This standard ensures prioritisation decisions are driven by real customer needs, aligning effort with the highest user impact. It keeps teams focused on what matters most for delivering meaningful outcomes.
Aligned to our "Customer-First Thinking" policy, this standard fosters shared clarity on value creation. Without it, resources may be invested in lower-impact work, delaying or diminishing benefits for customers.
Clearly defined impacts of meeting this standard include improved delivery flow, reduced risk, higher system resilience, and better alignment to business needs. Over time, teams will see reduced rework, faster time to value, and stronger system integrity.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | Priorities are set based on internal preferences or politics. Little to no connection to customer outcomes. |
| Process & Governance | Prioritisation criteria are undocumented. Stakeholder opinion often overrides user needs. |
| Technology & Tools | No tooling connects customer feedback to planning. Decisions are ad hoc or reactive. |
| Measurement & Metrics | No tracking of value delivered to customers. Feedback loops are informal or absent. |
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | Teams acknowledge the importance of customer impact. Some effort is made to consider it. |
| Process & Governance | Feedback is used inconsistently in prioritisation. No standard process exists. |
| Technology & Tools | Some tools capture feedback or usage data, but not tied into work planning. |
| Measurement & Metrics | Value is occasionally inferred from NPS or support data, but not structured or reliable. |
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | Teams embrace customer-centricity in prioritisation. Customer outcomes are regularly discussed. |
| Process & Governance | A shared framework (e.g., RICE, impact mapping) is used to prioritise based on user impact. |
| Technology & Tools | Product analytics and customer feedback tools inform backlogs and delivery plans. |
| Measurement & Metrics | Customer impact is scoped upfront and tracked post-release via defined success measures. |
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | Prioritisation discussions are guided by customer data. Teams challenge assumptions with real-world insights. |
| Process & Governance | Decisions are regularly reviewed against outcomes. Planning cycles adjust based on value delivered. |
| Technology & Tools | Data pipelines connect telemetry, user feedback, and planning tools. |
| Measurement & Metrics | Impact metrics are tracked and benchmarked across product areas. |
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| People & Culture | Continuous discovery and delivery converge. Teams test value hypotheses through iterative releases. |
| Process & Governance | Prioritisation adapts in real time to user behaviour, emerging needs, and contextual feedback. |
| Technology & Tools | Predictive insights from user signals, segmentation and sentiment drive strategy. |
| Measurement & Metrics | Value delivery is continuously refined. Lagging and leading indicators steer product direction. |