Product Development (part 3); "Production worthy" (English Version)
An innovative way to a new product
The idea is born. How do you continue as an organization? What steps do you need to take to give the idea a good chance of survival? In the third part of this blog series I want to go deeper into making an idea production-worthy.
Product development, part 3, “Production worthy”.
No matter how beautiful and creative an idea phase is, there will come a time when you have to take the idea or the POC (Proof Of Concept) to a higher level and turn it into a product or proposition. To do this properly, you need to take a number of things into account;
- Structure of the organization
- Technic
- Data
- Security
- Ethics
- Quality
I will go through the above points one by one and give tips. We start with the most important thing; Structure of the organization. Is the organization process-wise ready for a new innovative (desruptive) product? You should think of continuity in the form of functional and technical management. Where can your customers go with questions and help? What happens if your product suddenly turns out to be successful? Can you scale up horizontally, but also vertically. Think of your partners (suppliers). Shape (shape) your organizational processes and make a clear business scenario. Do not forget to involve the investors and your suppliers.
Then the technic. Make sure you have a sufficiently flexible choice of technology. Don't get stuck in a niche by making yourself dependent on one supplier. Try to put the heart of your architecture "main-stream". You can afford a little more on the edges as long as you make good agreements. Make sure that with the licenses / subscriptions you do not lose out to your own success. Calculate that carefully.
Data, the content. Sometimes it is said that you can't have enough of it ("I want everything"). Don't fall for that, I'm going to bite you in terms of performance, storage and costs. Think carefully about what you need for your product now and in the near future, but certainly no further than that. If the technology is scalable, you don't have to think about it. Nobody knows exactly what the future will look like. Flexibility is much more important than taking "everything into account". I consider the chance that this will be 1-on-1 in line with future expectations is virtually nil, it is better to pick it up in one go.
Security; Think carefully about your data. How sensitive is the data you collect. In my blog Security by design (https://www.casperotto.nl/en-gb_security_by_design) I give a number of practical tips. Be sure to read this and make a plan.
I often think when realizing a product; “What would I think about my data?”. The word "ethics" is then an extension of your own morality. It is fine if money is earned on a product, but it must be in proportion to your standards, values and social importance. Include these issues in your business plan. What do you find acceptable and is it seen that way by society? Make sure there is as little difference as possible between them.
Deliver quality. Test the product and all aspects. Also for possible abuse. Invest in a segmentation architecture so that if something goes wrong, the damage is limited. Think of it as installing "fire doors" that can close in the event of a fire alarm.
In addition to all the above facets, establish a clear scope, an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), and try not to deviate too much from it. Keep focus and involve the right experts and listen to the advice. Then it will be fine!
Casper.
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