Iterate Iterative Iteration
when to iterate the content in an Information Product Canvas
Like many pattern templates used in an Agile Data Way of Working, the Information Product Canvas is continuously updated as you move through the steps in the Information Value Stream.
At each step the canvas is iterated to reflect newly discovered details and changing requirements, ensuring it remains accurate and aligned with both business needs and technical realities.
There are five steps in the Information Value Stream where I update the Information Product Canvas.
1. Discover, Size & Prioritise
The initial version of the Information Product Canvas is populated with the minimal amount of detail required. This allows a high-level guesstimate of the timeframe needed to design and build the Information Product to be added as the t-shirt sizing, and for the Information Products to be prioritised.
The discovery, sizing, and prioritisation enable the Information Product roadmap/backlog to be populated.
2. Estimation and commitment planning
The Information Product Canvas is updated with more detail, in conjunction with setting the iteration goal, to enable it to be sized using story points during backlog refinement.
The aim is to ensure it has a chance of being delivered within the timeframe that has been guesstimated.
3. Design
The Information Product Canvas is updated with enough detail to enable the data team to start the Build steps.
This is typically done at the beginning of the delivery iteration, in conjunction with concept modelling, data collection investigation, business rules definition, and wireframing.
4. As Built
The Information Product Canvas is updated to become an as-built document to confirm what the data team deployed. Ideally, the data team has adopted a “documentation-as-code” pattern by this stage.
5. Ongoing Changes
The documentation is updated using a documentation-as-code pattern every time the Information Product is enhanced.