Standard : Avoid building speculative features not backed by clear user needs
Purpose and Strategic Importance
This standard ensures that development efforts focus on delivering features validated by clear and current user needs, avoiding speculative or premature work that risks wasting resources and increasing inventory.
It supports the policy “Minimise Inventory and Overproduction” by aligning delivery with validated demand, thereby reducing waste and maximising customer value. Without this standard, teams risk building unnecessary features that add complexity and technical debt.
Strategic Impact
- Reduces wasted effort and development costs
- Enhances alignment between product delivery and user value
- Minimises backlog bloat and inventory of unused features
- Encourages continuous user validation and feedback
- Supports lean, outcome-focused development
Risks of Not Having This Standard
- Increased technical debt from unused or unnecessary features
- Misalignment with customer priorities and expectations
- Slower delivery due to overburdened backlogs
- Reduced team focus and morale
- Higher risk of product failure or poor adoption
CMMI Maturity Model
Level 1 – Initial
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
- Features are developed based on assumptions or internal preferences. |
| Process & Governance |
- No formal validation or prioritisation process exists. |
| Technology & Tools |
- Limited use of user research or analytics to guide development. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
- No metrics track feature usage or validation. |
Level 2 – Managed
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
- Some validation of features occurs but is inconsistent. |
| Process & Governance |
- Basic prioritisation processes consider user feedback. |
| Technology & Tools |
- Tools support capturing user feedback and usage data. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
- Some measurement of feature adoption and impact exists. |
Level 3 – Defined
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
- User needs and validation drive feature development consistently. |
| Process & Governance |
- Formal prioritisation and validation processes are embedded. |
| Technology & Tools |
- Integrated platforms enable continuous user feedback and data analysis. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
- Metrics guide prioritisation and feature lifecycle decisions. |
Level 4 – Quantitatively Managed
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
- Data-driven decisions optimise feature portfolio and investment. |
| Process & Governance |
- Validation and impact metrics influence roadmap and resource allocation. |
| Technology & Tools |
- Advanced analytics predict feature success and user value. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
- Quantitative links between validation and business outcomes are established. |
Level 5 – Optimising
| Category |
Description |
| People & Culture |
- Continuous learning culture refines feature delivery based on real-time feedback. |
| Process & Governance |
- Policies dynamically adapt to evolving user needs and market conditions. |
| Technology & Tools |
- AI-powered tools personalise feature recommendations and prioritisation. |
| Measurement & Metrics |
- Organisational maturity in validation drives innovation and customer satisfaction. |
Key Measures
- Percentage of features validated before development
- Feature adoption and usage rates
- Reduction in unused or deprecated features
- Customer satisfaction and feedback scores
- Impact of feature validation on delivery velocity and quality