What is a Development Process
Today’s post is an introduction to the process of development. I’m going to try and avoid industry jargon and focus on the process steps. Each step represents several ideas and why they are essential. We’ll be working on this for the next couple of months.
Research
Research takes on many forms. In can include case studies, pilots, competitive analysis, focus groups, problem/solution evaluation. I think that the most important is the problem/solution fit approach as detailed earlier. No matter what you choose, you have to do it.
Jobs To Do
This is my favorite approach to the idea of user stories. This is how you figure out what your user is going to do with your product. It’s one thing to know that you are going to build “X,” but it’s a whole different thing to understand how your user does “X.” Where and how do they start and where and how do they continue?
Scope
From your “Jobs To Do” you can build out your scope. My “X” will do such and such with this and that technology. Oh, and it’s due tomorrow.
Phased Deliveries (Dare I say SPRINTS! GASP!)
These can be called many things. I will call them sprints here as I am a fan of the theory of agile development, though not a strict adherent to its approach. What I do is build my deliverables to the “Jobs to Do.” I do them one at a time and in order, and I try to keep separate teams on one at a time. If it’s just me, then I tackle them one at a time in the order that makes the most sense according to the scope.
Testing & QA
You have to test. A lot. I will share some of the tips and tricks that I use for testing products. I’ll also include some of the minimum information you need to track as you test as well as some ideas on how to solicit and give good feedback.
Launch
Launching is not a simple flick of the switch. There are lots of different steps that go into the launch moment. And remember, the word is launch, not finish. Once you launch the rocket, you have to fly the damn thing. We’ll use the launch discussion to talk about what comes next and how to manage the rest of the product lifecycle.
Join the Conversation
This is the from the archive of an ongoing series called Making Things That Matter. Each week I will send you an email with another step in the process of building products and launching ideas. Signup here to join the conversation.
