9D Framework

Overview

The 9D Framework is the complete lifecycle for shipping features from idea to retirement.

Discovery → Definition → Design → Development → Documentation → Delivery → Data → Debrief → Deprecation

The Nine Phases

1. Discovery

Purpose: Understand the problem

Activities:

• Research user needs
• Analyze existing solutions
• Identify constraints
• Document assumptions

Output: Discovery Brief

• Problem statement
• User context
• Business justification
• Initial scope

Gate Criteria:

• Problem clearly articulated
• User need validated
• Aligned with strategy

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2. Definition

Purpose: Define what success looks like

Activities:

• Write requirements
• Define acceptance criteria
• Create experience spec (UX flows)
• Identify dependencies

Output: Requirements + Experience Spec

• Functional requirements
• Non-functional requirements
• UX mockups/flows
• Success metrics

Gate Criteria:

• Requirements complete and clear
• Experience designed
• Stakeholder sign-off

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3. Design

Purpose: Plan the technical implementation

Activities:

• Architecture decisions
• API design
• Data model design
• Risk assessment

Output: Architecture Spec + Implementation Plan

• System design
• API contracts
• Data schemas
• Technical risks with mitigations

Gate Criteria:

• Architecture reviewed
• Implementation plan approved
• Risks documented

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4. Development

Purpose: Build and test the solution

Activities:

• Write code
• Write tests
• Code review
• QA validation

Output: Working Code

• Feature implementation
• Unit tests
• Integration tests
• PR approved

Gate Criteria:

• All tests pass
• Code reviewed
• QA sign-off

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5. Documentation

Purpose: Document for users before shipping

Activities:

• Write user documentation
• Write API documentation
• Create support materials
• Update runbooks

Output: Documentation Package

• User guides
• API reference
• FAQ/troubleshooting
• Internal runbooks

Gate Criteria:

• Docs reviewed
• Support team enabled
• Runbooks complete

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6. Delivery

Purpose: Release to production safely

Activities:

• Staged rollout
• Monitoring setup
• Feature flags
• Communication

Output: Feature Live

• Production deployment
• Monitoring active
• Rollback plan ready

Gate Criteria:

• Metrics baseline established
• Rollback tested
• Team notified

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7. Data

Purpose: Measure impact and validate success

Activities:

• Collect metrics
• Analyze usage
• Compare to targets
• Generate insights

Output: Data Report

• Usage metrics
• Success metrics vs targets
• User feedback summary
• Recommendations

Gate Criteria:

• Metrics collected
• Analysis complete
• Stakeholders informed

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8. Debrief

Purpose: Learn and improve

Activities:

• Team retrospective
• Document learnings
• Identify improvements
• Update processes

Output: Debrief Document

• What went well
• What to improve
• Action items
• Process updates

Gate Criteria:

• Team participated
• Learnings captured
• Actions assigned

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9. Deprecation

Purpose: End-of-life safely (when needed)

Activities:

• Plan migration path
• Communicate timeline
• Support transition
• Clean removal

Output: Clean Removal

• Migration guide
• Sunset communication
• Code removed
• Docs archived

Gate Criteria:

• Users migrated
• No active usage
• Clean removal

When to Use 9D

Scenario	Starting Phase
New Feature	Discovery
Bug Fix	Development
Technical Debt	Definition
Experiment	Discovery
Feature Retirement	Deprecation