{"id":76591,"date":"2021-08-16T18:31:17","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T17:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/?p=76591"},"modified":"2025-01-13T16:26:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T16:26:13","slug":"product-development-process-stages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/product-development-process-stages\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the Product Development Process stages you\u2019ll go through to get to market?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Product development takes place not only in the earliest days of a startup but every day after launch, as well. It\u2019s crucial to have a process and team that are built around learning from customers and constant iteration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this post, we\u2019ll cover the basic tenets of the process, the stages you\u2019ll go through to get to market, and some guidance on hiring a product development team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-product-development-and-the-product-manager-s-role\">Product development and the product manager\u2019s role<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Product development is the process of creating value. You\u2019re building something useful, hopefully mission-critical. You\u2019re building whatever you need to solve problems.<br><br>Your role as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/\">product manager<\/a> is to do so in the leanest way possible. (More on that below!) While keeping the product lean, you\u2019re also discovering the broadest range of potential problems, so that you know your final solution is the most effective and interesting that your company could be doing.<br><br>Why? So that you don\u2019t waste time building something that is subpar, or that doesn\u2019t actually solve the problem, or that isn\u2019t going to be <strong>loved <\/strong>by customers when you actually put it out there.<br>The final version you end up with could be completely different from where you started, but that likely means it\u2019s stronger, more stable, more viable.<br><br>The process involves:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Discovering and listening to your customers<\/strong>. What kinds of problems do they have? They\u2019ll help you gain a broader understanding of things if you ask the right questions. Give them access to MVPs and feedback channels.<\/li><li><strong>Prioritize the problems<\/strong>. Identify ways they could be solved, and tie those possibilities to business objectives. Because any solution you choose\u2014any route you take\u2014must also allow the business to hit its own goals and grow sustainability.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You shouldn\u2019t approach product development with only business objectives in mind. Again, you only learn what you need to build by talking to your customers. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpattonassociates.com\/\">Jeff Patton<\/a> says, \u201cYou can\u2019t solve a business problem, you can only solve a customer problem.\u201d<br><br>If you know how to solve a customer\u2019s pain point, <em>then <\/em>you know how to earn some revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-importance-of-an-mvp-in-product-development\">The importance of an MVP in product development<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Minimum viable products (MVPs) allow you to <strong>test your assumptions before you waste time on the wrong thing<\/strong>. The purpose is not to create an actual product, in the ultimate marketable sense, but rather something that\u2019s more of an experiment.<br><br>You can use MVPs to test a hypothesis. For this, it doesn\u2019t need to be a fully fledged feature, but could be as simple as a checklist item, a survey, or a short-term manual workaround.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/single-image.png\" alt=\"A ProdPad dot has created a simple paper aeroplane to send a message and learn how to iterate in the product management process\" class=\"wp-image-58196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/single-image.png 2560w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/single-image-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/single-image-1024x556.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/single-image-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/single-image-1536x834.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/single-image-2048x1112.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption>Start simple with an MVP and iterate from there to the best solution<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p> <br>Testing with MVPs is a crucial stage of your initial launch (which we\u2019ll get to in the next section), but also an ongoing practice as you add new elements and solutions to your product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-product-development-process-stages-to-get-to-market\">Product development process stages to get to market<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick rundown of the general stages your team will go through to get your product to paying customers. These stages might look slightly different depending on the company, but all teams go through some version of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Understanding your market.<\/strong> What exactly are you trying to achieve? Track your success against that. This stage also includes discovering other solutions out there and knowing what your competitors are up to.<br><\/li><li><strong>Testing it with MVPs.<\/strong> Yes, more than one. The final product vision can be sliced up into multiple MVPs. For some of these, you\u2019ll have multiple iterations because you won\u2019t get it right on the first go.<br><\/li><li><strong>Put it to the people.<\/strong> Get customers using your product, and be ready to learn and iterate! This stage includes lots of discovery work, lots of prototyping, lots of feedback. That means there\u2019s also a lot of changing the code, changing your focus, changing the service model. Adapt and keep moving.<br><\/li><li><strong>Actually getting it to market.<\/strong> \u201cIf you build it, they will come.\u201d Well, it doesn\u2019t work like that for most products. You need to continuously encourage people to sign up. Iterate on marketing messages as much as you do the product itself. (Much of this can be done before you launch, and should be, so you aren\u2019t surprised if certain messaging doesn\u2019t resonate. But you should keep revising your marketing message after you launch as well.)<br><br>There\u2019s no test like production; you\u2019ll learn the most once it\u2019s live!<br><\/li><li><strong>Getting paid. <\/strong>Actually, there\u2019s no real test until you ask for money. It\u2019s easy for people to say they would pay for your product, but handing over their credit card details is another thing. Money is the literal proof of value. You need people to show they\u2019d actually use what you\u2019ve built!<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary, the stages to get to market mirror, in a way, the ongoing cycle of product development process in general. There\u2019s no such thing as a finished product. Your team\u2019s job is to constantly learn, iterate, and validate! (And get paid.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-building-a-product-development-team\">Building a product development team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When building a workforce around your product, the most fundamental \u2014 and these days, much discussed \u2014 question is around <strong>whether to hire in-house or remote<\/strong>, whether to offshore or nearshore your product and development teams.<br><br>There are benefits and drawbacks to both on-premise and remote, of course. My belief is that the closer you work with your development team, the more you\u2019ll catch questions around feasibility. There\u2019s less of a need to document everything from the get-go as you figure out what to build next. All in all, you avoid wasting time trying to build the wrong thing.<br><br>The main benefit of a remote team is that you can hire great talent from anywhere. You can find the exact match for your needs and at your budget. But then, working in different time zones can create friction and obstacles\u2026 which persist despite all the new tools and technology for distributed teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"674\" src=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-2020-10-06-at-12.05.37-1024x674.png\" alt=\"A ProdPad Dot waving to their colleagues via a video call\" class=\"wp-image-8794\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-2020-10-06-at-12.05.37-1024x674.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-2020-10-06-at-12.05.37-300x197.png 300w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-2020-10-06-at-12.05.37-768x506.png 768w, https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screenshot-2020-10-06-at-12.05.37.png 1106w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Working with a remote team can be effective<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><br><br>Personally, I like the option of shared space, looking at the same wall, or the fun of a coffee shop lunch or pub to chat over potential solutions. Such spontaneous moments have been hugely valuable to us at ProdPad, and they just don\u2019t happen in the remote, digital world.<br><br>The best solution is a blend. Everyone needs some alone time, some collaborative time. Some time on-site, some off-site.<br><br>That said, the problem isn\u2019t necessarily where the team is located but<strong> whether they\u2019re actually part of the team<\/strong>.<br><br>Outsourcing has become a common practice, which means the \u201cteam\u201d is just a service provider whose goal is to deliver finished code. This depends on the requirements you give them. Their desired outcome is to execute on those requirements, not to meet overall goals of the company or even user satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>On the other hand, when the team <em>is <\/em>part of your company, their outcomes are your outcomes. They help shape what comes through the pipeline, and ensure the code that\u2019s delivered is geared toward overall goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Product development takes place not only in the earliest days of a startup but every day after launch, as well. It\u2019s crucial to have a process and team that are&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"pp_uni_tag":[],"class_list":["post-76591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-product-management-best-practice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Product Development Process stages to get to market<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Product development process takes place in the earliest days of a startup and every day after launch, built around constant iteration.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/blog\/product-development-process-stages\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What are the Product Development Process stages you\u2019ll go through to get to market? | ProdPad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Product development takes place not only in the earliest days of a startup but every day after launch, as well. 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