Scoping has proven to be time saving, money saving and will optimize every section of digital product development. What could it mean if you add this crucial step to the decision making process? Let’s take you through a short introduction, why starting small (scoping) creates the biggest results. Based on our own experience as web and app developers, there are are three crucial steps to follow:
- Why do you need optimal scoping as the first step in your digital product development?
- How does it help you make the right decisions (and convince decision makers for budgets needed)?
- How should you start the scoping process?
How scoping sessions can help you launch a better digital product
A simple app or website will need a simple process. Little options. Simple in usage. And therefore not many steps needed to go from button to action. It sounds so simple and after having done cases for all categories of clients we can tell you.. It’s the biggest misunderstanding in building new products for online platforms.
Consider simplicity as an option. But is a house finished with just four walls? It’s how you make use of the space. And that’s exactly what leads us to the most important fact.
It may look simple on the outside, but it’s all about the process behind it. So you want a simple native app, or web application. Take away as many questions as possible. What if you could find your answers in just a full day of focus, taking away the process of months of employees (read: wages) time Let’s give you an insight on optimal scoping in the shortest amount of time
It’s one of the key Nodes approaches. The more time spend on scoping at the start, the better the result. It limits the amount of down time, due to poor scoping and , therefore saves up budget and/or creates major product improvements.
Why project scoping works so well for digital product development
What if you could actually add all answers, all current questions and all solutions in one document and after one week hand this over to your boss, presenting exactly why it’s this budget you need? Why is this a sensible and considered budget? That’s what we’ll be working on together with you in what we would like to call the ‘project scope session’. A scoping service to develop better online products, apart from our regular services, upgrading the process from lots of perspectives. And saving you lots of time.
The Nodes scoping approach: Get a successful start on your digital product in 8 days
Step 1: In this preparation phase, the questioning session, we’ll research all we need to know about your company and workfield, combined with over ten years of app development knowledge to translate this to a real high quality digital product.
2: For a day we gather together with all required persons involved, from both Nodes and your company. The actual Project Scope Session. Indeed, one day. Since it is what we do every day. And there can speed up your process, embracing the highest quality. Integrating all options we believe could be valuable to your product.
3. After, we’ll condense all crucial details to one document you are capable of presenting right away to the decision maker involved – presenting in facts what it exactly is you need. How you reach that. And what costs to expect. Yes, truly, you could even take this project scope statement to competitors, phrasing exactly what it is you need. And why. Taking you just about one week, to find it all. From a fuzzy start with lots of open ends, to a clear piece of content from where you can directly start the project. Knowing exactly what to build. And why. While having a realistic quotation for that. Instead of risking having the wrong budget because of all what needs to be added later on.
Full coverage | All disciplines to optimal scoping involved
From one office we’ll be combining UX expertise, business strategy and technical architecture during the scoping exercise, generating most valuable additions possible, based on long time expertise. In 100% of the cases this resulted to added value in business procedures in general.
Best solutions in digital products | A successful start
The outcome of the process is a working solution that – for example as in the next case given – enables the user to specify the issue at hand. We’ll take you through the process of a case to illustrate how scoping led to a great start.
In the following case for company X a working solution requiring little or no training to use has been produced. The interface will allow the user to register the required data and send it to the relevant support organ. In addition the digital solution provided will upgrade the technical process, budget and timings. And can, on top of direct damage assessment solutions, offer long business solutions with data captured from the experienced issues.
In practice; How this scoping method could help your case?
So knowing why it adds such value is very important. Let us show you how to find this value.
Imagine you are company X having developed a damage assessment tool to identify the cause of issues in a production process. The assessment rules are documented in a sheet and are now followed manually with every case. Automatization of this process is the request. Motivated since a digital version allows directly for more user friendly flows and in addition provides data captured from the experienced issues. Enabling you to find solutions for recurring issues.
The Project Scope Session
During the Project Scope Session exercise Nodes and your company will collaborate on defining the expected behavior for the app users.
The overall question in the Project Scope Session could be: What app do you actually need?
Answering sub-questions such as:
- Who is the user?
- How does the current Excel sheet work?
- Who receives the sheet and what happens next?
- Which context does the user operate in? (Tools used? Circumstances? WiFi access?)
- What flows to integrate?
- What will be the amount of users?
- What do you know about the user?
- Is it a technical lead, being educated in all aspects used?
- Is it a field expert, traveling a lot?
- Will it be different types of users?
- Will they need different access levels?
- Do they need passwords and login?
- Will that be new passwords or logins, or the ones already being used?
- How often will it be used? Daily? Weekly? A couple of times an hour?
- Will it be used for one time actions? Or should it follow up and validate over several days?
- Should it integrate with other systems?
- What could a potential future roadmap look like?
- Is it important to extract data and how often is that required? In which format?
- Where to send the data afterwards?
- Should it be dynamic and able to be changed in the future? So you won’t have to build a new one later on?
To give you an idea how many questions are involved to run a great project, beside the questions you will have formulated from company perspectives already. One of our highly process experienced clients couldn’t phrase it better: “It would have taken me months to collect all knowledge needed. You knew the right questions upfront and only had to spend a day collecting the answers.” Referring to the users and stakeholders being interviewed and what to know about them. But also what to ask them. Leading to the essence of your final product: what should it be capable of and when will it be delivered?
After having run this day together, communication in general improves, and decisions can be made faster. Allowing you to understand why we suggest the solutions we do. Resulting in high quality throughout all parts of the development process.
So we have had a Nodes Project Scope Session, what happens if we feel we are a great match?
The great news; after the Project Scope Session the project is now ready to start for real.
With us, or any other company. The project scope statement gives you the answers needed to kickstart your web or app development with estimated budgets.
Where can we take you from here | This is how we work
At Nodes we structure the web and app development process in three overall phases:
- (Additional) Project Scope Session
The part that could even start before giving us a GO for the project, mapping all your desires and actually finding your answers to questions like: what app do you actually need? Who is the user? What are the long term solutions from business perspective? A Project Scope Session is the first step in setting your project goals and objectives identifying the project needs. Why is this so important? Clients come in with great suggestions, however, in 99% of the cases indispensable functionalities will be added through scoping together with us. We base this on projects we run for millions of users, a day. And know exactly what to ask for that to match your goals best. Knowing it’s crucial for budgeting to have mapped this information in this early stage.If you decide to start without a Project Scope Session, of course a thorough questioning session takes place, followed by our proposal and quotation. - Design and Conceptualisation – Transform into a stunning digital experienceIn this phase, the user interface (UI) for the app will be laid out. Nodes will present the design created by our skilled designers and your company will continuously get feedback at physical meetings or via a digital platform, within a timeframe that we all agree on
- Development And Release – Develop a cutting-edge mobile / web appNodes will set a mixed team of Mobile (iOS, Android), Frontend and Backend resources according to the projects needs.Nodes will invite your company to see working prototypes and Quality Assurance (QA) will be a part of each sprint. With each phase of development our QA team will test and check your product to ensure the best user experience, meaning at launch you should have a comprehensive view of what is expected of your customers.
An agile approach will create a stronger product
The project is done using the agile development process. This means an ongoing dialog between Nodes and your company to investigate and prioritise features and options. We will provide a weekly status report to let your company know about progress, time consumption and expected delivery date.
Rather bring your own team in to support and guide the Nodes team, we are happy to collaborate.
The coolest part: once the app is built. You press the release button!
Indlægget Blog: Optimal scoping in the shortest amount of time blev først udgivet på Nodes UK.
