Have you heard of 5W2H ? This methodology is very useful for Product teams in order to correct problems throughout the development of a product or feature .
According to the Panorama of the Product Management Market in Brazil 2021-22 , 45% of people interviewed said they launch new features or products every month. In this scenario, it is important for teams to have a clear direction of where to go and know why they are developing a particular feature. This is where management frameworks , such as 5W2H, come in to help in this process.
This tool helps to optimize the productivity of Product teams , guide the development of digital solutions and create action plans that can be applied by the team, optimizing the company's results.
learn what 5W2H means , what its function is, its applications and how to use this framework in your day-to-day Product life. Enjoy your reading!
What is 5W2H
5W2H is a methodology used for project management and the creation of action plans , whose acronym corresponds to the 7 questions that make up the framework :
What (what will be done?): a description of the pro mexico phone numbers user ject, with details about what should be done in a certain period of time, can also provide information about the functionalities of a product;
Why (why will it be done?): presents the purpose and objectives of the project, can present the problems that the team wants to solve;
Where (where will it be done?): presents the spaces used to carry out the project, which can be physical or online , for example, the channels for publicizing a launch or even the places where the product will be available;
When (when will it be done and what is the deadline?): involves defining the project execution schedule and the delivery dates for each activity. It can also present questions about a user's behavior, for example;
Who (who are the people involved?): presents the responsibilities of each person in the project and can also provide relevant information about who the target audience is and what user profile a product has;
How : involves evaluating the methodologies and tools used to execute the project and presents a step-by-step guide to what will be done. It can also provide information on how customers behave and use a solution;
How much (how much will it cost?): involves evaluating the project's execution costs and the initiative's financial viability. At this stage, you can also include the prospects for return on investment, concentrating all the project's financial information.
Based on the answers to these questions , teams can gain more clarity about projects and execute the tasks involved in the best way possible, in accordance with the objectives involved.
You can use a Google Sheets spreadsheet to include the questions and answers. The important thing is to create a shareable document that can be edited by everyone on your team. This file should be available for your product team to access whenever they want and review as needed.
One of the great advantages of this model, in addition to providing better direction for teams, is aligning all people involved in a project with regard to what will be done.
Other benefits of this framework are:
Save financial resources;
Avoid rework;
Optimize team productivity;
Improve user experience by gaining deeper understanding of the problems they face.
How the 5W2H tool came about
The 5H2W tool was created during the 1950s , at the same time that the Toyota Production System emerged in Japan, developed after its creators, Taiichi Ohno and Eiji Toyoda , analyzed American Fordism and realized the flaws in the mass manufacturing model.
With the aim of avoiding waste of materials, increasing the quality of processes, reducing costs and correcting the flaws of Fordism, the Toyota System is based on a production method according to consumer orders.
This model increased factory productivity and was very suitable for managing production quality by correcting errors. It was in this context that the 5H2W model emerged , used by factory employees to speed up production.