Products are the solutions we build for our customers, including Knack apps, AMANDA apps, custom software, and data systems. We improve and extend our products over time so that they deliver continuous value to Austin Transportation as business needs evolve.
Projects are time-boxed endeavors. They accomplish a singular goal and have a defined completion date. Examples include:
- Recommending an off-the-shelf externally-supported solution
- Delivering the first iteration (MVP) of a new DTS product
- Building a major feature for an existing DTS project
- Refactoring a dataset
- Delivering a complex map.
Requests are typically submitted via the DTS Service Request Portal and assigned to the appropriate product manager during triage.
The PM takes it from there:
- Move to "Needs Scoping" pipeline
- Confirm requestor authority and get clarification from customer if needed
- Create an issue for an Intake Meeting
- Assign an upcoming sprint
- Apply appropriate milestone and move to "Backlog" or "On Deck" pipeline
- Create new Drive folder in ATD DTS > Projects
{% hint style="info" %}
Products are the solutions we build for our customers, including Knack apps, AMANDA apps, custom software, and data systems. We improve and extend our products over time to deliver continuous value to Austin Transportation as business needs evolve.
Projects are time-boxed endeavors. They accomplish a singular goal and have a defined completion date. Examples include:
- Recommending an off-the-shelf externally-supported solution
- Delivering the first iteration (MVP) of a new DTS product
- Building a major feature for an existing DTS project
- Refactoring a dataset
- Delivering a complex map. {% endhint %}
Refine the project request in Github
Verify that DTS project prerequisites are met
- Dedicated product owner to support requirements gathering, user research, and user onboarding
- Division Manager Sponsor to champion the project at the executive level
- Team commitment to collaborate in DTS's iterative, user-centered development process
- Assigned PM schedules Intake Meeting. Ideally, this will include actual users as well as the workgroup manager.
- Prepare Intake Meeting Agenda
- Meet and take notes; photos/recording may also be helpful
- Add notes/photos/recording to Github issue
- If necessary, update issue description to ensure it clearly summarizes request
- PM sets up meeting with potential builders, e.g. Dev for a Vision Zero Viewer project, Apps for a ROW Portal project. Include both Dev might be included if we aren't sure which route we'll go or the solution will require both
- Prepare a summary of request — example and template
- Meet and discuss
- Recommended approach
- Level of effort
First we ask: Is this truly "project-sized" — taking multiple sprints for a builder and PM to deliver?
No worries, we had a good opportunity to learn more about our customers' work. Might make sense to organize this work as an epic, once the time comes.
Create high-level documentation to ensure the project is clearly represented and prioritized in our backlog.
- Update Github issue to match Project Index template
- Add Project label here with the hex code #3D3D3D
- Add to Weekly Product Meeting agenda to discuss with other PMs on a Wednesday
- Discuss value and effort and record in DTS Prioritization Matrix
Delivery
- Move to "In Prog
- sprint reviews every sprint
- Updates
Partnering w/ dev team
- Create issue, focusing on desired outcome
- @mention Mateo in Github and DM him in Slack
A project is considered complete when the MVP (captured in the "Scope and Deliverables" section of the issue's Project Index) is delivered to users.
For complex projects, you might consider making an "Onboarding and Stabilization" issue in your roadmap and wait until that is complete before closing out the project.
