SPW Entities (Feedback, Product Ideas, Strategic Programs, Initiatives, etc.)

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SPW Entities (Feedback, Product Ideas, Strategic Programs, Initiatives, etc.)

Strategic planning workspace provides the experience to support end-end flow from ideation to execution planning. This article covers the definitions of various entities used in SPW from discovery to intake to backlog management.

1. Feedback

Any information, opinion, or insight provided by users, customers, or stakeholders about a product. It reflects their experiences, expectations, likes, dislikes, and observations for improvement.

Product managers start their discovery process by gathering feedback from various stakeholders. They review & analyze the feedback and focus​ on what really matters. They generate product ideas/demands from the actionable feedback.

It also contains new ideas gathers from employees for innovation, as it is integrated with Idea portal.

2. Intake

Curated list of potential new features, capabilities, or innovations that may be built in the future. Suggestions, concepts, strategic ideas.

What is the difference between feedback and intake?

	Feedback	Intake (product ideas, demands)
Focus	Typically to improve existing product. To gather new ideas from employees to drive innovation.	Build future product capabilities.
Nature	Reactive	Proactive
Input Type	Observations, complaints, praise	Suggestions, concepts, strategic ideas, improvements
Timeframe	Often short-term fixes or enhancements	Often mid-to-long-term planning
Source	Users, customers, internal stakeholders	Product team, vision, strategy, customers

 

SPW supports two mediums for intake – product ideas & demands.

2.1 Product Idea

Product idea is a suggestion or concept for a new product, feature or improvement. It is usually in early stage of the product development life cycle, exploratory in nature, and not yet thoroughly validated or scoped. 

 

2.2 Demand

Demand is a formal request for work to be planned, funded and potentially executed. It usually arises from internal stakeholders or customers with a clear need and justification. It typically goes through a process of collecting and assessing information around financial & resource estimates, risk, legal, compliance, business value, strategic alignment, feasibility, etc. before it is presented to the management for approval.

Depending on the purpose and level of governance required, customers can choose when to use what. There could be scenarios where customer may choose to do demands in an IT Org, where as use product ideas in product development org. There could be a scenario where ideas originate in the form of product idea but later get converted into a demand to materialize them for getting ready for execution. Following table summarizes the key differences...

	Product Idea	Demand
Process	None/ light weight process	Heavy, well-defined process
Governance	Self-empowered decision making, by collaborating with leadership.	Formal reviews by approval committee. Evaluates all aspects before approval – risk, compliance, budget, legal, capacity, etc.
Duration	Quick & informal.	Time taking, as many people are involved.
Teams	Typically product teams, product managers, etc.	Any teams that requires budget & business approvals before execution.
Source	Product managers curate ideas by collaborating with stakeholders, identifying gaps, performing market research.	Business users, End-users

3. Backlog

Backlog is usually a refined list of work items, ready for planning. These items can be large and strategic such as initiatives, strategic programs or tactical in nature such as projects, epics, etc. The strategic items are usually an outcome of strategic plan and priorities set by the executive management. The tactical items are typically created out of the demands or ideas. These require proper prioritization and roadmapping.

Backlog helps owners & PMs to keep track of important items in a prioritized list, enables them to continuously groom, validate and update as per the changing priorities and strategy.

Provides visibility into current priorities for all the stakeholders and cross functional teams to validate, analyze, and be ready with the probable solutions.

3.1 Initiative

An initiative is a comprehensive, action-oriented plan designed to help an organization achieve its long-term goals and vision. It's a structured approach to translating broad strategic objectives into concrete, measurable actions and projects. These initiatives often involve significant resources, cross-functional coordination, and a clear understanding of how they contribute to the overall strategic direction of the company. Initiative usually contains multiple strategic programs with defined scope and outcomes.

Strategic initiatives can differ greatly in scale and complexity, but they typically align with one or more of the following focus areas:

Category	Description	Examples
Growth	Initiatives focused on increasing revenue.	Market Expansion: Entering new markets, expanding product lines, increasing market share. Customer Experience: Improving satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.
Productivity	Initiatives to improve cost structure and efficiency.	Cost Reduction: Reducing fixed or variable costs. Operational Efficiency: Enhancing throughput, streamlining processes, improving capacity.
Innovation	Initiatives that drive new solutions or improve existing ones.	Technology & Process Innovation: Adopting new technologies, creating innovative solutions (e.g., for cost savings). Product Development: Creating new or enhanced products/services.
Sustainability / Environmental	Initiatives that reduce environmental impact and enhance external stakeholder value.	Reducing emissions or waste. Adopting green practices or sustainable sourcing.
Risk / Legal / Compliance	Actions taken to manage risks and comply with legal or regulatory changes.	Meeting new regulatory standards. Mitigating operational or financial risks.
Culture / People / Governance	Initiatives to strengthen internal culture, structure, or workforce capabilities.	Improving organizational culture. Enhancing governance or talent management.

Examples of initiatives for a typical healthcare company could be

Strategic Priority	Enhance Patient Experience and Engagement
Initiative 1	Implement a 24/7 Virtual Care Service Launch a telehealth solution that provides patients with on-demand virtual consultations. Integrate with EHR for seamless follow-up and care coordination.
Initiative 2	Deploy a Personalized Patient Communication System Use AI-driven tools to send tailored appointment reminders, health tips, and follow-up care messages via SMS/email/app. Improve adherence to care plans and reduce no-show rates.
Strategic Priority	Reduce Operational Costs and Increase Efficiency
Initiative 1	Supply Chain Digitization Implement AI-driven inventory management systems to predict and optimize medical supply usage. Reduce waste and avoid stockouts in surgical and inpatient departments.
Initiative 2	Workflow Automation in Revenue Cycle Management Automate claims processing and patient billing using RPA and AI. Improve accuracy, reduce denials, and shorten reimbursement cycles.

3.2 Strategic Program

High-impact programs that are explicitly designed to execute key parts of strategic initiatives to achieve an organization’s strategic goals.

They are a group of related projects or other work managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually. It typically has a definitive timeline.

They enable organizations to drive business transformation, growth, innovation, or competitive advantage.

Refer to this article to know more about the difference between strategic program and program.

Refer to this article to understand what a planning item is and its purpose in SPW.