How To Define The Scope of Software MVP?

The scope of work for a minimum viable product essentially covers all the work required to be done and delivered in order to launch the product. 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MVPDevelopment, SoftwareDevelopment HowToDefineTheScopeofSoftwareMVP? Writtenby SwatiSharma Jul13,2021| 11MinRead Planningtolaunchyourproduct'smarketfit?DownloadtheMVPDevelopmentGuideandgetanswerstoallyourquestionsonbuildingaminimumviableproduct.   MinimumViableProductisthesimplestversionoftheproductthatisbuilttoreleaseaproductfasterandwithiterations.Themainreasonwhysomanybusinesses/startupsaretakingtheMVPdevelopmentapproachtolaunchtheirproductisthespeed,efficiency,andfeedback-supportedpaththatitfollows.  However,noteachsoftwarelaunchedasanMVPhasbeenabletotastesuccess.AndnotdefiningthescopeearlyonisoneofthemostcommonreasonswhysomanyMVPstartupsfail.  Withoutawell-definedscopeofwork,boththeproductownerandthesoftwaredevelopmentoutsourcingcompanymightendupwithmultitudesofconfusion,unsaidexpectations,andmisunderstandingsregardingtheproject.  EspeciallywhenyouarebuildinganMVP,onemightgetconfusedaroundthedeliverablefeatures,timelines,andtheexpectedresults,andmuchmore.Definingthescopeofworkcaneliminateallofthat.  Butmanycompaniesfeelthatthispartofthesoftwareprojectischallengingandtime-consuming.Andthat’swhatweseektosolveinthisblog.  Here,wewillnotjusttalkaboutthemeaningofthescopeofMVPsoftwarebutalsohelpyouunderstanditscomponentsandthestepsrequiredtodefineit.So,let’sgetstarted.  WhatIsScopeOfSoftwareMVP Insimpleterms,definingthescopeofthesoftwaredevelopmentisshortforanalyzingthesoftwareidea,prioritizingthefeatures/functionalities,agreeingonthedeliverablesasperthetimelines,andthecollaborationrequired.Italsotouchesonthedevelopmentmethodologytobeusedandtheteams&departmentsthatwillbeinvolvedinthedevelopmentprocess.  Thescopeofworkforaminimumviableproductessentiallycoversalltheworkrequiredtobedoneanddeliveredinordertolaunchtheproduct.Theentiredevelopmentisdividedintomini-deliverablesandtherequirementsforeacharelistedinthescopeitself. WhenitcomestothescopeofsoftwareMVP,itshouldincludeallthefunctionalitiesthatneedtobedeliveredwithinthetimeframespecifiedandthattoobasedonthedifferentversions.  Itshouldcontaineachfunctionalitythatshouldbeincludedinthefirstversionoftheproductandtheenhancementsincludedintheiterativestepsthatfollow.Oneshouldalsounderlinethereliabilityofdifferentmembers,costsincludedinthedevelopment,performancemetrics,andotherconstraints.  AlsoRead:HowMuchDoesMVPDevelopmentCost  Bydefiningthesoftwarescopeofworkattheverybeginning,onecanestimatetheresourcesrequiredandotherthingsthatgointobuildingthesoftwareMVP.AclearMVPscopecanhelpthestakeholdersidentifytheabsolutelynecessaryfeaturesandfunctionalitiesoftheminimumversion.Moreover,onecananalyzethescopetopredictrisks,findareasofimprovement,identifyopportunitiesforcostreduction,andmuchmore.  ComponentsOfScopeOfWork  Whiledefiningthesoftwarescopeifimperativeforanybusinessorstartup,writingaclearscopeofworkisalsocrucial,especiallywhenyouareworkingwithasoftwarepartneroranexternalsoftwareoutsourcingcompany.ForthosecompilingthescopeoftheirsoftwareMVP,differentcomponentsgointothesame.So,beforewetalkaboutthevariousstepsoneneedstotaketodefinethescope,let’sfirstdiscussthecomponentofascopeofworktoeasetheprocess.  #1.Budget OneofthemostimportantaspectstobeincludedinthescopeofthesoftwareMVPprojectisthebudget.Whilemanyconsiderthebudgettobementionedonlyintheoutsourcingcontract,itisadvisabletoaddthesameinthescope.  Addingthebudgetinthescopemeansyouknowifyouwillbeabletoaffordtheprojectandknowtheextentofflexibilityyoucanexpect.Theexpectedratesoftheteammembers,hoursthateachoneisexpectedtospend,andtheadd-oncostsshouldbeaddedtomakeupforthecompletedprojectcost.  AlsoRead:OutsourcingCosts:UltimateGuideForEntrepreneurs  #2.WorkingMethodology Notbeingonthesamepagewiththeoutsourcingpartnerandtheirteamregardinghowoneworkscancausealotofmisunderstanding.Therecouldbeissuesaroundunmatchedexpectations,fluctuatingtimelines,andtheinabilitytocollaborate.  Forexample,ifyouwantagilesoftwaredevelopmentbuttheoutsourcingagencyfollowsthewaterfallmethodology,therewouldbemanyunmetexpectations,failedcollaboration,andalotofotherissuesindeliveries.  Gettingclaritythatboththecompanies(softwaredevelopmentpartnerandtheproductowner)followthesamemethodologycanmakethedevelopmentprocessalotsmoother.  #3.Deliverables  Thenextcomponentthatyouneedtoaddtoyourscopeoftheprojectisthedeliverable.Thesearethoseresults,codes,certifications,etc.,thatyouexpecttoreceivefromtheoutsourcingsoftwaredevelopmentcompany.Thesedeliverablesshouldnotjustbetheendresultbutalsowhatwouldfollowaftereachsprint.  Thescopeshouldmentiontheexpectedfeatures,functionalities,versionreleases,reports,orendproductthattheclientneeds. #4.Milestone Asmostcompaniesfollowtheagilemethodologyofsoftwaredevelopment,anysoftwaredevelopmentprojectneedstobedividedintodifferentsprintsandmini-deliverables.Thesecouldbecalledmilestones.  Thesearedifferentphasesintheproductdevelopmentlifecycle.Eachphaseorsprintactsasmilestonesthatadduptothecompleteproject.Milestonesactassteppingstonestothefinalproductdelivery.Theendofeachmilestoneshouldbetheendofaphaseandanachievement,takingtheprojectforward.   #5.Timelines Theseareschedulesthatyouneedtogetinwritingbeforeinitiatingaproject.Thetimelinesshouldbementionedinthescopeofworkitselftoensureyouknowwhattoexpectandwhen.Thiswillnotjustsetthedurationoftheentireprojectbutalsotellyouwhenyoucanexpectdeliveriesoftheproject’sfeaturesorfunctionalities.Moreover,makesuretohavesomemarginandanopenmindtowardsthetimelinesastheymayshiftduetotheadjustmentsorchangesineachsprint.  #6.Documentation AnothercrucialstepwhenitcomestosettingthescopeofsoftwareMVPisdocumentation.Oneneedstobeclearabouttherequirementsinthesoftwaredevelopmentprocessandhowoneexpectstobecommunicatedorcollaboratedwith.Therecouldbeseveralreportsthatyou’llneedtomonitortheprogressandknowiftheprojectisontrack.Makesuretowriteaboutthedocumentationyouexpectduringtheprojectinthescope.  StepstoDefineScopeOfSoftwareMVP Whenitcomestodefiningthescopeofaminimumviableproduct,therearedifferentstepsthatoneneedstoundertake.Thesestepshelpinunderstandingtherequirementsofthesoftwareandcreatingalistofthekeycomponents.Theseincludetheoneswehavediscussedabove,ie.,deliverables,milestones,timelines,documentation,andoutsourcingteammemberswiththeirindividualresponsibilities.  Step#1.AnalyzeYourBusinessObjective Thefirststepthatyoushouldtaketodefinethescopeofyourprojectistoanalyzethemainbusinessgoals orobjectivesthatyouwishtoachievefromthepartnershiportheMVPdevelopment.YouneedtoanalyzeyourrequirementsandcreateadocumentthatcontainseverythingthatyouwishtoachievewiththesoftwareMVP.  ThisshouldincludeeverythingfromwhytheMVPisbeingdeveloped,whatwillbethebenefitsoftheMVP,whattheMVPseekstoachieve,whenwillthesoftwaredevelopmentcomplete,andhowmuchwouldtheentirethingcost.  AlsoRead:WhyStartupsNeedMVPForSuccess AdoptingtheSMARTgoalsettingtoanalyzeandwritethebusinessgoalscouldbeagreatwaytogetstartedwithdefiningthescopeoftheproject.  Step#2.IdentifyTheTargetAudienceForSoftware ThenextstepthatoneshouldtakewhendefiningasoftwareMVPscopeistoidentifyandanalyzethetargetaudience.ThisstepwillhelpwithalotofworkrelatedtothescopeorMVPdevelopment.Here,youneedtostartwithsegmentingtheaudienceandanalyzingwhatexperienceyouwanttodeliveroractionsyouwanttoelicitfromthem.Youneedtoanswerthefollowingquestionswhiledefiningthetargetaudience: Whoistheidealaudienceoruseroftheproduct? WhocanbenefitfromthefeaturesorfunctionalitiesthatyourMVPoffers? Howdoesyourproductbenefittheseusers? Answeringthesequestionscanhelpyoucreateabetterviewoftheconsumerbase,which,inturn,willhelpwiththenextstepofdefiningthescope. Step#3.DefineUserFlow&PrioritizeFeatures  Onceyouknowyourtargetaudience,itiseasiertoputyourselfintotheirshoesandthinkhowtheywillmoveoncetheyuseyourMVPsoftware.Youanalyzethemainapporsoftwareideaandcreateawireframeoftheintendedstepsthattheusermighttake.Itwillhelpdefinehowtheproductwillgoaheadandwhatfeaturesshouldbeputinfirst.Makesuretokeepthelastactionasthekeybusinessobjective-conversion,submission,purchase,subscription,etc.  Userflowwillhelpprioritizeeachfeatureanddefinemini-deliverablesorthemilestonesoftheproject.Youcanseewhatfeatureswillbeabsolutelynecessaryfortheprojectandwhichonescanbeavoided.Categorizethembasedonpriorityandwhenyouneedtodevelopwhichfeature. Here,youshouldalsoensuretoenlistthefollowingrequirements:  Technologystack:Inthispart,youneedtomentionthetechnologiesthatwouldberequiredtobuildtheproduct. UIflow:Here,youtalkabouttheproduct’smainuserinterfaceinthedifferentversionsandwhatfeaturesshouldbeaddedineachincrement. Teammembers:Howmanydevelopers,projectmanagers,technologyexperts,UI/UXdesigners,orgraphicdesignerswouldberequiredforthesame.  Deploymentstrategy:Youneedtothrowlightonthewayyouplantodeploytheprojectfurther. Step#4.PointDownTheMajorDeliverables Onceyouhaveuserflowandfeaturesprioritized,youcanlistdownthemajordeliverables.Here,youneedtolistallthefeaturesyouneedthroughouttheprojectandyourvisionfortheendproduct.Makesurethateachdeliverableismeasurableandtangibletoscoretheoutcomefromthesprint.Makesuretocreatethedeliverablesasperthefeaturesprioritizedbecauseeachsprintwillbeplannedaccordingly.  Step#5.WriteDownTheMilestones&Timelines Thestakeholdersneedaparticulartimelineforeachdeliverable.Andthatiswhatyouneedtowritedowninthisstep.EachdeliverableshouldbemarkedbymilestoneswhereonefeatureorversionoftheMVPiscompletedanddelivered.  Moreover,theseshouldincludespecificdatesinitially.Thiswillgivethestakeholdersatentativetimelineandexpectationofwhentheycanexpectthecompletedproduct.    KeySteps Collectandcompilealltherequiredinformationregardingtheproject,likethedeliverables,milestones,andotherthings.Thiswouldalsoincludethedetailsoftheteammembersworkingontheproject,rates,budgetrequirements,hoursofwork,andmuchmore. Createtheuserflowandprioritizeeachfeaturebasedonwhatstepsyouwanttheusertotakefirst.  Thenextstepistodeterminethescheduleoftheprojectbasedonthedeliveriesandthefeatureprioritization.Breakdowntheprojectandcreateaplanofwhenwhichfeatureneedstobedelivered.  Analyzethetimelinesandgetintonationregardingthecollaboration.Thiswillhelpinsmoothercollaborationtoensurethatthereisavailabilityfortheteamsaswell.   AlsoRead: HiringRemoteDevelopersForYourSaaSDevelopment Let’sendthiswrite-upaboutdefiningscopebyhighlightinganessentialaspectofthesame.Oneshouldalsoincludethelistofexclusionsinthescope.Thismeansallthethingsthatthesoftwarepartnerortheoutsourcingvendorwillnotdelivertothestakeholder.ThesecouldbeanythingfromthecertificationstolicensestoanyextrafeaturethatthestakeholdermightexpecttobeaddedtotheMVPsoftware.  Thiswouldeliminatealargepartoftheconfusionfromthedevelopment.Inadditiontoputtinganendtounsaidexpectations,enlistingthescopeexclusionswillalsohelpavoidscopecreep.Withoutsuchexclusions,projectvendorsmightendupaddingseveraladditionalfeaturesorworkthatwasn’tinitiallymentionedinthescope.Thismightextendtheprojectdeliverytimeandaddtotheoverallworkrequiredtobedonebythesoftwaredevelopmentcompanythatthestakeholdershireforthedevelopmentwork.  DefiningthescopeofaprojectisoneofthekeystepsthatoneshouldtakebeforeinitiatingthesoftwareMVPdevelopmentwork.Notonlycanithelpenvisiontheprojectanditsstagesbutalsoprovideclarityregardingthedevelopmentlifecycle.  ThesuccessofyourprojectdependsonhowwellyouareabletodefinethescopeofyoursoftwareMVP.Itshouldbeasspecificaspossibleandshouldevenexplaintermsthatmightcauseconfusionormisunderstandingbetweenthetwoworkingpartners.Awell-definedscopecanhelpavoidalltypesofdisputesfromsoftwaredevelopmentandensurethesuccessofthesame.  PreviousPost NextPost Topics: MVPDevelopment, SoftwareDevelopment WrittenbySwatiSharma SwatiSharma,awriterbydayandanavidreaderbynight,workswithClassicInformatics,aleadingwebdevelopmentcompanyinIndia.Owingtoherpassionforherprofession,shelovestostayupdatedaboutthecurrent&emergingtrendsintheITindustry. 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