Quartz Open Framework

Some colleagues of mine recently launched a new open source initiative.  The Quartz Open Framework is a new, contemporary product management and business innovation framework that is designed to address many of the challenges faced by practitioners of legacy product management methodologies.  Those challenges include:

  • Are Often Linear And Handoff-Gate Heavy
    • These processes constrain innovation, delay decisions, and slow velocity.
  • Don’t Talk To Each Other And Have Limited Application Outside Of A Single Business Domain
    • Existing frameworks are siloed by nature, focusing on the expertise of the group that initially developed them. Plus, they weren’t always designed to play well with others, including the appropriate metrics and handoffs to other teams.
  • Are Proprietary And Often Limit How You Can Use And Adapt Them
    • In some ways understandably, framework and process providers protect who can and cannot practice their concepts. This stifles innovation and limits the ability to implement and obtain full value.
  • Are Somewhat Rigid And Can Lack Flexibility
    • Existing frameworks and processes can be rigid and prescribed. They assume that what works for the average will work for you.
  • And It Can Be Tough To Get Help Implementing Them
    • Once you have completed training in existing frameworks and processes, it’s not easy getting the help you need to apply them. It can also be challenging understanding how they hand off to other teams who have their own way of working

Quartz is being released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  The team will use the community process to validate and extend the framework.  Interested parties can take and adapt Quartz to fit the unique needs of their organization on a no cost basis.

The top level of the Quartz Framework looks like this:

Quartz Open Framework

The key to the Quartz Open Framework is its recursive hexagonal design. The needs of the entire organization are accounted for within six discrete segments organized into three phases. The 3 phases are focused on things to be done now, next, and in the future. Take a look.

Quartz’s three (3) phases represent the work required over time for innovation. They are called FUTURE, NEXT, and NOW. The phases of FUTURE, NEXT, NOW align with what the organization should be looking to do down the road, what the organization is doing next, and what is all set for delivery or is currently live in the market.

Each phase contains two (2) segments representing the planning and execution aspects of their phase. The planning and execution teams should work closely together and with open communication in order to complete the work of that Phase. The two segments are, to use an old adage, two sides of the same coin.

To learn more about Quartz, check out the Quartz Open Framework.  Please take a few minutes to review it and provide a comment to the maintainers.

By John Mecke

John is a 25 year veteran of the enterprise technology market. He has led six global product management organizations for three public companies and three private equity-backed firms. He played a key role in delivering a $115 million dividend for his private equity backers – a 2.8x return in less than three years. He has led five acquisitions for a total consideration of over $175 million. He has led eight divestitures for a total consideration of $24.5 million in cash. John regularly blogs about product management and mergers/acquisitions.