Topic Definitions #
Define Scope
Scope Creep
Backlog
Change Control Board
Introductory Market Analysis in Project Activities #
Why is market analysis important within a project?
The transition from the “Idea” phase to the “Research” phase marks a significant milestone in a project’s lifecycle. At this stage, the focus shifts from generating and evaluating hypotheses to obtaining objective data about the external environment that will support informed project decisions. Market analysis at this point serves several key purposes:
-
Validation of idea viability #
Confirm the existence of market demand and potential for product launch.
-
Identification of the target audience: #
Segment the market, understand consumer motivation, usage scenarios, and behavioral patterns.
-
Study of the competitive landscape #
Identify direct and indirect competitors, understand their positions, strengths, and weaknesses.
-
Formation of a foundation for subsequent design #
Based on market data, it becomes possible to formulate product requirements, define unique value propositions, and confidently move on to the estimation (Estimate) stage.
Why is market analysis important within a project?
| Classical Marketing | Project Marketing (in the Research phase) |
|---|---|
|
Promotion of an existing product |
Idea validation, exploration of untapped niches |
|
Focus on brand and sales channels |
Focus on hypotheses, needs, and scenarios |
|
Develops positioning |
Identifies prerequisites for future positioning |
|
Profit-oriented |
Focused on the justification of the project decision |
What types of analysis are used?
Project market analysis can include various approaches, selected depending on the idea’s specifics, the maturity level of the hypothesis, the available budget, and time constraints.
1. Primary Analysis (Field Research):
2. Secondary Analysis (Desk Research):
3. Structural Tools:
What types of analysis are used?
Market analysis:
- Takes place immediately after idea generation and hypothesis validation
- Serves as a key transition point from the idea to the product structure
- Precedes the Estimate phase, where scope, budgets, and resources become critical
- Helps form a well-grounded Project Background and rational requirements
At this stage, subjective judgments are no longer sufficient. The project team relies on facts — not only to answer “What do we want to create?” but also “Will the market accept it?”, “How is it structured?”, and “Where can we be competitive?”
The Marketing Iceberg: The Structure of Modern Marketing in Project Activities #
This material introduces project stakeholders to how marketing is organized within project activities and how marketing analysis is conducted as part of the Total Project Management Framework.
The logic is consistent: we move from the general to the specific, and the results of each step serve as inputs for the next one.
1. The “Marketing Iceberg” Principle
- Most people perceive marketing as its visible part — advertising, promotion, and content.
In reality, behind every communication step lies a deep system of research, strategy, and tactics.
The “Marketing Iceberg” reveals these layers vertically — from the product idea to public communications — showing how each level fuels the next.
2. Structure of the Marketing Iceberg
3. Interconnection of Levels
Product idea #
The foundation of marketing where the product’s essence is defined — what is created, for whom, and why. This includes shaping the idea, MVP, key features, next steps, and validating Product–Market Fit.
Marketing research #
A deep analytical layer that turns the idea into insights about the market, users, and competition. It covers trend analysis, customer needs, competitors, and value proposition.
Marketing strategy #
The stage where analytics turn into strategic decisions — goals, positioning, segmentation, and growth plans. It sets the basis for branding, risk management, and experimentation.
Tactical marketing mix (8P) #
Practical execution of the strategy through product, price, channels, promotion, people, processes, physical evidence, and partnerships — building a working marketing system.
Marketing communications #
The top layer that delivers product value to the audience through advertising, PR, sales promotion, and digital interactions to shape perception and drive demand.
Should you conduct a research? #
Gate 2 is an investment and management checkpoint. At this stage, stakeholders decide whether to invest in conducting market research and, if so, under what scope (mandate/charter). Gate 2 does not handle the selection of specific methods — that is the task of the “Choose & Approve Research Methods” step. Instead, Gate 2 defines the feasibility, boundaries, and rules of the research.
1) Position of Gate 2 in the workflow
Gate 2 follows the IDEA phase, which includes the steps:
Explain the Background #
Provides context that clarifies why the product is needed and what problem it solves.
Search & Test Hypotheses #
Validates assumptions through research and experiments to ensure the idea is viable.
Idea Chosen #
Selects the most promising concept based on criteria such as value, feasibility, and market fit.
Develop Product Vision #
Transforms the chosen idea into a clear and inspiring vision of the future product.
Develop Road Map #
Outlines the sequence of steps and milestones needed to deliver the product.
Collect Requirements #
A new concept of showing content in your web page with more interactive way.
Define Scope #
Defines the technical foundations and architecture required to bring the product to life.
Approve Vision #
Aligns stakeholders and finalizes the shared understanding before development begins.
Gate 2 uses all the artifacts created during these steps and makes a decision on whether market research is required before moving to the Research and Estimate phases.
2) Gate 2 Inputs — specific artifacts from the IDEA phase
Below are the artifacts Gate 2 reviews. They serve as the basis for evaluation but are not duplicated in the “Choose & Approve Research Methods” step.
Strategic goals, tactical plans, operational decisions
Strategic and contextual alignment
Performance indicators (KPIs)
Risk identification
Socio-cultural factors, demographics, and psychographics
Vision formulation, strategic planning, systems, and strategy modalities
Mission, Vision, Strategy
Business goals, their types and catalog, key project milestones
Current, market, and project challenges; challenge acceptance; “The Mountain of Tomorrow”
Project background, stakeholder map, and roles
Strategic alignment, historical analysis, performance evaluation
Operational efficiency, market expansion
Industry/organizational context, external conditions, market position
Internal factors: financial and human resources
Organizational structure and culture, infrastructure
Current constraints, assumptions, exclusions, risks
Strategic importance, business impact, potential benefits
Problem or need history
Lean Startup principles, Jira Product Discovery workspace
Hypothesis backlog, Hypothesis Testing methods, hypothesis classification
Validated Learning, Discovery Cycle, MVP orientation
Project and product scope at the hypothesis level
Idea and insight collection
Idea evaluation methods:
Impact / Effort Evaluation, Easy Wins, Big Bets, Incremental, Money Pit
Voting, Ranked Choice Voting, Points Allocation, Pairwise Comparison, Dot Voting, MaxDiff
Impact Mapping, EMV, WSJF, RICE, MoSCoW
Idea volume and functionality (Scope, Features), PBI, Buffers, Research Spikes
Decision log (why the idea was selected or rejected)
Iterative approach (Diverge / Converge)
Product vision, target audience, unique value proposition, early adopters
MVP, feedback, Lean Product Canvas, Elevator Pitch, Product Box visualization
Vision evolution through iterations and feedback
Product and project roadmaps (structure and key elements)
Methods: Waterfall, Iterative Development
Custom fields, Low-hanging Fruits, time views, gamification
Integration with Jira Product Discovery, phases, tools
Draft and final Roadmap
Scope Management Plan and Planning
Idea transformation and requirements formalization
Requirements management plan, documentation, and RTM
Classification of product and project requirements
Requirements gathering methods: document analysis, expert opinion, focus groups, surveys, benchmarking, interviews, observations, facilitated sessions
Visualization: Context diagrams, visual thinking, prototyping, storyboarding, Affinity diagrams, Mind Maps
Technological context: ERP, monolith, microservices, cloud-native
EPICs, Work Packages, tech stack, KPIs
Goals, components, and documentation of the technical vision
Scope Creep, Backlog, Change Control Board
Project Triangle, Focused Scope Management, Managing Scope Expansion
Approved project scope description, Agile Scope Management
Product / Project Scope
Approved Project Scope Statement, key stakeholders
Project modifications, finalization of the vision
Scope Creep Matrix
3) Evaluation within Gate 2
3.1 Evidence-Based Analysis → Confidence Assessment (0–1)
For each domain, a Confidence score (ranging from 0 to 1) is assigned based on artifacts from the IDEA phase:
-
Market and macro environment #
context, external conditions, market position.
-
Customer and problem #
target audience, JTBD, challenges, problem history.
-
Solution and value #
UVP, vision, MVP.
-
Competition and alternatives #
benchmarking, competitor solutions.
-
Feasibility #
technical vision, constraints, risks.
-
Legal and data compliance #
ethics, PII, access to information.
-
Finance and timing #
business impact, milestones, schedule.
3.2 Value of Information (VOI)
Assesses how much the research results may influence decision-making — scope, strategy, MVP definition, or budget adjustments.
3.3 Cost of Delay (CoD)
Evaluates the potential loss caused by delaying the Estimate phase or market entry (e.g., according to the roadmap).
3.4 Decision Score Formula
Assesses how much the research results may influence decision-making — scope, strategy, MVP definition, or budget adjustments.
Weighted Uncertainty — weighted uncertainty across domains.
Strategic Fit — alignment with the vision and strategic goals.
Compliance Ready — readiness to work with data legally and ethically.
3.5 Decision Options
≥ 0.70 — Full Research Go → create a Research Charter
0.45–0.69 — Time-Boxed Research → limited mandate
Conditional Go → allowed under specific conditions (data access, etc.)
< 0.45 — Skip / Use Existing Data → justified refusal (No-Research Justification)
4) Gate 2 Outputs
4.1 Research Charter (Mandate)
Created in cases of Full / Time-Boxed / Conditional Go.
Includes:
Goals and key questions to answer
Research boundaries
Time-box and budget limit
Kill-metrics and stop triggers
Data and legal compliance requirements
RACI matrix
Success criteria (readiness for Gate 3)
Traceability (links to IDEA artifacts)
4.2 No-Research Justification
A 1-page document: reasons, accepted risks, and the date for the next review.
5) Governance and Tools (Platform Functionality)
-
Decision Canvas (Gate 2) #
— an interface that pulls artifacts, includes Confidence/VOI/CoD sliders, and automatically calculates the Decision Score.
-
Charter Builder #
— auto-generates the mandate from the Canvas with embedded goals and references.
-
Approval Flow #
— sign-off chain: Sponsor → Owner → Legal/Data → Research Lead, with comments and an audit trail.
-
Portfolio Trace #
— decision logic across projects.
-
Hand-off to Step “Choose & Approve Research Methods” #
— the Charter becomes the single source of truth; in Step 2.1 the boundaries cannot be changed.
6) Gate 2 authorizes and constrains, while Step “Choose & Approve Research Methods” defines the research
A 1-page document: reasons, accepted risks, and the date for the next review.Gate 2 authorizes and limits the research based on actual IDEA artifacts, while Step 2.1 selects methods and sequencing
PESTEL
Competition
Strategy Synthesis
Customer Needs
SWOT
within the boundaries defined by the Charter.
Control Checklist #
