---
title: "Align Quality Strategy with Product Lifecycle Phase"
source: "https://virtualddd.com/heuristics/align-quality-strategy-with-product-lifecycle-phase/"
authors: ["Anne-Marie Charrett"]
tags: ["quality", "strategic design", "product design"]
type: "guiding heuristics"
question: "How should our approach to quality evolve as a product or feature matures?"
submitter: "Anne-Marie Charrett"
---

# Align Quality Strategy with Product Lifecycle Phase

Adapt the quality strategy to the product’s current lifecycle phase: Explore, Expand, or Extract. In the ‘Explore’ phase, quality means rapid learning and experimentation, while in the ‘Extract’ phase, it means stability and efficiency. A single, static definition of quality is ineffective across a product's evolution.

## Example

For a new feature in the ’Explore’ phase, our quality focus is on fast feedback loops, not exhaustive test suites. For a mature feature, we shift focus to performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.