Take a bow for braving through all the naysayers and hurdles throughout MVP and going live with your “creation”. It takes immense courage to put yourself out there and subject yourself to the judgments. What’s next???. This phase of the project/technology, I would call it Release. You may think, what does a Release entail? Is it more features? Or Is it scaling the platform?
Most of the actions/goals for this stage of technology maturity revolve around the MVP phase outcomes. I am circling back to the user feedback, and the tactical decisions post MVP phase.
Let’s discuss a few of such tactical decisions. Firstly, the technologies that are less than ideal for the software/platform production version. Next is the infrastructure that does not support rapid expansion or not complying with all the security practices required to operate in an industry/geo-location. Most of these are not directly related to the technology’s end-user but are necessary for a better user experience. It will be ideal for addressing these shortcomings before adding additional features promptly.
Take a closer look at the exposure to data vulnerabilities, industry regulations, local laws for operating, etc. Identify what you can implement against what you can leverage given a different tool.
The primary goal is to reduce downtime and make technology responsive to potential vulnerabilities. Say it out loud and repeat!
The last aspect in this phase is to add more/better features for end-users. Have a process in place to capture unbiased feedback from your end-users. These can be in the form of metrics captured from the user interactions with the tool, traditional user interviews, study groups, surveys. Reconcile the results to identify congruence between intended future development and the need of the users. Then develop and introduce small features into production. The idea behind making incremental changes is to keep the existing users engaged and increase the user base organically.
PRO TIP – Do not waste resources in any pursuits that take you away from this goal. Identify strengths of the team in all aspects and not just technology; though the technology is central, often success or failure is not defined by the technology.
