Getting started
How work flows through Paradym Next
Follow an idea from the moment it is raised, through planning and delivery, to support.
Paradym Next is built around one journey. Understanding it makes every page easier to use, because each page is one stage of that journey. This page walks through the stages in order and links to the detailed guide for each.
The journey at a glance
Submission ─► Inbox ─► Portfolio ─► Intake Queue ─► Project & work streams ─► Support
(raise) (triage) (plan) (shape) (deliver) (run)1. An idea is raised
Anyone can raise an idea or a problem from Submissions. Next asks a few follow-up questions — the problem, who is affected, the impact, the desired outcome and how urgent it is — so that every submission arrives complete.
Read more: Submitting an idea
2. Ideas are grouped and triaged
Next groups submissions that describe the same need into clusters in the planning Inbox. Triagers see how many people and departments raised each one, Next’s analysis and recommendation, and any existing portfolio item it overlaps with. They then:
- promote a cluster to the portfolio,
- park it for later, or
- reject it with a reason.
Triagers can also start a discussion with the person who submitted an idea to ask questions.
Read more: Inbox
3. The item is planned
A promoted cluster becomes a portfolio item with an owner, a planning workflow and a score. It moves through the workflow’s steps — typically:
- Overview — Next drafts a summary of what is being asked for and why.
- Requirements — Next drafts requirements, sorted into lanes such as Must Have and Should Have.
- PRD — the product requirements document is written section by section by named editors, with Next’s help.
- Review — reviewers from the relevant departments sign off each section or request changes.
Some workflows also include task boards, child items or hand-back steps. The item’s score is refined as planning progresses.
Read more: Portfolio item
4. The item is handed to delivery
Once every PRD section is approved, the owner promotes the item to the delivery Intake Queue. Work can also enter the queue directly, for example as an internal request or a support escalation.
In the queue, a lead chooses the project it will be delivered in, splits it into work streams, assigns owners and dates, and drafts the tasks — again with Next’s help. When every check is met, the lead promotes it into the project.
Read more: Intake Queue
5. The work is delivered
Inside the project, each work stream moves through the stages of its workflow. Each stage has its own task board, and approval gates between stages make sure the right people sign off before work moves on. Unplanned work can be branched onto a sub-board.
Everyone sees their assigned tasks, gates and reviews in My Tasks.
Read more: Projects and Work stream board
6. Live work is supported
Problems with delivered work are raised as support tickets. Recurring problems are grouped into issues, which can be escalated back into delivery’s Intake Queue.
Read more: Support queue
Around the journey
Several areas support every stage rather than being a stage themselves.
| Area | How it supports the journey |
|---|---|
| Product Management | Groups portfolio items into initiatives, links them to objectives and places them on roadmaps. |
| Context & Agents | Gives Next the documents and code it needs to draft accurately and answer questions. |
| Reporting | Shows how work is flowing and where it is stuck. |
| Governance | Sets the rules for every stage: questions, workflows, scoring, review timings, templates and more. |