Turn observations into scoped product decisions

Convert each relevant observation into a decision the design and delivery team can test, and keep the source observation beside it. A requirement such as "provide a unified dashboard" is difficult to challenge. "Show coordinators requests waiting for assignment, with received time and priority reason" can be checked against the queue problem that produced it.

For each proposed capability, record:

• the work problem or decision it supports;
• the roles that use it;
• the states and information involved;
• the source of that information;
• the action permitted;
• the evidence the action must leave;
• known exceptions;
• dependencies on another system or team.

Group capabilities around pieces of work rather than old modules. A request might need intake, validation, assignment, approval, fulfilment and closure. That grouping helps the team release a coherent path instead of rebuilding isolated screens that cannot complete a job.

Set a boundary for the first release by choosing which request types and branches it will support. State excluded cases directly and decide how they will continue operating. An exclusion without an interim process creates a gap that staff will fill themselves. The temporary path may be manual, but it should have an owner and an end condition.

Prioritisation should account for frequency, consequence and uncertainty without pretending these can always be reduced to a precise score. A frequent low-risk task may be a good early candidate because it gives the team repeated feedback. A rare task with regulatory or financial consequences may still require design early because it shapes permissions and history. A poorly understood dependency may need investigation before either.

Trace each interface and integration back to the work. If the new product sends a record elsewhere, define when it sends, which version it sends, how acknowledgement is stored and what happens after rejection. "Integrate with finance" is a project heading, not an implementation decision.

End the scope with observable acceptance conditions. A coordinator can see unassigned requests. An approver can identify the evidence used. A corrected record retains its prior value. A failed transfer appears in a queue with a retry rule. These checks are specific enough to guide design without prescribing every visual detail.