Core Concepts

Index is built around a set of core concepts that help product teams plan, prioritize, and execute more effectively. Understanding these concepts will help you get the most out of Index.

Projects

Projects are the central organizing unit in Index. A project represents a product initiative, feature, or enhancement that your team is working on or considering. Projects can be organized in different views (Canvas, Table, Roadmap, Board) and can be connected to Linear for seamless execution.

Project Attributes

Each project in Index can have various attributes:

• Title: A clear, descriptive name for the project
• Description: Detailed information about the project's purpose and scope
• Status: The current state of the project (e.g., Planned, In Progress, Completed)
• Priority: The relative importance of the project
• Timeline: When the project is expected to start and finish
• Owner: The person responsible for the project
• Tags: Labels that help categorize and filter projects
• Custom fields: Additional attributes specific to your team's needs

Views

Index offers multiple ways to visualize and organize your projects:

Canvas

The Canvas view is a flexible whiteboard that allows you to brainstorm ideas, organize projects spatially, and create visual relationships between different elements. It's perfect for early-stage planning and ideation.

Table

The Table view presents your projects in a structured, spreadsheet-like format. It's ideal for detailed analysis, sorting, and filtering projects based on various attributes.

Roadmap

The Roadmap view displays your projects on a timeline, making it easy to visualize project schedules, dependencies, and resource allocation over time.

Board

The Board view organizes projects in columns based on their status or other criteria, similar to a Kanban board. It's great for tracking progress and managing workflows.

Integrations

Index connects with your existing tools to create a seamless product management workflow:

Linear Integration

The Linear integration allows you to connect Index projects with Linear projects, enabling a smooth transition from planning to execution. Changes in either tool are synchronized automatically.

Customer Feedback Integrations

Index integrates with customer feedback tools like Intercom, allowing you to incorporate customer insights directly into your product planning process.

Workspaces

A workspace in Index is a dedicated space for your team or organization. Each workspace contains its own set of projects, views, and integrations. You can customize your workspace to match your team's specific workflows and preferences.

Teams

Teams in Index represent different groups within your organization. Each team can have its own set of projects and workflows while still being part of the larger organizational workspace.

Prioritization Frameworks

Index supports various prioritization frameworks to help you make data-driven decisions:

RICE

The RICE framework scores projects based on four factors:

• Reach: How many users will this impact?
• Impact: How much will it impact each user?
• Confidence: How confident are you in your estimates?
• Effort: How much work will this require?

Value vs. Effort

This simple framework plots projects on a matrix based on their potential value and the effort required to implement them.

Custom Frameworks

You can create custom prioritization frameworks tailored to your team's specific needs and decision-making processes.