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Part 2 · Six weeks, one framework a week · 1 of 7

The Bullseye: Data Product-Market Fit (Week 1)

Before building anything: retrieve requirements from real end users, map their existing journey, and identify North Star/functional/granular metrics.

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Week 1 of the 6-week playbook. The first and most critical stage: prove there's a real business purpose before you build anything.

  1. Retrieve requirements — interview end users directly; capture raw pain points as a list or chart of associated questions.
  2. Map the existing user journey — how, where, and why they currently consume data.
  3. Align on data's new purpose (value prop) — draft an MVP problem statement from the user's pain points.
  4. Identify metrics — North Star, functional, and granular (see North Star, Functional, and Granular Metrics), and how they associate with each other.

Key questions to answer in week 1: What are the user's pain points? What value can the data bring to close the gaps? Which persona benefits most? Are there domain-specific data quality/compliance requirements? How engaged is domain leadership, really?

Spend at least one full week here. Pick metrics that are directly useful to leadership — this is a proof of value, not a full rollout.

Source: 6-Week Data Products Product Playbook.pdf

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