Data Platform Capability Press Release
Writing a press release forces clarity on what data platform features are needed, when and why
I’ve seen data teams use the Information Product Canvas template to define the core capabilities they need to build in their data platform. But when the focus shifts from individual Information Products to the broader vision and functionality of the data platform itself, the Information Product Canvas can fall short.
That’s where the Data Platform Capability Press Release pattern template comes in.
This pattern template helps align stakeholder, user, and data team requirements, ensuring the data platform is built to deliver value, not just more technical features. It forces us to think from the stakeholder and user’s perspective, imagining what the capability will feel like when it’s live and in use.
Start from the Information Product Canvas
As we build out an Information Product Canvas, the Feature Stories and Will / Won’t areas naturally capture data platform features that emerge over time.
We discover the need for capabilities that go beyond a single Information Product. These highlight data platform features that are useful and reusable across multiple Information Products.
We use these discoveries to draft Data Platform Capability Press Releases.
Completing the Press Release Pattern Template helps test whether these features are clear, valuable, viable and feasible. It transforms vague requests like “we need to be able to upload a file” into a clear story, who needs it, what they’ll achieve, why it matters, and how they’ll use it.
Four patterns for creating a Data Platform Capability Press Release
Start with the stakeholder
Always write as if you’re announcing a capability your stakeholders and users have been waiting for. The press release should focus on the outcomes they care about, not the technology you’ve used. Describe what they can now do easily, that was previously frustrating or impossible.
Keep it concise
Aim for simplicity and clarity. Focus on the essential story, who it helps, the problem it solves, how it works, and why it matters. Don’t drown the reader in technical or data jargon or unnecessary context.
Use clear, simple language
Write in plain language, with no assumptions about the reader’s technical expertise. If a teenager wouldn’t understand what the capability does, you’re not finished writing.
Include a clear call to action
Finish by telling the reader exactly how they can start using the capability or learn more. Whether it’s “you’ll see this in the data platform today” or “talk to your data platform product manager to get access,” make it obvious what to do next.
Is it Valuable?
Once completed, you can share the draft press release with stakeholders, users and data teams. If they read it and get excited, you’re onto something. If they hesitate or don’t understand the value, it’s a sign you need to refine the press release or rethink the proposed capability.
This process also makes it easier to separate nice-to-haves from must-haves, by forcing teams to align on the value before any data platform build work begins.
Prioritise data platform features like products
The Press Release Template becomes a powerful way to visualise and prioritise future data platform features, using the same prioritisation patterns we rely on for Information Products.
Aligning Data Platform Features with Information Product Delivery
One of the challenges data teams face is timing, when should we invest in building new data platform features?
The best time to define, prioritise and backlog a data platform feature is when it naturally emerges from the Feature Stories and Will/Won’t areas in an Information Product Canvas. When a stakeholder asks for something that repeatedly highlights a data platform gap, like automated refreshes, secure data sharing, or data quality checks, that’s your signal to create a Data Platform Capability Press Release.
But defining the need is only half the job. The real alignment comes from timing the build of that data platform feature so that it’s ready just before or just as the data team starts work on designing and building the next Information Product.
This approach ensures two things:
First, you’re not building data platform capabilities that sit idle waiting for someone to use them;
Second, you’re not scrambling to build data platform features at the last minute, and often late, slowing down delivery of the new Information Product.
We use the Data Platform Capability Press Release to socialise the feature early and gain stakeholder buy-in. Then, we align the feature’s delivery with the upcoming delivery cycle for the related Information Product.
If the platform feature can’t be delivered in time to support the Information Product, we treat that as a clear signal to either:
Defer the Information Product until the data platform feature is ready, or
Find a smaller, manual workaround so we can still deliver value iteratively (and register workaround that as Technical Debt).
This alignment means your data platform evolves in step with the business actions and outcomes that are needed, not in isolation or guesswork.
It also avoids building “just in case” features that never get used.
Why this pattern template works
Writing a press release for data platform features forces forethought and clarity.
It cuts through internal noise and vague aspirations, focusing everyone on what matters, how will these features make life better for stakeholders, users and data teams.