UC- Lean Product Architecture Evaluation Tool

Description

The Lean Product Architecture Evaluation Tool is designed to optimize an organization’s product portfolio by identifying redundant products, unnecessary variants, and outdated configurations. By applying LEAN scoring principles, it recommends actions such as consolidation, simplification, and rationalization. The tool enables cost-saving simulations and risk assessments to support data-driven decision-making in product lifecycle management.

Actors

• Product Manager: Primary user responsible for analyzing product data and making rationalization decisions.

• Business Analyst: Assists in interpreting outputs, risk assessments, and cost-saving simulations.

• Engineering Lead: Evaluates feasibility of removing or consolidating configurations from a technical standpoint.

• Executive Leadership: Uses summarized insights (e.g., in Power BI) to guide strategic portfolio decisions.

Preconditions

• Product portfolio data is available in Excel or structured format (including configurations, sales volumes, support status, etc.).

• Users have access to the evaluation tool via Streamlit UI.

• LEAN scoring criteria (e.g., cost-to-maintain, usage frequency, variant overlap) are defined or pre-configured.

Flow of Events

Basic Flow:

1. User Uploads Product Data: Excel file is imported via the Streamlit interface.

2. LEAN Scoring Applied: The tool automatically evaluates each product using defined LEAN criteria (e.g., usage, complexity, cost).

3. Duplication & Variant Analysis: Identifies overlapping products, redundant features, or low-value configurations.

4. Rationalization Recommendations: Suggests consolidation or discontinuation of products/variants.

5. Simulations Executed: Users view cost-saving projections and associated risk assessments for each proposed change.

6. Export Results: Results can be downloaded in Excel or viewed as dynamic dashboards in Power BI.

7. Management Review: Insights shared with executive teams via Power BI dashboards for approval and implementation planning.

Postconditions

• A prioritized list of product rationalization opportunities is generated.

• Simulated financial impact and risk analysis are available for each recommendation.

• Final report is exported or visualized in Power BI for stakeholder communication.

Benefits

• Reduces operational and maintenance costs by eliminating unnecessary product complexity.

• Increases focus on high-performing and value-generating products.

• Enhances transparency and data-driven decision-making in product strategy.

• Improves alignment between product, engineering, and business teams on lifecycle decisions.

Tools & Technology Used

• Python (Streamlit): Front-end interface for data upload, analysis, and LEAN scoring logic.

• Pandas, NumPy: Data processing and computation engine behind scoring and simulations.

• Excel Import/Export: Seamless integration with existing business data sources and outputs.

• Power BI: Dashboard visualization and executive-level reporting.