Saas Product Development Plan

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of thorough planning in software development to reduce time and costs. They suggest creating an MVP within 90-120 days and partnering with someone who has an audience but lacks a SaaS solution. The speaker recommends hiring a product manager first to define specifications and user stories, followed by a project manager to oversee development. They also highlight the roles of UI designers, front-end and back-end developers, and the necessity of a QA tester. Using project management tools like Jira and adopting agile methodologies can streamline the process.

Takeaways

• 🤔 Spend ample time planning the end product to minimize development time and avoid the common mistake of rushing into coding without a clear vision.
• 💡 For beginners in software development, gaining an understanding of the full software development lifecycle is crucial for creating an MVP within a 90 to 120-day timeframe.
• 🔍 Hiring a programmer without a clear plan can lead to extended development times and a lack of product delivery.
• 🤝 Consider partnering with someone who has an audience but lacks a SaaS solution, to create a recurring revenue model which is more highly valued than one-time sales.
• 🛠 The importance of distinguishing between a product manager, who is visionary and focuses on customer needs, and a project manager, who is responsible for turning specifications into a product.
• 👥 Building a team with a clear division of roles such as product manager, project manager, UI designer, front-end developer, and back-end developer is key to a successful software development process.
• 🎨 The role of a UI designer is crucial and typically precedes coding, with tools like Zeplin used to create and finalize mockups.
• 🔑 The backend developer's role is to handle the processing and database interactions, which is critical for scalability and performance.
• 📱 Front-end development focuses on what the user sees and interacts with, which is the user interface of the application.
• 🔍 The necessity of having a QA tester to ensure quality control, as developers should not be solely responsible for testing their own work.
• 📈 Utilize project management software like Jira to track progress and facilitate agile methodologies such as two-week sprints.

Q & A

What is the most common mistake people make when starting to code a new software project?

The most common mistake is spending too little time planning and thinking through the end picture before starting to code, which can lead to inefficiencies and extended development times.

What is an MVP in the context of software development?

An MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product, which is a version of the software with just enough features to satisfy early customers and provide feedback for future development.

Why is it suggested to approach someone with an audience for a software solution partnership?

Approaching someone with an audience can help in creating a recurring revenue model for their audience, which typically results in a higher business valuation compared to one-time product sales.

What is the importance of having a product manager in the early stages of software development?

A product manager is crucial for asking the right questions, defining high-level specifications, and creating user stories, which are essential for understanding the product vision and requirements.

How does a project manager differ from a product manager?

A project manager focuses on turning specifications into an actual product, dealing with developers, defects, and processes, whereas a product manager is more visionary, focusing on delivering great features and advocating for the customer.

Why is it recommended to hire both a backend and a frontend developer separately rather than a full stack developer?

Hiring separate backend and frontend developers allows for specialization in their respective areas, potentially leading to better outcomes in terms of performance and user experience.

What is the role of a UI designer in software development?

A UI designer is responsible for creating the visual elements and user interface of the software, ensuring it is both aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly.

What tool can be used to create and share mockups of the software interface?

Tools like Zeplin can be used to create mockups, allowing team members to visualize the design and interact with it before development begins.

Why is it important to have a QA tester involved in the software development process?

A QA tester is essential to ensure the quality of the software by identifying and reporting defects, which helps prevent developers from becoming too close to the product and missing potential issues.

What is the significance of using project management software like Jira in software development?

Project management software like Jira helps track progress, manage tasks, and coordinate the work of the development team, ensuring efficiency and organization throughout the development process.

What is the recommended approach for managing the development process as an entrepreneur or business owner?

It is recommended to let the team manage the development process while taking a step back as an entrepreneur or business owner, allowing the project manager to oversee the work and provide direction.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Importance of Planning in Software Development

The speaker emphasizes the significance of thorough planning before starting the coding phase of software development. They discuss common pitfalls such as rushing into coding without a clear vision, which can lead to extended development times and hiring programmers prematurely. The speaker suggests that understanding the full software development life cycle is crucial for creating an MVP within a short timeframe. They also highlight the importance of not relying solely on hiring workers to piece together a solution, but rather approaching the task with a strategic partnership that considers the scalability and valuation of the product.

05:01

🛠 Building the Right Team for Software Development

This paragraph delves into the roles necessary for a successful software development project. It stresses the importance of having a visionary product manager who can define high-level specifications and user stories, distinguishing them from a project manager who handles the actual product creation process. The speaker shares their experience in hiring a product/project manager with a strong background in FinTech and discusses the subsequent steps involving UI design, front-end and back-end development, and the necessity of a QA tester. They also mention the use of project management software like Jira for tracking progress and the importance of letting the team work independently while the entrepreneur or business owner oversees the final outcome.

Keywords

💡Software Development

Software Development refers to the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications or systems. It is the main theme of the video, as the speaker discusses the importance of planning and understanding this lifecycle before starting to code. The script mentions that spending more time upfront on planning can reduce development time and costs.

💡Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

An MVP is a version of a new product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and provide feedback for future product development. The speaker mentions that with experience in software development, one can create an MVP within 90 to 120 days, emphasizing the importance of starting with a clear vision to avoid extended development times.

💡Product Manager

A Product Manager is responsible for guiding the development of a product, from its conception to its release, focusing on the product's market positioning and requirements. The script highlights the role of a Product Manager in asking the right questions to establish high-level specifications and user stories, which are essential before starting the coding phase.

💡Project Manager

A Project Manager oversees a project's progress, ensuring it meets its goals and deadline, often dealing with the operational side of development. The video script differentiates between the visionary role of a Product Manager and the more task-oriented role of a Project Manager, who takes over once the product vision is defined.

💡User Stories

User Stories are short, informal descriptions of one or more aspects of how a user utilizes a system to perform a task. The speaker in the script suggests creating user stories as part of the initial product planning process to capture the needs and expectations of the end-users.

💡Front End Developer

A Front End Developer specializes in the aspects of a software application or website that users interact with directly, such as the layout, design, and user interface. The script mentions hiring good front end developers to handle the UI part of the software development, which is critical for user engagement.

💡Back End Developer

A Back End Developer focuses on the server-side of applications, dealing with databases, logic, and the overall structure that supports the front end. The video emphasizes the importance of having skilled back end developers to ensure the software can handle processing and scalability.

💡Full Stack Developer

A Full Stack Developer is capable of handling both front end and back end development. However, the speaker in the script shares their preference for separating these roles due to the specialized nature of each, suggesting that dividing the responsibilities can lead to better outcomes.

💡UI Design

UI Design, or User Interface Design, is the process of making interfaces in software or computerized devices with a focus on looks or style and, to some extent, on usability. The script discusses the importance of UI design in creating an appealing and user-friendly product, which typically precedes the coding phase.

💡QA Tester

A QA Tester is responsible for verifying that software applications meet specified requirements and are free from defects. The script mentions the necessity of having a QA tester on the team to ensure quality control, rather than relying on developers to perform their own testing.

💡Agile Development

Agile Development is an iterative approach to software development that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer feedback. The script refers to using Agile methodologies, such as two-week sprints, to manage the development process effectively.

💡SaaS Solution

SaaS stands for Software as a Service, a model of software delivery where a provider makes software available to customers over the Internet. The video discusses the transition from one-time revenue models to recurring SaaS models, which can lead to higher business valuations.

Highlights

Spending time upfront on end picture reduces development time once coding begins.

Common mistake is starting to code without thorough planning.

Importance of understanding full software development lifecycle for efficient MVP creation.

Lack of experience can lead to prolonged development without a viable product.

Hiring workers on platforms like WordPress is not a scalable SaaS solution.

Approaching someone with an audience but no SaaS solution for partnership.

Building a team to create software that transforms one-time revenue into recurring revenue model.

Higher valuation for recurring revenue model compared to single product sales.

Spending more upfront time on specifications and design reduces later development costs.

Advocacy for hiring a good product manager first for those new to product development.

Product manager's role is visionary, focusing on customer needs and great features.

Project manager's role is executional, dealing with developers, defects, and processes.

Rarity of team members who understand both product and project management.

Importance of UI design before coding, using tools like Zeplin for mockups.

Difference between frontend (UI) and backend (processing, database interaction) development.

Recommendation to hire specialized frontend and backend developers separately.

Backend development's impact on scalability and performance if built incorrectly.

Necessity of a QA tester separate from developers to ensure quality.

Utilizing project management software like Jira for tracking and organizing development.

Adopting agile development with two-week sprints under project manager's guidance.

Entrepreneur's role is to step back and let the team develop, reviewing the end result.

Transcripts

The more time you spend up front thinking about the end picture,

the less you're going to spend on development. Once you start coding.

And that's probably the biggest mistake people make is they spend too little

time, uh,

starting to code right of a hiring a programmer and get started without really

thinking it through.

Yeah.

For people that are listening or watching that have not yet gone

into the world of software development, but are interested in it.

Um, you've got a tremendous amount of experience on it over the years. And, uh,

I'd love to hear your insights on if,

if you didn't have anything but an idea right now,

what would you do to get started in software?

That's a great question. So it all comes with experience.

Once you understand the full life cycle of software

development, you're able to do an MVP,

a minimum viable product, uh, pretty much,

but in 90 to 120 days on any new

product or service you want to roll out. Now,

if you don't have that experience,

I know people you ended up taking a year and a half or two,

and they still don't have a product or they're still struggling and they think

they can hire a couple of workers, uh, and, uh, you know,

have them piece together, uh, a solution on WordPress.

Well, that's not a scalable, uh, SAS solution.

So if I had to do it all over again and start completely from scratch

and, uh,

I would probably go to somebody with an audience

that doesn't have a SAS solution yet that's unhappy, recurring,

uh, product yet. And I would approach them and say, Hey, let's partner. Okay.

I'm going to build a, um, a team that will create this, um,

uh, software solution.

And you're going to take one-time revenues and turn that into

a, um, recurring model of video audience,

which gets a much higher valuation. Then, you know,

single products come in and you've done it with multiple, uh, fewer, uh,

businesses. And then it, all of it starts, uh, you know, the,

uh, specifications and the design.

The more time you spend up front thinking about the end picture,

the less you're going to spend on development, once you start coding.

And that's probably the biggest mistake people make is they spend too little

time, uh, starting to code, right,

have a hiring a programmer and get started without really thinking. It's true.

Um, so.

Tell me this, um,

because a lot of people do advocate and I've seen courses on sought out to make

a software product and things like that,

that do advocate going out to an Upwork or some, you know,

rent a coder or whatever. Um, what, what's the downside to that? Like why,

why do you, cause you mentioned it as a mistake. What, why is that a mistake?

Well, if you go too quick and if you don't know what your picture is,

you're the first person you should really hire.

If you have never done product development. And again,

this can be an Upworker on a part-time basis for a couple of hours here and

there.

The first person you need is a really good product manager that understands,

uh, asking all the right questions to come up of at the high level

specifications and then actual user stories that

differ from a project manager. Uh, yes. Uh,

so a product manager is visionary

and makes sure you deliver these great features and as an

advocate of the customer, whereas this,

the project manager then comes in once you have defined all of that, uh,

your vision and what do you want to create?

The project manager is the one that takes the specifications

and turns it into an actual product. Okay.

But they're more dealing with developers and defects

and processes. So that's internal stuff and not visionary.

And very few.

So either you have a visionary or you have a transactional project manager,

that's a task space over the years.

I have found very,

very few of my team members in that role that understand both a

couple of months ago, I hired a great, um,

product slash project manager, uh, that understands both. And she's terrific.

She has, uh, worked in FinTech, uh, with products with 2 million users.

And, uh, so, uh,

if your starting point as the product manager,

then get a few hours and get some user stories, do some user interviews,

and then once you have the specifications,

then you can move to a project manager, you know,

getting to go ahead and then, you know, uh, yeah. Um,

then you know what to build and then you know how to scope it,

what kind of talent do you need? And then you can go on the app work and,

uh, hire front end and backend developers.

Now there's something called full stack developers that

can do both front end and backend.

And in my experience, well, in my experience,

I have seen the best success hiring really,

really good backend developers, uh, and really,

really good front end developers and dividing it into two pieces.

What is the difference is one like you UI user interface type stuff.

And one is the processing on the, behind the scenes.

Right? Right. So front end is what you can see on the VAT or on a mobile app.

Uh, what is touchable, anything you interact with, uh, in the user interface.

And then the backend is the part that interacts with the database.

Uh, and if you've built that right, it can be very,

very scalable if you put it on the right infrastructure,

or if you build it wrong, you might have long load times.

And if you put on a lot of users,

you might have a problem scaling the business.

And the part I left out is the UI design part,

which you just addressed that typically comes before you

start coding. If you have a really,

really good designer and a few of the best designer I've ever worked with, uh,

I found an app bark, uh, so that's great talent. And,

uh, then they typically put it in a, you know, mock up, um,

application like Zeplin,

where you can see how it looks and already click on a few

things. And then once you're happy with that,

then it moves into development.

Okay. So I've heard product manager, project manager,

UI designer, front end, developer, backend developer.

Is that kind of the team, right?

And you also need a QA tester on top of it because you don't want developers,

uh, do, uh, the testing. Uh,

and if you've got all those pieces working and then you need a really good

project management software and Shira is the

leader in that space, uh,

and then he can track everything accordingly.

And then you're able to, you know,

do like an add child process where you move in two week

sprints and you don't want to get too and rough,

let your project manager run with it.

And that's really the taking a step back

as the entrepreneur or business owner and letting the team just develop them,

then looking at the end result.