Craft a Product: Some basic ingredients

Launching a new product at a startup often feels like landing the perseverance rover on Mars —bold, challenging, and filled with unknowns. Every founder brings their own methodology and expectations about how and when their product should be delivered, frequently clashing with the pressures from customers, boards, and financial stakeholders. These dynamics significantly influence not only the product's direction but also the team's morale, energy, and productivity.

The Perseverance rover peering onto the Martian landscape. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

Essential Strategies for bringing a successful MVP

1. Clearly Understand the Vision

Ensure every team member deeply understands the product and shares the founder's vision. Clear alignment on expectations, milestones, and the product roadmap is non-negotiable. Each feature must have a clearly defined cost tag in terms of time, resources, and money. Additionally, every change request and strategic realignment must be clearly communicated and agreed upon by the entire team.

2. Expect (and Embrace) Change

Initial product definitions will inevitably evolve. Successful teams anticipate these shifts and navigate them smoothly by maintaining open communication and flexibility across all stakeholders.

3. Build an Expert Team

Assemble a team of seasoned experts who have experienced the journey of successfully launching a product. Such experience equips the team to identify and avoid common pitfalls, significantly improving outcomes. An expert team must have at least one talented rising star, one senior expert who has navigated all major pitfalls, and a dedicated lead capable of stepping in and pulling all-nighters when necessary to fulfill commitments.

4. Flexibility of the office time

Remember, you cannot build a great product purely from home .. 3-4 days per week at the office is essential. Building a product requires constant interaction, brainstorming, and idea-sharing within the team. Relying solely on the sterile environments of Zoom or Teams for collaboration can doom a product to fail. Remote work suits service and support projects better, where it can indeed provide mutual benefits.

5. Prioritize Experienced Project Management

Assign an experienced Product Manager or Scrum Master who understands startup dynamics and can effectively steer the team through uncertainties and shifting priorities. A common scenario before delivery is the request for one additional "small" feature, which, if not managed effectively, can significantly expand scope and complexity, eventually leading to a "CrowdStrike" journey of worldwide blue screens or a constant push of the due date, demotivating the team and stakeholders.

5. Cultivate Alignment and Passion

It's essential that the selected team genuinely believes in the mission and value of the product. Stakeholders must remain vigilant and decisive in maintaining team alignment, even if it means making tough calls regarding team composition. In many scenarios, a streamlined and optimised team (by -30%) significantly outperformed a previous larger team members due to reduced engineering noise and the increased composition of highly effective and passionate team members, substantially increasing overall efficiency.

Thoughts

Product crafting in the fast-paced, high-pressure startup environment is never easy. However, applying these proven strategies can significantly enhance your chances of successfully delivering a product that resonates with your customers and stakeholders alike. Be ready for chalenges and and huge amount of pressure down the road of successfull delivery.