Feature Value Planning

Position in workflow: v0.3 Commercial Model → v0.3 Feature Value Planning → v0.4 User Journeys

Features are the unit of scope. Every feature must trace back to why it exists: outcome, moat, competitive position, or pricing tier.

Consumes

This skill requires prior work from v0.1-v0.3:

• CFD-* entries (customer feedback, from v0.1-v0.2) — Evidence for what users need/want
• KPI-* entries (outcome definitions, from v0.3 Outcome Definition) — What metrics does each feature support
• BR-* moat entries (from v0.3 Moat Definition) — What features defend our competitive position
• BR-* pricing entries (from v0.3 Pricing Model) — What features differentiate tiers
• Market landscape analysis (from v0.2) — Competitive feature comparison

This skill assumes v0.1-v0.2 research is complete and risk/tech decisions (v0.5) are not yet made.

Produces

This skill creates/updates:

• FEA-* entries (feature definitions, with confidence scoring) — Every feature in scope with traceability
• BR-FEA-* entries (governance rules for feature decisions) — Scope protection rules
• MVP-SCOPE artifact — Explicit list: "These X features (FEA-001, FEA-005, FEA-008) define our MVP"
  • Example: MVP-SCOPE: 5 P0 features + 3 P1 features = 8 total. Rationale: Delivers value on [KPI-001, KPI-002]. Competitive parity [FEA-001-003], Delta [FEA-004], Pricing [FEA-005]
  • This becomes the definition for v0.4 user journeys and v0.7 build scope

All FEA- entries include confidence:

• confidence: 2-3/5 (based on CFD- evidence strength)
• Evidence: "CFD-001, CFD-005, competitive-analysis"
• Forward target: "Would move to 4/5 if beta cohort uses it"

Feature Classification Framework

Type	Definition	Strategic Purpose	Evidence Required
Moat	Builds/defends competitive advantage	Supports BR- moat rule	High (CFD- proving differentiation)
Outcome	Directly drives success metric	Tied to KPI- entry	High (KPI- link mandatory)
Parity	Matches competitor baseline	From Competitive Landscape	Medium (CFD- competitor evidence)
Delta	Differentiation from competitors	Our advantage over market	High (CFD- gap evidence)
Tier	Differentiates pricing packages	From Pricing BR-	Medium (BR- tier assignment)
Table Stakes	Expected but not differentiating	Industry standard	Low (common knowledge)

Rule: P0 features require Moat, Outcome, or Delta classification. Table Stakes alone cannot justify P0.

Product Type × Feature Strategy

Feature focus varies by product type (from v0.2 classification):

Product Type	Primary Focus	Parity Approach	Delta Approach
Fast Follow	Parity + focused delta	1:1 critical feature match	Single compelling improvement
Innovation	Moat-building features	Minimal (new category)	Core differentiation IS the product
Slice	Segment-specific features	Partial (niche needs differ)	Deep fit for underserved segment

Fast Follow Constraint

BR-FEA-PARITY-FIRST: No delta features until parity features complete. Users compare to incumbent first.

Innovation Pattern

Moat features = 60%+ of scope. Table stakes minimized. Delta is the entire value proposition.

Slice Pattern

80/20 rule: Match 20% of incumbent features that serve 80% of niche use cases. Delta = niche-specific depth.

Priority Tier Criteria

Tier	Criteria	Evidence Threshold
P0 — Must Have	Blocks launch without it; tied to primary KPI- or moat BR-	CFD- proof + KPI-/BR- link
P1 — Should Have	Meaningfully improves outcome; supports tier differentiation	CFD- user signal
P2 — Nice to Have	Enhances experience; no direct KPI impact	Reasonable assumption OK
P3 — Defer/Cut	Scope creep signal; can add post-launch	None (remove from scope)

Kill criterion: If >40% of features are P2/P3, scope is bloated. Re-evaluate.

FEA- Output Template

Create FEA- entries in this format:

FEA-XXX: [Feature Name]
Type: [Moat | Outcome | Parity | Delta | Tier | Table Stakes]
Priority: [P0 | P1 | P2 | P3]
Description: [What the feature does — user-facing capability]
Outcome Link: [KPI-XXX this supports, or "N/A"]
Moat Link: [BR-XXX moat rule this supports, or "N/A"]
Pricing Link: [BR-XXX tier this belongs to, or "All tiers"]
Competitor Comparison: [Parity with X | Delta vs X | Unique | Table stakes]
Validation: [CFD-XXX evidence, or validation method]
Acceptance Criteria: [Testable condition for "done"]

Example entries:

FEA-001: One-Click Scheduling
Type: Parity
Priority: P0
Description: Schedule meetings with single click from availability view
Outcome Link: KPI-002 (activation rate)
Moat Link: N/A
Pricing Link: All tiers
Competitor Comparison: Parity with Calendly
Validation: CFD-012 (competitor feature audit)
Acceptance Criteria: User completes scheduling in ≤3 clicks

FEA-002: Offline Mode
Type: Delta
Priority: P0
Description: Full functionality without internet connection
Outcome Link: KPI-001 (TTFV for field users)
Moat Link: BR-012 (moat: works anywhere)
Pricing Link: BR-045 (Pro tier differentiator)
Competitor Comparison: Delta vs Notion (requires connection)
Validation: CFD-018 (user interviews: connectivity complaints)
Acceptance Criteria: All core features function with 0 connectivity for 24h

BR-FEA- Governance Rules

Create governance rules for feature decisions:

BR-FEA-XXX: [Rule Name]
Type: [Scope Protection | Prioritization Rule | Validation Gate]
Rule: [Constraint statement]
Rationale: [Why this rule exists]
Enforcement: [When/how applied]

Standard rules to establish:

• BR-FEA-001: Outcome Link Required — P0/P1 features must link to KPI- entry
• BR-FEA-002: Validation Before Build — P0 features require CFD- evidence before development
• BR-FEA-003: Scope Freeze Gate — Feature list locked after v0.4; changes require EPIC

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Anti-Pattern	Signal	Fix
Feature creep	P2/P3 > 40% of scope	Cut ruthlessly; defer to backlog
Implementation masquerading as feature	"Use Redis caching"	Reframe as user outcome
Orphaned features	No KPI-, BR-, or CFD- link	Add traceability or cut
Assumption-based priority	"Users will love this"	Require CFD- evidence
Parity inflation	Everything is "parity"	Challenge: is competitor feature actually used?
Delta without moat	Delta feature easy to copy	Tie to defensible BR- moat

Downstream Connections

This skill's outputs feed into multiple downstream skills:

Consumer	Consumes	Purpose
v0.4 User Journeys	FEA-* entries + MVP-SCOPE artifact	Design journey paths through MVP features
v0.5 Red Team Review	FEA-* entries	Assess technical/risk feasibility of features
v0.6 Architecture	FEA-* entries + MVP-SCOPE	Design system that supports MVP features
v0.7 Build Execution	FEA-* entries + MVP-SCOPE	Define EPIC scope (which features = which EPICs)
v0.9 GTM	FEA-* entries (especially Delta)	Build launch messaging around delta features

Critical handoff: The MVP-SCOPE artifact is the boundary. Everything in the list goes to v0.4+. Everything outside gets deferred to post-launch backlog.

Detailed References

• Good/bad examples: See references/examples.md
• FEA- entry template: See assets/fea.md
• Competitive feature matrix: See assets/competitive-feature-matrix.md