Home / The Product Journey / Section 04: Applied Frameworks

Use Cases

Every framework includes what it is, when to use it, when not to use it, and a worked PM example.

Use in Definition

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Use in Strategy

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Use Post-Launch

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Use at Every Transition

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What it is

A formal go/no-go decision point between each PDC stage.

When to use

At every stage transition. Prevents wasted work.

When NOT to use

As a checkbox process. Must be meaningful.

Gate 1 example

Problem validated with user interviews and sizing.

Gate	Stage Completed	Evidence Required To Pass	Decision Made
Gate 1	Discovery	Validated problem statement, user research synthesis, problem sizing, go/no-go recommendation	Proceed to Definition / Stop initiative
Gate 2	Definition	Completed PRD, acceptance criteria written, engineering feasibility sign-off, success metrics defined	Proceed to Development / Revise scope
Gate 3	Development	All acceptance criteria met, DoD passed, no critical bugs, support team briefed	Proceed to Launch / Delay release
Gate 4	Launch	Post-launch metrics reviewed at 2 weeks, early retention healthy, no critical issues outstanding	Continue rollout / Rollback / Iterate
Gate 5	Post-Launch	Post-Launch Review completed, learnings fed back into Discovery, next cycle decision made	New Discovery / Pivot / Sunset