This project aimed to create a more user-friendly interface and enhance the usability of a legacy image management system for a Destination Management Company. The existing system, housing over 10,000 images, relied on outdated technologies developed over a decade ago. The client sought to implement new features within a more interactive interface and update the underlying technologies to facilitate maintenance and improve overall performance.
The legacy Image Asset Management Tool, developed in Django with Python 10 years ago, with an Outdated Technology Stack, making it non-viable add new features or implement improvements.
This solution is utilized in the promotion processes of the DMC and includes an API that provides images to the DMC's ERP system, supporting over six processes within the company and handling a minimum of 14,743 daily requests.
The system must maintain or enhance its performance to operate effectively in low-speed connection environments.
The client wanted to include new features like: More intuitive Tag Management , Different Search types, Sorting of elements qnd Visualization of details on folders
As the lead product manager, I was responsible for leading the development teams through the release of the second version of the image management system: a single interface to search for images, bringing a digital asset experience to the enterprise. I managed prioritization, roadmap planning, and feature definition/design/development throughout this project.
This project focused on modernizing the system to better meet user needs and streamline operations.
The first work was a feature assessment which involved assessing existing features to determine their relevance, usability to design the system update.
The feature inventory findings reveal a comprehensive system with more than 80 features distributed across seven functional areas: Catalog, Search Results, Tag Management, Collections, Trash, Untagged, Photos, and Integration with ERP DMC.
With this first analysis completed, the next step was to evaluate the priority of each feature, starting by identifying which functions were critical for daily operations and which features were unnecessary.
The features inventory served as the foundation for the next step: Product Backlog and the MVP.
Features Inventory
Focused on developing an MVP that included essential features, the following methods were applied to achieve this:
Process Expertise MoSCoW analysis
To obtain a prioritized list of features, we conducted a preliminary categorization based on our understanding of the previous system and our knowledge of the DMC processes.
Additionally, we categorized features as "Won’t Have" if they were used fewer than five times in the past year, given that the system was stable and operating effectively in daily operations.
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Understanding Stakeholder Pain Points
We conducted user interviews to identify pain points and gather insights about the unused features. This validation analysis guided our design choices and helped us prioritize the product backlog effectively.
The features list was reviewed with the client to identify which pain points corresponded to the new processes introduced in the DMC. This helped in designing the new features needed to support these processes.
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Usage-Based Effort-Value method
Finally, we refined this list using a Value vs. Effort Matrix to prioritize the features. We calculated value based on the following elements:
To estimate effort, a Statistical Estimation method was employed in line with Agile project management practices. Each function was decomposed into sub-functions or architectural actions with input from a subject matter expert. The development team then provided estimates for each sub-action based on their insights.
These estimates were consolidated in a shared spreadsheet, where the median of the estimates was calculated to derive a more accurate projection of the effort required for the task. This approach ensured a robust measure of central tendency, reflecting the team's consensus while minimizing the impact of outliers, ultimately enhancing the precision of our project planning.
By identifying key functions, prioritizing essential features, and eliminating unnecessary ones, the product backlog emerged, forming the basis for the MVP proposal.
The feature backlog served as the foundation for creating a product roadmap that conformed to the proposal for the client. This roadmap established a shared vision for the solution's evolution, ensuring alignment with client needs while facilitating the delivery of results as quickly as possible.
Managing Project Scope
One significant challenge was ensuring that the new system preserved the key features of the old system, allowing users to retain essential functionality while also adapting to new features and a modern user interface. This required the reimplementation of existing features within the new architecture, necessitating the creation of a new framework. However, these actions involved costs that might not yield immediate visible benefits for users.
We clarified the technical requirements that could increase the complexity of the solution. We maintained the requirement that the solution should be optimized only for desktop devices and agreed with the client that the following features were not required: Push Notifications and real-time Synchronization.