Reducing Product Risk and Removing the MVP Mindset: A Guide to De-Risking Projects and Building Successful Products in a Post-COVID Community

Reducing Product Risk and Removing the MVP Mindset: A Guide to De-Risking Projects and Building Successful Products in a Post-COVID Community

In today's fast-paced and ever-changing world, the way we approach de-risking projects and building successful products has to adapt accordingly. The traditional MVP (Minimum Viable Product) mindset, which focuses on releasing a basic version of a product to gather user feedback, may no longer be sufficient. Instead, we need to consider the type of customer we're building for and tailor our approach accordingly.

One of the key challenges in product development is that initial releases will never have everything teams want. But this shouldn't deter us from iterating and improving. As long as we're delivering value to users as soon as possible, we can continue to refine and enhance our products based on their feedback.

However, it's important to remember that users are generally unreliable narrators of their own behaviors and preferences. While we should regularly engage with them to understand their problems, we have to take the lead in inferring solutions. Henry Ford's famous quote, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse," perfectly encapsulates this idea. We cannot solely rely on consumers to be excellent product thinkers; it's our responsibility to envision and create innovative solutions.

To ensure the success of our product development efforts, Cody's design quality framework provides valuable insights. It suggests that the level of investment before a product reaches the customer should be directly tied to our confidence in understanding both the problem and the viability of the solution. This means that building features, rather than fully-fledged products, can be a more lightweight approach, especially when leveraging existing products.

The use of MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) and MVFs (Minimum Viable Features) becomes crucial in proving the effectiveness of our ideas in solving a specific problem. Once we have validated the concept, we can then invest more resources to reach the full potential of the product or feature idea. By releasing regularly, we not only gather feedback from users but also de-risk our technical implementation. This iterative approach allows us to identify scalability issues or potential breaking points incrementally, rather than all at once.

In a post-COVID community, community management takes on a new dimension. The "アフターコロナのコミュニティ運営：ROMが増える５つの理由" article highlights five reasons why community management becomes even more critical. The need for real-time communication and output speed increases, blurring the lines between online and offline interactions. In a dynamic world where speed is paramount, those who choose not to speak up may risk being excluded. It's essential for community leaders to clearly define the "Why" and "What" of their community, as without a clear purpose, any efforts to design participation and practice will be in vain.

So, how can we effectively de-risk our projects and build successful products in a post-COVID community? Here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Embrace an iterative mindset: Instead of aiming for a perfect, fully-featured product from the start, focus on delivering value to users as soon as possible. Use MVPs or MVFs to test your ideas and validate their viability. This iterative approach allows for continuous improvement and reduces the risk of investing heavily in unproven concepts.

2. Engage with users but take the lead: While user feedback is valuable, don't solely rely on it to drive product decisions. Users may not always articulate their needs accurately or envision innovative solutions. It's your role as a product thinker to infer their problems and provide them with effective solutions.

3. Release regularly and learn incrementally: By releasing new features or updates regularly, you can gather feedback from users and identify any technical issues or scalability challenges early on. This iterative learning process allows you to make informed decisions and de-risk your product vision step by step.

In conclusion, de-risking projects and building successful products in a post-COVID community requires a shift in mindset. We need to tailor our approach based on the type of customer we're building for and embrace an iterative mindset that focuses on delivering value early and continuously improving. By engaging with users, taking the lead in problem-solving, and releasing regularly, we can effectively de-risk our projects and build products that meet the evolving needs of our communities.