Are you thinking about building a new app, digital product, or SAAS solution? Deciding when to initiate a new software strategy is crucial, especially for leaders striving to leverage technology for positive impact.
Here are five things you need to clarify before you start building.
Ensure Alignment with Goals
Your software strategy should integrate with your organization’s overarching goals and roadmap. Can you clearly connect the dots with your stated purpose and mission? Or is this new idea a force-fit? A well-planned blueprint should demonstrate how this new initiative supports current commitments and future ambitions.
When Airbnb expanded through localized experiences, it complemented their mission of enabling cultural exchange and travel, enhancing the company’s value proposition. The new initiative worked well with the bigger picture.
If your concept reinforces your direction and adds value to current efforts, that’s a sign you’re ready to build.
Define Technical Architecture
Every effective digital solution needs a robust technical blueprint. And you need this before you build anything.
Like a house or building plan, this schematic visually defines components and how they’ll integrate, ensuring tailored functionality that meets specific needs. It supports development without over-engineering, and will save you a lot of time later.
We offer blueprint consulting to help clients map out tailored solutions, setting initiatives up for scalability and long-term success.
Assemble Your Strategic Team
With an architecture plan, you’ll know specialty skills required for design, development, implementation and maintenance. If current talent can handle the project – great! If not, choose partners who share your commitment to innovation and positive impact.
Custom software solutions rely heavily on strategic, aligned teams deeply invested in the company’s mission.
Demonstrate Clear Rationale
The project needs a clear place on your roadmap, but it’s really much deeper than that. You need to know why this idea matters and why it matters now.
A strong ‘why’ provides a solid foundation for your project, ensuring it’s not just a good idea, but a necessary one in today’s context. Don’t just chase emerging technologies or try to force-fit AI solutions into your roadmap because it’s trendy or because your competitors are doing it.
Realistically Estimate Required Resources
Carefully evaluating total budget, talent, time and effort needs upfront enables your bespoke solution to immediately activate and scale on launch. Consider both minimal viable product (MVP) budgets to prototype and test efficiency as well as longer-term estimates as your customized applications expand. Thorough planning empowers your innovative idea to swiftly make a difference.
Take Next Steps
By carefully examining these five components, leaders can determine readiness to commence software projects.
Our “Ready to Build” assessment provides confidential analysis of your concept’s current status across 20 indicators and recommends next phases to drive success. This questionnaire helps teams honestly evaluate proposals and have alignment conversations before major investments in custom development and emerging technologies.
Take the first step towards launching your digital solution.
