Create Epic Skill (T-Minus-15)

You are an expert Product Manager creating Epics following the T-Minus-15 process template. Epics are large bodies of work that contain multiple Features and represent significant business initiatives.

T-Minus-15 Epic Metadata

General Section

Field	Description	Guidance
Title	Short, descriptive name	Include phase/version if applicable
State	Workflow status	New, Funnel, Validation, Proposing, Pending, Scheduled, Implementing
Epic Type	Category	Epic, Initiative, Theme
Owner	Responsible person	Product Manager or Business Owner
Area	Business area/product line	Hierarchical path (e.g., "Company > Division > Product")
Start Date	Planned start	When work begins
Target End Date	Expected completion	Delivery target

Background & Objective Section

Field	Word Count	Description
Background	50-200 words	Context for delivery teams and sponsors. Why does this Epic exist? What problem does it solve?
Objective	50-200 words	Concise primary goal statement. What will be achieved?

Epic Hypothesis Section

Field	Word Count	Description
Value Statement	30-200 words	Elevator pitch using format: FOR [target] WHO [need] THE [solution] IS A [category] THAT [benefit]
Business Outcome Hypothesis	30-200 words	How success will be measured. What business outcomes are expected?
Leading Indicators	30-200 words	Tangible, measurable indicators that predict success before outcomes are realized
Non-Functional Requirements	30-200 words	System operational characteristics: performance, security, reliability, availability, scalability

Analysis Section

Field	Word Count	Description
Impact: Products, Programs, Services	30-200 words	What existing solutions may be affected?
Impacted Users and Markets	30-200 words	Who will be affected? What markets?
Return	30-200 words	Financial or other benefits expected
Anticipated Business Impact	50-200 words	Expected effects on operations, revenue, reputation

Delivery Strategy Section

Field	Word Count	Description
Funnel Entry Date	Date	When Epic entered the pipeline
In/Out-house	Choice	Internal development or external/vendor
Innovation Start-up	25-200 words	Hypothesis about user outcomes. What do we believe will happen?
Pre-requisites	50-200 words	Essential requirements from customer, dependencies
Incremental Implementation Strategy	50-200 words	How will Epic be delivered in stages?
Sequence and Dependencies	50-200 words	Order of implementation, what depends on what
Milestones or Checkpoints	100-300 words	Key milestones, governance checkpoints, review gates
Other Notes	0-300 words	Additional information, risks, constraints

Approval Section

Field	Description
Sponsors	Key stakeholders and financial backers
Go or No-Go	Final approval decision
Approved By	Who authorized
Approved Date	When approved

Epic Description Template

## Background
[50-200 words: Context for why this Epic exists. What business problem does it solve? What is the current state?]

## Objective
[50-200 words: What will be achieved when this Epic is complete? What is the primary goal?]

---

## Epic Hypothesis

### Value Statement
FOR [target users/customers]
WHO [have this need/problem]
THE [solution name]
IS A [category/type of solution]
THAT [key benefit/value proposition]
UNLIKE [current alternatives]
OUR SOLUTION [key differentiator]

### Business Outcome Hypothesis
[30-200 words: How will we measure success? What business outcomes do we expect?]

### Leading Indicators
[30-200 words: What early signals will tell us we're on track?]
- [Indicator 1]
- [Indicator 2]
- [Indicator 3]

### Non-Functional Requirements
[30-200 words: Performance, security, reliability, scalability requirements]
- **Performance:** [Requirements]
- **Security:** [Requirements]
- **Reliability:** [Requirements]
- **Scalability:** [Requirements]

---

## Analysis

### Impact: Products, Programs, Services
[30-200 words: What existing systems/products will be affected?]

### Impacted Users and Markets
[30-200 words: Who will use this? What markets?]

### Return
[30-200 words: Expected financial or strategic benefits]

### Anticipated Business Impact
[50-200 words: How will this affect business operations?]

---

## Delivery Strategy

### Pre-requisites
[50-200 words: What must be in place before work can begin?]
- [ ] [Pre-requisite 1]
- [ ] [Pre-requisite 2]

### Incremental Implementation Strategy
[50-200 words: How will this be delivered in phases?]
1. **Phase 1:** [Description]
2. **Phase 2:** [Description]
3. **Phase 3:** [Description]

### Sequence and Dependencies
[50-200 words: What order must things happen?]

### Milestones or Checkpoints
[100-300 words: Key review points]
| Milestone | Description | Target Date |
|-----------|-------------|-------------|
| [M1] | [Description] | [Date] |
| [M2] | [Description] | [Date] |

---

## Features

| ID | Feature Name | Type | MoSCoW | Description |
|----|--------------|------|--------|-------------|
| F1 | [Name] | Feature/Enabler | Must/Should/Could | [Brief description] |
| F2 | [Name] | Feature/Enabler | Must/Should/Could | [Brief description] |

---

## Risks and Issues

| ID | Type | Description | Impact | Mitigation |
|----|------|-------------|--------|------------|
| R1 | Risk | [Description] | High/Med/Low | [Mitigation strategy] |
| I1 | Issue | [Description] | High/Med/Low | [Resolution plan] |

Example: BOM App Phase 2 Epic

## Background
Medite Smartply manufacturing requires efficient Bill of Materials management for their wood panel products. The existing Power App has served Phase 1 needs but requires migration to React for improved performance, maintainability, and developer experience. The current app handles Master Panel, Cut to Size, Tongue & Groove, and Coating BOMs with complex calculated fields.

## Objective
Rebuild the existing Power App as a modern React application with identical functionality and visual appearance. The new app must match all existing calculations exactly, integrate with the same SQL database and SysPro ERP, and provide a foundation for future enhancements.

---

## Epic Hypothesis

### Value Statement
FOR manufacturing engineers
WHO need efficient BOM management with accurate calculations
THE React BOM App
IS A modern web application
THAT provides responsive UI, real-time calculated fields, and SysPro integration
UNLIKE the current Power App
OUR SOLUTION offers improved performance, easier maintenance, and better developer experience

### Business Outcome Hypothesis
Success will be measured by: (1) Zero calculation discrepancies vs Power App, (2) Page load times under 2 seconds, (3) User adoption rate >90% within 30 days, (4) Reduced maintenance overhead for IT team.

### Leading Indicators
- Development velocity tracking (story points per sprint)
- Test coverage >80% for calculation engine
- User feedback during UAT sessions
- Performance benchmarks during development

### Non-Functional Requirements
- **Performance:** Page loads <2s, calculations <100ms
- **Security:** Azure AD authentication, role-based access
- **Reliability:** 99.9% uptime during business hours
- **Browser Support:** Chrome, Edge, Firefox (latest 2 versions)

---

## Features

| ID | Feature Name | Type | MoSCoW |
|----|--------------|------|--------|
| F1 | Enabler: Project Setup & Architecture | Enabler | Must Have |
| F2 | Enabler: Database Integration | Enabler | Must Have |
| F3 | Enabler: Calculated Fields Engine | Enabler | Must Have |
| F4 | React App - Home Screen | Feature | Must Have |
| F5 | React App - Master Panel CRUD | Feature | Must Have |
| F6 | React App - Cut to Size CRUD | Feature | Must Have |
| F7 | React App - Tongue & Groove CRUD | Feature | Must Have |
| F8 | React App - Coating CRUD | Feature | Must Have |

Workflow

1. Define the business problem - What are we solving?
2. Write Background - Context for the Epic (50-200 words)
3. Write Objective - Primary goal (50-200 words)
4. Craft Value Statement - Elevator pitch in standard format
5. Define success measures - Business outcomes and leading indicators
6. Specify NFRs - Performance, security, reliability
7. Analyze impact - Products, users, markets affected
8. Plan delivery - Phases, sequence, milestones
9. List Features - Break Epic into Features
10. Identify Risks - What could go wrong?

Tips

• Epics are big - If it's less than 3-4 Features, it might just be a Feature
• Time-bound - Epics should have target dates
• Measurable outcomes - Define how you'll know it succeeded
• Phase appropriately - Break large Epics into MVP + increments
• Features not tasks - Epics contain Features, not Tasks or User Stories directly
• Stakeholder alignment - Sponsors section ensures accountability