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Standard : Low-value features are regularly reviewed and retired

Purpose and Strategic Importance

This standard ensures teams regularly review and retire low-value features, preventing bloat and maintaining a clear, high-impact product. It frees up capacity, reduces user confusion, and aligns development with measurable outcomes.

Aligned to our "Measure & Validate Value" policy, this standard drives continuous improvement and focus on what truly matters. Without it, products become cluttered, maintenance costs rise, and user satisfaction suffers.

Strategic Impact

Clearly defined impacts of meeting this standard include improved delivery flow, reduced risk, higher system resilience, and better alignment to business needs. Over time, teams will see reduced rework, faster time to value, and stronger system integrity.

Risks of Not Having This Standard

  • Reduced ability to respond to change or failure
  • Accumulation of technical debt or friction
  • Poor developer experience and morale
  • Decreased confidence in releases and features
  • Misalignment between technical implementation and business priorities

CMMI Maturity Model

  • Level 1 – Initial: Features are rarely reviewed post-launch; removal is rare.

  • Level 2 – Managed: Reviews happen occasionally but lack a formal process.

  • Level 3 – Defined: Feature reviews are scheduled and aligned to usage data.

  • Level 4 – Quantitatively Managed: Feature value and usage trends are measured and guide deprecation.

  • Level 5 – Optimising: Feature management is continuous and prioritised to maximise value and reduce waste.


Key Measures

  • Adoption metrics relevant to the standard (to be defined)
  • Quality, throughput, and system health metrics aligned to capability
  • Maturity scores based on structured assessment
Associated Policies
  • Measure & Validate Value
Associated Practices
  • Pair Programming
  • Shared Learning Days
  • Swarming on Issues

Technical debt is like junk food - easy now, painful later.

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