
    RefinePlan --> ProductPlan

    Requirements --> CheckReq{Requirements Complete?}
    CheckReq -->|Yes| Stories[User Stories]
    CheckReq -->|No| RefineReq[Refine Requirements]
    RefineReq --> Requirements

    Stories --> CheckStories{Stories Ready?}
    CheckStories -->|Yes| Ready[Ready for Architecture]
    CheckStories -->|No| RefineStories[Refine Stories]
    RefineStories --> Stories
Hold "Alt" / "Option" to enable pan & zoom

Key Activities

  1. Vision-Plan Alignment

    • Verify product plan aligns with vision
    • Check feature coverage
    • Validate persona alignment

  2. Plan-Requirements Alignment

    • Verify requirements support product plan
    • Check feature-requirement mapping
    • Validate completeness

  3. Requirements-Stories Alignment

    • Verify stories cover all requirements
    • Check story-requirement traceability
    • Validate acceptance criteria completeness

  4. End-to-End Traceability

    • Establish trace links from vision to stories
    • Create traceability matrix
    • Validate complete coverage

  5. Stakeholder Validation

    • Review alignment with stakeholders
    • Gather feedback and approvals
    • Resolve conflicts and gaps

Agent Responsibilities

Product Manager Agent:

  • Orchestrates strategic alignment
  • Validates vision-plan alignment
  • Coordinates stakeholder reviews

Product Owner Agent:

  • Validates plan-stories alignment
  • Ensures backlog completeness

Business Analyst Agent:

  • Validates requirements alignment
  • Ensures requirements coverage

Vision Architect Agent:

  • Validates vision completeness
  • Ensures vision traceability

Success Metrics

  • Alignment Score: > 95% alignment across artifacts
  • Traceability Coverage: 100% of features traced
  • Stakeholder Approval: All stakeholders approve
  • Gap Resolution: All gaps identified and resolved

Artifacts Produced

  • Traceability Matrix (traceability-matrix.md)
  • Alignment Report (alignment-report.md)
  • Gap Analysis (gap-analysis.md)
  • Approval Sign-offs

Workflow Integration

Vision and product planning workflows integrate with downstream workflows:

  • Research and UX/UI Design Workflows: User stories and personas feed into UX design
  • Architecture Workflows: Product plans and requirements inform architecture decisions
  • Engineering Workflows: User stories become development tasks
  • Testing Workflows: Acceptance criteria become test cases

Best Practices

  1. Iterative Refinement: Allow multiple iterations to refine vision and plans
  2. Stakeholder Engagement: Involve stakeholders throughout the planning process
  3. Traceability: Maintain clear traceability from vision to stories
  4. Validation Gates: Implement validation gates at each workflow stage
  5. Memory Utilization: Leverage semantic memory for patterns and best practices
  6. Collaboration: Foster collaboration between planning agents
  7. Documentation: Maintain comprehensive documentation at each stage