PM Plan · Task Lists & Milestones · March 2026

Project Manager Analysis

AI Story Companion Ecosystem — 5-phase development framework covering team structure, sprint planning, task breakdowns, milestones, dependencies, and risk management.

1. Project KPIs

KPI	Target	Phase
StoryCube prototype (v0.1) functional	Working device	Phase 1 — Month 6
AI story latency end-to-end	< 1.5 seconds	Phase 1 — Month 5
Mobile app (iOS + Android) beta	TestFlight / Play beta	Phase 1 — Month 5
DreamDome projection prototype	Functional unit	Phase 2 — Month 10
CE/FCC pre-certification	Pre-cert passed	Phase 4 — Month 18
First commercial units shipped	5,000 units	Phase 4 — Month 20
Monthly Active Devices (6mo post-launch)	10,000 MAD	Phase 5
Subscription attach rate	> 40% of devices	Phase 5 — Month 24

2. Team Structure

Role	Headcount	Responsibilities
Product Manager (Lead)	1	Roadmap, stakeholder mgmt, sprint planning, KPIs
Backend Engineers	3	Cloud services, AI pipeline, APIs, DB
Embedded/Firmware Engineer	2	Device OS, audio pipeline, connectivity, OTA
AI/ML Engineer	2	LLM integration, safety classifier, local models
Mobile Developer	1	React Native parent app (iOS + Android)
Hardware Engineer	2	PCB design, enclosure, sensor integration
UX/UI Designer	1	Parent app, projection UI, onboarding
QA Engineer	1	Test automation, device testing, regression
DevOps / Infra Engineer	1	CI/CD, Kubernetes, monitoring, cloud infra
Project Manager	1	Coordination, risk, reporting

3. Phase 1 — StoryCube Prototype

Phase 1: StoryCube Prototype Months 1–6

Build a functional StoryCube prototype capable of AI-generated stories, voice interaction, music, and parent app connectivity.

Task	Owner	Duration	Priority	Dependencies
Define hardware BOM & select compute board	HW Eng	3 weeks	P1	None
Design PCB schematic (rev 1)	HW Eng	4 weeks	P1	BOM approved
Procure development hardware (EVK/SBC)	PM + HW	1 week	P1	BOM approved
Set up Yocto/Buildroot base OS	FW Eng	3 weeks	P1	Dev hardware available
Implement audio capture + VAD pipeline	FW Eng	2 weeks	P1	OS base complete
Integrate Porcupine wake-word detection	FW Eng	1 week	P1	Audio pipeline
Integrate Whisper.cpp local ASR (fallback)	FW Eng + ML	2 weeks	P1	Audio pipeline
Build cloud ASR integration (Google/AWS)	Backend	1 week	P2	Cloud infra setup
Set up cloud infra (AWS/GCP Kubernetes)	DevOps	2 weeks	P1	None
Build Story Orchestrator service (LangChain)	Backend + ML	5 weeks	P1	Cloud infra
Integrate LLM API (Anthropic/OpenAI)	ML Eng	1 week	P1	Story Orchestrator
Implement child profile + memory service	Backend	3 weeks	P1	DB schema defined
Build content safety classifier (v1)	ML Eng	3 weeks	P1	LLM integration
Integrate Text-to-Speech (ElevenLabs/Azure)	Backend	1 week	P1	Story Orchestrator
Build music selection engine (library-based)	Backend	2 weeks	P2	Story Orchestrator
Build parent app MVP (React Native)	Mobile Dev	6 weeks	P1	API spec agreed
Design parent app UX (Figma)	UX Designer	3 weeks	P1	None
Implement BLE device pairing & config	FW + Mobile	2 weeks	P1	App MVP + FW base
Build OTA update service (Mender)	DevOps + FW	2 weeks	P2	Cloud infra
E2E integration test: voice to story output	QA Eng	2 weeks	P1	All services integrated
Internal prototype demo & feedback session	PM + All	1 week	P1	E2E test passing

Phase 1 Milestone: Internal working prototype — child speaks, device responds with story, music plays, parent app controls device.

4. Phase 2 — DreamDome Projector

Phase 2: DreamDome Accessory Months 7–10

Design and prototype the DreamDome ceiling projector with wireless sync to StoryCube.

Task	Owner	Duration	Priority	Dependencies
DreamDome hardware design (pico projector + lens)	HW Eng	4 weeks	P1	Phase 1 complete
Select + integrate wide-angle/fisheye lens	HW Eng	2 weeks	P1	Projector selected
Design LED ambient lighting ring	HW Eng	2 weeks	P2	PCB rev 1
Build projection content renderer (ambient scenes)	Backend + FW	4 weeks	P1	DreamDome HW proto
Implement wireless sync protocol (StoryCube ↔ DreamDome)	FW Eng	2 weeks	P1	Both devices proto
Create ambient scene library (stars, forest, underwater)	Designer + Backend	3 weeks	P2	Renderer ready
Integrate scene sync with story state	ML + Backend	2 weeks	P2	Scene library ready
DreamDome passive cooling validation	HW Eng	1 week	P1	DreamDome proto
User testing with children (5–8 year olds)	PM + UX	2 weeks	P1	Both prototypes stable
Iterate on feedback	All	2 weeks	P1	User testing done

5. Phase 3 — StorySphere Immersive System

Phase 3: StorySphere Months 11–15

Build the premium StorySphere with 5-face projection, room calibration, and projection mapping.

Task	Owner	Duration	Priority	Dependencies
StorySphere mechanical design (5-projector cube)	HW Eng	5 weeks	P1	Phase 2 complete
Select 5× pico projectors + calibration camera	HW Eng	2 weeks	P1	Design approved
External power supply + thermal design	HW Eng	3 weeks	P1	Hardware selected
Build room scanning algorithm (camera + wall detection)	ML Eng	4 weeks	P1	Camera module ready
Implement projection mapping + geometry correction	ML + FW	5 weeks	P1	Room scanning working
Build brightness balancing across 5 projectors	FW Eng	2 weeks	P2	Projection mapping
Create immersive scene library (room-scale)	Designer + Backend	4 weeks	P2	Renderer extended
Active cooling system validation	HW Eng	2 weeks	P1	Full assembly
StorySphere ↔ StoryCube sync protocol	FW Eng	2 weeks	P1	Both devices
Full system integration test (all 3 devices)	QA Eng	3 weeks	P1	All hardware complete

6. Phase 4 — Manufacturing & Certification

Phase 4: Manufacturing & Certification Months 16–20

Industrialise the product, pass certifications, and execute pilot manufacturing run of 5,000 units.

Task	Owner	Duration	Priority	Dependencies
Select contract manufacturer (China/Vietnam)	PM + HW	3 weeks	P1	Phase 3 complete
DFM review with CM (Design for Manufacturing)	HW Eng + CM	3 weeks	P1	CM selected
EVT/DVT builds (Engineering + Design Validation)	HW + PM	6 weeks	P1	DFM complete
CE certification (EMC + safety, EU)	HW Eng + Legal	8 weeks	P1	DVT build
FCC certification (US, optional for EU launch)	HW Eng + Legal	6 weeks	P2	DVT build
RoHS + REACH compliance	HW + Legal	4 weeks	P1	Component list final
COPPA compliance audit (software + data)	Legal + Backend	3 weeks	P1	Data arch finalised
GDPR compliance review	Legal + Backend	2 weeks	P1	Data arch finalised
Child safety (toy directive EN 71)	Legal + HW	4 weeks	P1	Physical proto stable
Production tooling & mould creation	CM	8 weeks	P1	DFM sign-off
Pilot run: 5,000 StoryCubes	CM + QA	6 weeks	P1	Tooling complete
Quality inspection & burn-in testing	QA Eng	3 weeks	P1	Pilot run complete
Packaging design & production	Designer + CM	4 weeks	P2	Brand identity final
Retail fulfilment partner setup	PM	3 weeks	P2	Pilot run ready

7. Phase 5 — Platform Expansion & Launch

Phase 5: Platform Expansion Months 21–30

Public launch, grow subscriber base, expand content library, and develop ecosystem partnerships.

Task	Owner	Duration	Priority	Dependencies
Public launch campaign (EU market)	PM + Marketing	4 weeks	P1	Phase 4 complete
Educational course content production (10 courses)	Content + ML	8 weeks	P1	Launch
Licensed character IP partnership (1 partner)	PM + Legal	12 weeks	P2	Post-launch
Story pack DLC marketplace	Backend + Mobile	5 weeks	P2	Launch stable
Subscription billing & management (Stripe)	Backend	2 weeks	P1	Pre-launch
US market FCC + CPSC certification	Legal + HW	8 weeks	P2	EU launch stable
AI illustration engine upgrade (on-device option)	ML Eng	6 weeks	P3	Cloud stable
Advanced sleep analytics dashboard	Backend + Mobile	4 weeks	P2	Post-launch
Third-party developer SDK (v1)	Backend	8 weeks	P3	Platform stable

8. Risk Register

Risk	Prob	Impact	Owner	Mitigation
Hardware BOM exceeds budget	Med	High	HW Eng + PM	Component alternatives sourced at design phase; CM negotiation
AI latency > 1.5s target	Med	Med	ML Eng	Response streaming; local TTS cache; async pipeline
Certification delays (CE/FCC)	High	High	Legal + HW	Engage test labs in Phase 3; pre-compliance testing
Key engineer departure	Low	High	PM	Documentation requirements; pair programming; contractor bench
LLM API cost overrun	Med	Med	Backend + PM	Cost monitoring; local model fallback; token optimisation
Supply chain disruption	Med	Med	HW + PM	Dual-source critical components (compute board, camera)
Child safety incident (AI content)	Low	Critical	ML + Legal	Multi-layer safety; human review queue; kill switch