How Scoping Sessions Can Help You Launch a Better Product
Have you thought it through enough? Where to start? And one of the most important things - how much will it all cost?
These are probably the most common questions all investors ask themselves. Fear not - we have just the right kind of magic for you: our scoping session.
Scoping session 101
The first thing that probably springs to mind: what the hell is a scoping session? Then: what on earth is the point?
A scoping session is a meeting that we organize with you, the client, in order to answer all the questions listed above regarding project planning, time estimation, budgeting, etc. Share your idea with us and we will guide you efficiently and painlessly towards your goal.
If you have any materials or mockups ready, that’s great. The more, the better! However, don’t worry if you haven’t got any yet - no big deal. Scoping sessions are effective with materials, but in case you lack them - check out our PDS services, which are perfect for starting from scratch.
Scoping sessions: the beginning
Expect to be asked a load of questions by us. Millions of them! We will probe you about:
- your ideas,
- the name of the application,
- the application type: is it going to be a web or mobile application, or maybe both?
...and much more.
Then, we sit down with our developers to create user stories. This may well generate more questions, but that’s just because we want to get a clear understanding of your vision and goals.
When all the materials are ready, we will organise a meeting between the customer, developers and project manager. This usually lasts between 2 and 3 hours. During the meeting, we will go through the User Stories we prepared earlier. They are all gathered in JIRA, the project management tool we use and share access with our clients. By discussing the user stories we ensure that everything is exactly where it should be.
Next steps: estimations and MVP
Next, we sit down and estimate all the tasks we need to complete and then draft an MVP for our customers including goals and milestones. We believe that this is the safest way to check if a business idea will succeed. Of course, we will be more than happy to develop the application beyond the original project if need be!
Also, the scoping session gives our customers an insight into our working practices and culture. It’s a great moment to see if we are a good fit for you. After the scoping session, the client receives the relevant estimations including all the materials we prepared for the meeting. They are yours to use as you wish.
Scoping session with materials prepared by the prospective customer
Sometimes the client’s vision is only simple in the client’s head - introducing it to others comes as a challenge. Make sure you know:
- Who are your potential users?
- What is the flow you have in mind?
- Did we understand the user stories you have sent us correctly?
Why is that so important? We need to be sure we have left no stone unturned. Then, we move on to the meeting with the clients, estimations and preparation of the final materials.
Why is this worth your time?
You might think scoping sessions are a little complicated or simply pointless, but make no mistake - that’s just not the way it works. What we’re doing here is helping you get the results you want in the easiest and fastest way, based on our know-how. We are here to make sure all the bases are covered and that the project is well-managed, technically reliable, and successful as a whole. Scoping will help you to plan your budget and make sure that it’s the direction you really want to go. The more thoroughly you plan the process firsthand, the less complications you encounter later on down the line.
You don’t have to decide at once. You’ll have time to think it through, maybe even to re-think your idea. So there you have it - when you’ve made up your mind, we’ll be waiting for you. Let us do what we do best and help you get the most out of your project!
