How fast can your company get a new product into the marketplace and gain traction? Do you have your ZOOM on?
We’re living in a very cool time for digital product development. Time-to-market is being dramatically reduced through the juxtaposition of innovations that increase efficiency and productivity:
- Dynamic programming languages / frameworks
- Agile Software Development methodologies
- The Lean Startup Methodology
Dynamic programming languages / frameworks like Ruby on Rails and Python make it much easier to produce enterprise-class software in the shortest possible time period. They do this by removing barriers-to-entry from the creative process – which is what good software development is – and providing tools that take care of development tasks that are not specific to your application’s value. The developer can focus on implementing the application logic, rather than than the underlying technical plumbing.
Agile Software Development is iterative and incremental. Requirements evolve through close collaboration between the development team and the customer, rather than through extensive pre-planning and design. Working software based on validated user-centered design is available early in the development process, and is gradually enhanced until it fulfills the vision upon which it was conceived.
The Lean Startup Methodology focuses on testing market assumptions as early as possible by using a Minimum Viable Product to integrate customer feedback while still in the primary development process. Cash burn is minimized until the product gains traction by fulfilling a market need. This reduces risk by validating a product’s value and business model before a significant financial commitment has been made, thus enabling the ability to pivot quickly in response to market feedback. Pivoting equals survival. Once the right pivots have been made, and traction in the market has been achieved, a product can be safely scaled and funded.
At Going Interactive, in addition to being Creative, we are Dynamic, Agile, and Lean. Each word means something – something that translates into real value for our clients:
∑(Dynamic + Agile + Lean) ⇒ ZOOM!