MINIMAL VIABLE PRODUCT: DO THESE FEATURES MAKE MY APP LOOK FAT?
Tommy Norman
Agile Practice Lead
@tommynorman
#bcn14YourAppIsFat!
Agenda
This session is NOT about market or user research.
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
This session is about how to manage your requirements towards MVP.
Agenda
• What is MVP?
• How do we manage MVP for my product?
• How do we deliver software towards MVP?
• How do we ensure our MVP works for our market?
• Wrap Up
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
About Me
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Agile Practice Lead Scrum Certified Microsoft MVP
AgileNashville.com TommyNorman.com InformIT.com
What is MVP?
Minimal Viable Product
“That product which has just those features (and no more) that allows you to ship a product that resonates with early adopters; some of whom will pay you money or give you feedback.”
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
- Eric Ries, The Lean Startup
Minimal Viable Product
“That version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort.”
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
- Wikipedia (which would never lie to me)
Minimal Viable Product
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
- Tommy Norman, Truly Awesome Dude
Time MoneyFeed-backEffort
Minimal Viable Product
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
- Eric Ries, The Lean Startup
Features
MVP
Why do we care?
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Missed Market Opportunities
Lead Frogged by Competitors
Constantly Missing Deadlines
Reactive Culture
Why do we care?
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Complicated Design & Implementation
Increased Delivery Times
Overwhelm Customers
Distract from Core Goals
Why do we care?
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Company X
Competitor
3 to 6 Months
3 to 5 Years
How do we manage MVP
for my product?
Agile Software Development
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Agile Software Development
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
“Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.”
- Agile Manifesto
Agile Software Development
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
“Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.”
- Agile Manifesto
Agile Software Development
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
“Business people and developersmust work together daily throughout the project.”
- Agile Manifesto
Agile Software Development
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Working Software Customer
Collaboration
Responding to Change
How do we get requirements?
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Users
CustomersSMEs
Competitors
Story Sessions
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
OnlineCatalog
OnlinePayment
My Account
BrowseCatalog
Search Catalog
Search Catalog
AdvancedSearch
RefineSearch
1
2
3
M
LS
2
1
M
L
1
2
3
M
L
M
Story Sessions
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Online Catalog
1 M Simple Search
1 S
Online Payment
2 M
SearchCatalog
1 LRefine Search
2 M
Shopping Cart
1 L
Add Item To Cart
1 S
Save Cart
S3
Advanced Search
3 L
Calculate Shipping Fees
2 M
User Story
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Simple Catalog Search
As an Online Shopper
I want to search for items in the online catalog with basic keywords
so that I can easily find items I want to purchase but do not know their exact name.
Role
Feature
Benefit
User Story
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Conditions of Acceptance
• Allow multiple keywords separated by a space.
• Search for any of the entered keywords in catalog item’s description or title.
• Don’t allow search without any keywords.
• Allow using quoted text for exact matches.
User Story
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
User Focused
Goal Oriented
Specific but not Detailed
Small & Independent
User Story
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
How do we deliver software
towards MVP?
Story Wall
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
New Proposed On Deck
Priority
Product Backlog
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
Pri
ori
ty
Product Backlog
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Prioritized by Value
Constantly Evolving
Highly Visible
The Simplest Thing That will Work
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Short Feedback Loops
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Demos Alphas/Beta Public
Short Feedback Loops
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Public
How do we ensure
our MVP works for our market?
Short Feedback Loops
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Demos Alphas/Beta Public
Direct Customer Feedback
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Hey. How’s it going?
Meh.
Tracking
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In App Feedback / Rating
Track Page / Screen Views
Sales / Subscriptions
Social Media
Trending
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Release 1.0 Release 2.0 Release 2.1 Release 2.5 Release 3.0
Release Trends
new subscriptions lost subscriptions negative social media positive social media
Act!
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Prioritize Ruthlessly
Abandon Less Valuable Features
Embrace Change
Frequent Retrospection
Wrap Up
Take Aways
#bcn14YourAppIsFat! @tommynorman
Agile Values & Principles
Solve the User’s Problem
Release, Release, Release!
Integrate Feedback Immediately
