> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dacard.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# POM overlay

> Product Operating Model principles mapped to your maturity scores.

> [!NOTE]
>
> The POM overlay maps 20 Product Operating Model principles onto your 27 dimension scores. It turns Cagan's empowered-team model from aspiration into a measurable read.

# POM overlay (Product Operating Model)

The POM overlay maps **Product Operating Model** principles to Dacard.ai's scoring dimensions. It bridges the gap between aspirational product management philosophy and measurable organizational maturity.

## What the POM is

The Product Operating Model defines how empowered product teams should operate: continuous discovery, outcome-driven delivery, dual-track development, continuous learning, and a shared product vision.

The POM overlay takes those principles and maps them onto your actual scores, surfacing where your team aligns with the model and where gaps sit.

## 20 principles mapped to 27 dimensions

The overlay maps 20 POM principles across Dacard.ai's scoring dimensions.

### Core principles

| Principle | Maps to | What we read |
| - | - | - |
| Empowered teams | Team structure, team orchestration | Do teams own problems to solve, not features to build? |
| Product discovery | Strategic intelligence, customer intelligence | Does the team continuously validate assumptions? |
| Dual-track development | Spec and context, delivery velocity | Can discovery and delivery run in parallel? |
| Outcome-driven | Value proposition, product analytics | Does the team measure outcomes, not output? |
| Product vision | Value proposition, competitive moat | Is there a compelling, shared product vision? |
| Product strategy | Strategic intelligence, pricing | Is the strategy clear, differentiated, and grounded in current capability? |
| Continuous learning | Feedback loop, learn and compound | Does the team systematically learn from users and data? |

### Why the overlay matters

Most teams aspire to Cagan's model but struggle to measure progress. The overlay makes the model concrete.

* **Before:** "We want to be more empowered" (vague aspiration)
* **After:** "Our Team Structure scores 2/4 and Team Orchestration scores 1/4. We need to move from functional silos to cross-functional pods and adopt assisted planning." (specific, measurable)

## Reading the POM report

The POM report carries:

1. **Principle-level scores** - each POM principle gets a computed score based on its mapped dimensions
2. **Gap read** - where your practice diverges most from the empowered-team ideal
3. **Transformation priorities** - which principles to focus on first for maximum impact
4. **Score trajectory** - how your POM alignment moves over time (with re-scoring)

## POM stages

The overlay uses the same five maturity stages, read through the POM lens.

| Stage | POM read |
| - | - |
| **Foundation** | Feature factory. Teams are order-takers with no discovery, no autonomy, no feedback loops. |
| **Building** | Starting to explore modern practice. Some teams experimenting with discovery; no consistency. |
| **Scaling** | Solid product practice with assisted workflows. Teams have real autonomy and measure outcomes. |
| **Leading** | Empowered teams with modern workflows. Discovery, delivery, and learning are continuous. |
| **Compounding** | Full POM realization. Teams operate as truly empowered product teams with compounding capability. |

## Using POM scores

> **For product leaders adopting Cagan's model**
>
> Use the overlay to baseline where your team actually is (not where you think you are). Focus on the principles with the lowest scores first.

> **For transformation programs**
>
> Track POM scores quarterly to measure transformation progress. The overlay turns abstract goals like "become more empowered" into trackable metrics.

> **For coaching conversations**
>
> Share the POM report with your team. Ask DAC: "What would Cagan say about our current POM score?" for context-specific coaching.

> [!NOTE]
>
> The POM overlay is a standalone read that can be used independently of the maturity and operations scores. Same data, different lens.


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