You’ve decided you want to turn your idea into an MVP to test your business with real users… what now? Here’s an overview of what that process looks like when you work with Lateral Studio.
First, the discovery call
We like to meet potential clients via Google Meet to determine if we are a fit for their product roadmap. During the discovery call, which usually lasts no more than 40 minutes, we always ask the same questions. What’s your idea or need? How far along in your development journey are you? Do you have any internal or external milestones coming up? How developed is your product roadmap? Have you already validated your idea with users?
Then, we explain our methodology and how our product development process works.
We're a bit strict on this, but we truly think that flexibility and structured methodology are the key for reaching your goals efficiently and effectively :)
If we think that our expertise is a fit for your product, it’s time to talk availability! If we are not a good fit, we will be able to refer you to other providers who can help you.
To book a discovery call with us, send us an email!
Then, scheduling
When we work on your project we're fully committed: 95% of our work time each week is dedicated to the current sprint, with only 5% going to admin, marketing, and business development.
This is awesome for you because you’re getting our full attention, energy, and focus.
The downside is that we might not be available to start working on your sprint tomorrow. Or next week. Usually, our earliest availability is 2-4 weeks out.
Workshop and analysis
When we work on a new MVP, the first step is always a workshop where we all gather together - either in person (if you’re around Milano) or remotely via Miro.
In this key step, we will get crystal clear on your business strategy. We will start from your WHY and your value proposition to identify the features that deliver the biggest results to your users. Our process is unique since our business model is different from conventional software houses (as you can read here), so it’s in our best interest to create a fully functional product as fast as possible.
The workshop takes between 3-4 hours, and the agenda and content are customized based on your specifics. However, the goal is always the same: KPI definition! We are extremely data-driven in our approach, so knowing exactly what KPIs the business idea will be evaluated against is key.
After the workshop, we'll design a solution tailored around the defined goals and KPIs and that satisfies your budget in terms of time and costs.
We'll come back to you in a matter of days with these results and an estimate of how many development sprints we'll require to reach your desired milestone.
First sprint
Sprints start on Monday morning and end on Friday afternoon. This is when our team is completely focused on working on your product.
We usually start with a kick-off meeting on Monday morning. Each sprint will have a guaranteed fixed-price based on the goals defined during the analysis or the kick-off meeting.
During the sprint, we will work independently as much as possible because we know the life of a founder is a busy one! However we will probably have quick questions for you (Whatsapp or email) and we definitely want to have regular check-in meetings every other day. Expect to dedicate between 2-3 hours of your time per week to communication with us.
In case we need to run a test that involves your systems or users, we will organize it at a mutually convenient time.
The sprint is over, now what?
Usually a single sprint is enough to cover the bare essentials of a product, so most of our projects last between 2-4 weeks. However, if you’re satisfied with the progress we have made in 1 week, you can decide to launch the product as is: you can stop or pause our collaboration whenever you want without penalty!
Alternatively, we will continue to work together for another weekly sprint.
The product is ready
Once the product is ready based on the joint plan, you can test it with real users! The most intense part of our work is finished, however we like to stay up to date on the progress of your validation process.
Once the product is ready, you will be able to make basic changes yourself independently. This for example includes editing text or colors or images. We do not offer ongoing maintenance services because the benefit of Low-Code is that you can manage everything yourself.
After weeks (or maybe months) of testing, you can engage us again for an additional sprint or 2 to further develop the product.
