An MVP is a Minimum Viable Product equipped with the minimum set of features that represent the essence of a product in development. It allows you to test your product idea, collect user feedback and modify the product to fit the market needs.
MVP helps improve developers’ focus and reduce development time and time-to-market, ultimately enabling you to build the best product with minimum waste. MVP shows you how the early adopters respond to the solution, thus (in)validating your hypothesis and giving you the data necessary to modify it.
However, none of this will happen without the right team in your corner. Strategically choosing the people to develop an MVP aids in expediting the delivery while staying within the budget.
Gone are the days when you could flip through a pile of resumes and narrow the search to top candidates that jump off the page. Especially when looking to hire an entire team of developers; a team of talented individuals; a team of MVPs.
To find the right match, you need to know who you are looking for. And the right people for the job are the ones who understand your vision, have the mindset and the drive to build your idea, and possess the essential technical skills.
Before you reach out to any referrals or start making calls to people in your little black book, make sure you:
The first step involves mapping the user journey, figuring out the flow, and listing their biggest pain points. This will allow you to clarify your business idea, set out SMART goals, and later come up with a list of features to include in the MVP. This will also serve as solid ground when building a product roadmap and long-term goals. You’ll have the information necessary to set the right priorities for future software updates and new features to develop once you transition out of the MVP phase.
By laying out the product details, you can narrow your search for developers, as you’ll have a clearer picture of the skills needed to complete the project. Think about questions like:
List out the minimum requirements, that is, technical and functional features needed to make the first version of the product viable. When deciding what to include (or exclude), go with the features that best describe your product idea; the ones that capture its essence and are most likely to attract and retain users. Don’t neglect to involve the main stakeholders and get their input on what they believe will best represent the product vision.
Features and requirements prioritization is crucial for outlining indispensable resources and revealing the ones you lack. You’ll finally have a better insight into what kind of people you are looking for and the skills they’ll need to possess.
Don’t look for someone who will simply do the work; the best people for the job are the ones who can offer you expert insight and advice. You need developers who can look into your initial idea, offer feedback, and potentially come up with a better approach, be it in terms of ideation, design, or development itself.
Businesses take different approaches to scouting: some scrape through freelancer workspaces or LinkedIn and other social media profiles, while others network and make connections during meetups, conferences, and hackathons.
In the end, they all have the same dilemma: should I hire in-house developers or outsource? Seeing as how Inviggo is an outsourcing agency, it’s kind of obvious which approach is more to our preference, but the fact is - both come with a list of perks and drawbacks.
Hiring a person to join you in the office means you’ll likely find someone who’s an excellent cultural fit and more familiar with the company’s values and mission - all important when working toward achieving the main mission. An in-house team will always be available for quick and immediate changes since they will be 100% involved in your project.
Nevertheless, an in-house team is typically not an out-of-box solution. The endeavor is risky and time-consuming, involving mountains of paperwork and a ton of responsibility. Though it is a safer alternative to hiring freelancers you have absolutely no control over, it is far from the most efficient choice for startups and businesses working on a tight budget.
Furthermore, businesses operating in industries unrelated to software development often fail to hire the most efficient team. Think about it - if you lack IT development knowledge, can you really define top-priority positions? Do you know what kind of specialists you need at the moment? And how will you evaluate candidates who apply for the open positions?
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Software development outsourcing first appeared as a response to all drawbacks of the in-house business model. It was a chance for businesses to expand their search for the right skill match, uncover more affordable services, and build a new team without office expansion or lengthy hiring and onboarding processes.
Especially now, with the growing number of development outsourcing agencies, you can knock on just one door and get a whole team of talented individuals.
But it’s not just about getting a range of development skills and seniority levels in one place. To win big, developers have to work well together. And that’s where outsourcing companies excel - they know how to mix and match different skills and personalities to create an “A team” composed of MVPs who perfectly fit project requirements.
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With the project scope and requirements in place, the time has come to identify potential partners. Beware: no matter how smart of a choice you make in terms of choosing the outsourcing partner, prepare yourself for a bit more dynamic start. The earliest stages of MVP development can be a bit hectic and out of balance, but the right team will help you get on the right track in just a few sprints.
Look into case studies and check out the products they build to see if any match the one you plan to develop, or at least check out if they’ve done any work in your line of business.
The next step involves reaching out to their former (and current) partner to ask about the track record of delivering what’s promised and within the defined timeframe and budget.
Once you have a shortlist of candidates, feel free to share your product idea from the get-go so you can see if they understand the idea and the problem behind it. Finally, ask if they have any input on how to solve it to see whether you’re getting a team ready to be more than just a tool to get the job done, but a real partner.
Outsourcing agencies know how to compose a team of MVPs, but that doesn’t mean you can’t inquire about their individual strengths and weaknesses. Feel free to ask about the number of people involved, read their CVs, evaluate skillsets, inquire about their seniority levels, or anything else you find relevant for successful product development. The goal is to ensure everyone has the know-how to work the tech stack required to complete the project.
While outsourcing is an excellent choice for businesses that only need temporary engagement, we still advise thinking long-term. Ask yourself if this is a partner you see yourself working with post-MVP development or on a different project. We hate to break it to you, but if they are not a good long-term fit, it’s likely you won’t be 100% satisfied with their work on the project at hand, either.
The developers on your team have to understand the business idea and vision behind the software to deliver what is expected of them. We always insist on getting the bigger picture in the earliest stages of development, as we believe it is the only way to reach the milestones and achieve the highest level of quality.
Work only with people with whom you can establish streamlined communication and who are open to communicating effectively with all stakeholders. Make sure to define the communication channels clearly and that everyone is comfortable with the selection.
Because outsourcing can mean little overlap in working hours, it’s up to you to set clear communication guidelines. Make a list of tools and platforms you plan to use that will allow you to chat, take video calls, or carry out conference calls, making both sync and async communication possible.
The cost of hiring MVP developers depends on several factors, with project scope being the biggest one. It directly affects the time it will take to develop an MVP, which can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
The project scope also dictates the experience and skills the developer will need to complete their work. And the math here is simple:
higher seniority level + unique skillset = higher costs
The type of engagement is another critical factor. As mentioned earlier, an in-house team is typically a costlier option. Job market trends dictate the developer's compensation package, and companies are forced to offer competitive salaries to attract and retain top talent.
On the other hand, outsourcing MVP development services proved far more (cost)efficient. It’s also the easiest way to get a whole team of developers that you can scale up or down to match the project's immediate requirements. This way, you never find yourself overpaying benched developers simply because “their services are not required at the moment”.
The location of an outsourcing company can also affect the cost. In recent years, an increasing number of companies have been looking for developers in Easter Europe since they provide the best value for the money. Serbia, Ukraine, Romania, and other neighboring countries check off some of the qualities businesses seek in their MVP development partners:
And yes, you guessed it - we are one of those agencies. Our portfolio is rich with successful MVPs that eventually became cutting-edge software and applications. We are capable of delivering early versions that will be scalable and flexible, and we remain at your service for additional updates, maintenance and, eventually - larger-scale software development.
How long will MVP development take with us and how much will it cost you? Get in touch and let’s strategize, make plans, and come up with the best solution - once we have all our ducks in a row, we can talk numbers.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.
