Glossary

An A–Z index of all 19 product management terms.

A C F J M N P R U W

A

Acceptance CriteriaAcceptance criteria are the specific, testable conditions a requirement or user story must meet to be considered done — turning "we built it" into "we built the right thing, verifiably."

The ArcPM FrameworkThe ArcPM Framework is a six-stage method for turning one product idea into a build-ready plan — Research, Insight, Requirement, Decision, Prototype, PRD — where every stage stays connected in a Connected Product Graph so changes propagate instead of drifting.

C

Competitive AnalysisCompetitive analysis is the systematic evaluation of competing products — their strengths, weaknesses, positioning, and gaps — to inform your own strategy and differentiation.

Connected Product GraphA Connected Product Graph is a single, linked structure that ties every product artifact — research, requirements, decisions, prototype, and PRD — into one graph, so a change in one place surfaces its impact everywhere it connects.

F

Feature PrioritizationFeature prioritization is the practice of deciding what to build first by weighing value against effort and risk — using frameworks like RICE, MoSCoW, or value-vs-effort to make the trade-offs explicit.

J

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) is a lens that frames products around the progress a user is trying to make in a given situation — the "job" they hire a product to do — rather than around demographics or features.

M

Market ResearchMarket research is the gathering and analysis of information about a market — its customers, demand, trends, and competitors — to reduce uncertainty in product and business decisions.

MVP (Minimum Viable Product)An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the smallest version of a product that delivers real value and lets you learn from actual users — built to test the riskiest assumptions with the least effort.

N

North Star MetricA North Star Metric is the single measure that best captures the core value a product delivers to its users — used to align a team on what "progress" really means.

P

PRD (Product Requirements Document)A PRD (Product Requirements Document) defines what a product or feature should do and why — the problem, the users, the requirements, scope, and success metrics — so design and engineering can build the right thing.

Product DiscoveryProduct discovery is the work of deciding what to build — validating that a problem is real, worth solving, and solvable — before committing engineering effort to delivery.

Product RoadmapA product roadmap communicates the direction and priorities of a product over time — the problems it will tackle and why — rather than a fixed, dated list of features.

Product StrategyProduct strategy is the high-level plan that connects a product vision to execution — who you serve, what problem you solve, how you will win, and what you deliberately will not do.

Product-Market FitProduct-market fit is the state in which a product satisfies strong demand in a market — customers adopt it, keep using it, and recommend it — indicating the product is solving a real problem for real people.

PrototypeA prototype is an interactive, testable model of a product or feature — built to make a design concrete enough to experience and validate before committing to full engineering.

R

Requirements EngineeringRequirements engineering is the discipline of eliciting, analyzing, prioritizing, and maintaining what a product must do — turning fuzzy needs into clear, testable, traceable requirements.

U

User PersonaA user persona is a research-based, semi-fictional profile of a target user — their goals, behaviors, context, and needs — used to keep product decisions grounded in real people rather than assumptions.

User StoryA user story is a short, plain-language description of a need from the user's perspective — commonly "As a [user], I want [goal] so that [benefit]" — that keeps requirements focused on value rather than implementation.

W

WireframeA wireframe is a low-fidelity, structural blueprint of a screen — showing layout, content, and hierarchy without visual design — used to align on structure early, quickly, and cheaply.