Cheating on Web Forms using 1Password
August 20, 2021Turn over the big rock first
September 10, 2021New product development is probably the most well-known and researched practice in the tech industry. However, it is also one of the most poorly executed processes. No matter which philosophy of development you may be in favor of (waterfall, agile, etc) each has its pitfalls. Unless one can keep their eye on the prize it is very possible that your next new project will get stuck in the mire that is the new product development infinite loop. In the next few sections, I will put forward a few thoughts that I hope will help bring a little perspective and get you and your team pushing “to the moon”.
Plan
Of course, the first step to any product is the identification of the need, define the product, and gather buy-in from key stakeholders. What I have seen and experienced is this is where many get bogged down and allow processes to impair productivity. Who do you talk to? Do I have all my interviews done? What documentation is required? Do I need an approved written proposal? Can we start without full definition? Please recognize that there is great potential to paralyze a product in the planning stage. I am NOT saying that this isn’t crucial, but protect yourself and your team from the tunnel vision of the perfect plan. At some point, you must execute and that is where the use of a product pilot can help.
Pilot
This stage is what brings the most apprehension and can start the infinite loop of planning and user acceptance testing. A pilot is meant to have issues. That is why it is a “pilot”, “beta”, or whatever term you want to call it. It is pulling the trigger without the perfect plan understanding that success at this stage is how effective and efficient the team can respond. Do not be surprised when a change request comes through or a bug is identified. Rather the team should expect these things to occur. The challenge comes when a hard decision must be made.
Push
Push the product to production or die! The fastest way to kill any new product launch is to allow your team to get stuck in fear of what a product launch might look like. What if there are problems that we didn’t consider? What if the interactions with existing products are not what we expect? What if….? What if…? As a team, you can prepare as best you can for the unknown, but there will be some unknowable aspects to a product. That is life in a nutshell.
The one thing that I can guarantee in this process is there will be pain with a new product launch.
Persevere
Many teams may falter here because like most devs thought processes, perfection is the only measure of success. Successful teams will not be deterred by a little struggle. They will confront the problem, identify the pain, and fight through it bringing maturity to the new product. I contend that proper perspective will lead the team to persevere in the face of adversity. Don’t strive aimlessly, but keep looking toward the prize which will lead to the team party!
Party
This is probably the one step in the new product launch that is absent much of the time. It is rare that dev teams allow themselves time to celebrate wins. It is on to the next thing just as fast as you “wrap up” the previous. If a team really ever wraps up a project, but I digress.
In this developer’s humble opinion, this is the most crucial step to include. Taking time to recognize what you have accomplished as a team, the hurdles that have been jumped, and the roadblocks managed has the potential to drastically improve a team’s confidence, morale, and love of the job. It might seem small to some, but in the grand scheme of things, it is the acorn becoming the oak.
I hope this helped you to take a moment just to think about how new product development and launch can be an exciting adventure. To the MOON!!