5 tips that will help you go online quickly

Why is it important to go online fast these days? 

Rapid product development has always been a goal for startuppers that wanted to enter the market quickly and attract investors. Other companies have only been aware of the need to go online for just several years. Just take a look at education - according to the RS report 4 out of 5 UK teachers admits using tech during classes. 5 years ago it was only 20%! 

The pandemic crisis only speeded up that process. Schools or universities (even public ones, that rather tend to stay away from top-notch digital solutions) decided to conduct classes online. Lots of events had to be streamed to avoid their cancellation. Gyms and fitness clubs that had already operated well in terms of online membership sales needed to switch focus to online training. While it certainly won’t replace a real workout at the gym, it can significantly help in expanding the gym offer and attracting new clients or at least help make it through a challenging time. Large supermarket chains needed to reinforce their online presence due to huge interest growth. The list of examples goes on and on.

According to Forbes predictions, technology will have a significant impact on how a post-pandemic world will operate. I’m talking here not only about the companies that are going to transfer their services to the web, but also about the enforcement of the whole digital infrastructure, with IoT and Big Data at the spearhead, working on developing contactless solutions that will help people to find themselves in the new reality. 

Of course, all of the businesses mentioned above will have different goals in terms of their digitalization, but they also have at least one common thing - time. The most important now is to react quickly and focus on developing products quickly but without compromising quality. Here I listed 5 steps that will help you do this.

1. Build an MVP of your app

Pandemic crisis aside, short time to market has always been a goal for startups. The best way to achieve this is to build an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) of your app. The MVP approach assumes releasing the basic version of your app, limited only to the most important features.  It’s not as simple as it sounds - every founder dreams about an app that is filled with amazing features from the very beginning. So why would you like to release an app version that’s not in its ideal shape? The goal is simple - to verify your idea, validate your business plan, and engage with your users early on. That’s the time for gathering feedback that may give a new lease of life to your idea. 

Focus on features that are undoubtedly needed and spend more time polishing them rather than just adding more complicated functionalities. In the MVP of your app, you want to present what’s best in your product and not to bother users with unnecessary features. Thanks to this approach your development team will save a lot of time focusing only on 1-2 main functionalities. What relates to this time-saving advantage of building an MVP is short market release and growing possibilities of being noticed by an angel investor. Thanks to this early-released MVP idea you will secure a strong position on the market, and that’s what every startupper wants. 

2. Pick the battle-tested technologies

The technology needs to be adjusted to the project needs. With so many technologies available on the market, selecting the right stack is not by any means a piece of cake. But of course, there are a few aspects that you should be aware of when choosing the right technology stack. First of all, you should choose battle-tested technologies, like Python or JavaScript with trusted frameworks like Django, Flask, React or Angular. Trying new technologies may be tempting for every CTO or developer passionate about his product, but when the short release time is the goal, there is no place for experimentation here. It’s also important to keep in mind the specific technology’s popularity standing and whether or not it has a lively community actively working on updates - this directly translates into a technology stack that (with proper maintenance) will remain modern for years to come.

There is one exception to this rule that is worth pointing out and it pertains strictly to mobile development. With mobile apps, every startup should at least consider the relatively fresh cross-platform development solutions like React Native or Flutter. In contrast to native technologies, these frameworks allow you to work on one codebase for both platforms - iOS and Android - and it speeds up the development process significantly. 

As you can see, choosing the technology stack for your product is a complex task. There are a plethora of options to consider and choose from. Often times, the choice might not be obvious and in these cases, it’s better to ask for software consultancy rather than just look for information on the web. 

3. Schedule product design workshops (online too!)

As I’ve mentioned before, the MVP is a perfect solution for gathering feedback from users. It’s always good to make a perfect first impression - and no, I’m not talking only about stunning UI design (there will be time for that in the next versions of your product). At this step usability is much more important than visual splendour, so you should think about your user’s needs. With this in mind, product design workshops are priceless. 

A well-structured Product Design workshop that is tailored to your product’s needs is definitely the best way to start the development process. During workshops, you’ll structure your ideas about your product and users, and then choose the relevant solutions that will best fit their needs. 

Product design workshops can be conducted in-house. They often last 2 days during which you have a chance to meet face-to-face with a team of experts that’s going to work on your project. sometimes though, this type of cooperation is not possible and in those cases, you should consider an online workshop session. The agenda, as in the case of workshops ran in-house, is always adjusted to the project needs, but the collaboration tools used are what sets remote session apart. One session lasts approximately 4 hours and we are using tools like Mural, Google Meets to ensure the best communication and cooperation possible. 

4. Consider outsourcing software development

Experienced IT professionals are the key factor when it comes to building a high-quality product, especially when going for fast development time. Although it may sound strange to those who are not familiar with this type of cooperation, outsourcing software development, even to a country on the other side of the world, may expedite the process significantly and also turn out to be a cost- and time-efficient solution. 

Hiring an in-house team may seem to be the most convenient solution for your product development. But in fact, it’s often the most time and money consuming solution there is. The entire recruitment process takes an average of 42 days and that’s excluding the onboarding process! Although the programming market is large, finding an experienced tech professional is harsh and challenging. That’s why outsourcing is a perfect solution.

You shouldn’t be afraid of the time-zone differences between your country and the place you decide to outsource your project. Different time zones can provide constant development. Thanks to this, the project can be developed continuously and both teams will complement each other's work. But of course, to take advantage of this opportunity, the whole cooperation needs to be conducted wisely. 

That’s why you should take care of selecting a reliable outsourcing partner. Check out the provider’s portfolio - maybe the company you are thinking about to hire has already developed a product similar to yours? Read the clients’ reviews on independent websites such as Clutch. 

5. Agile approach with experienced Project Manager

According to the report published by PWC Agile projects are 28% more successful than projects developed with other methodologies. In our case, its biggest advantage is the fact that this methodology focuses on rapid and frequent deliveries. So it not only speeds up the whole process but also gives you the opportunity to implement changes in your project during the development. That could be very beneficial having in mind that Scrum sprint goals increase the team’s creativity and flexibility significantly. 

Make sure that the provider you’re going to work with has already succeeded in running Scrum projects. Using Agile in organizing the work of development teams requires a precise managing approach. That’s why, first of all, you should decide on Project Manager when choosing remote cooperation with a software house, and secondly, make some research about the project management processes on the provider’s side. An experienced expert should be able to identify improvement blockers immediately, so don’t hesitate to enquire about different kinds of procedures, like e.g. risk management. Ask them about courses, certificates or other ways of gaining knowledge. Find out how do they keep the team motivated and what do the daily meetings look like. 

And last but not least - take special care about the good communication between you and the provider’s team. Don’t forget to ask what tools they use to handle daily communication. You should also consider inquiring about your own Slack channel with Project Manager, developers and designers that are going to work on your project. Finally - check the provider’s English skills. Remember that you should be able to communicate with every member of the team. You hired a Project Manager to ensure a fast and smooth workflow, not to translate what the other members of the team want to say during daily or weekly calls. 

Never compromise on quality

As you can see, there are multiple factors that you should be aware of when considering fast ways of going online with your product. It’s always worth asking for software consultancy to make sure you’re looking for the right solutions and pick the technology that fits your needs. But the most important thing to remember is that you don’t want to compromise quality, even if your main goal is rapid product development. Make sure to work with skilled professionals that will be able to ensure that.