The first step of any build with me is to do a Roadmapping Session to ensure you have a solid Roadmap for what you want your MVP to be.
What’s a Roadmap?
A Roadmap is your “blueprint” that lays out exactly what your app will look like and how it will function.
Is a Roadmap really necessary?
If you came to me and asked me to build you a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house, and I agreed to do so without plans, you’re definitely not going to get what you want.
It’s the same with software!
You could build your app without a plan, but - having built software for 20+ years - it’ll take you longer and be more expensive if you don’t. That’s because it’s faster and cheaper to change wireframes (unbranded screens) and requirements on a page instead of changing code that’s already been written.
If you want good ROI on your developer budget (who doesn’t?), it’s a good idea to have a plan before you start writing code that:
- you’ve aligned on
- can be easily communicated to your developers
- describes what “done” looks like
What’s the outcome of a Roadmapping session?
The outcome of the Roadmapping session is a Roadmap or requirements document. It outlines:
- A high-level description of your project and customers
- The key problems you want to solve
- The set of flows in your app
- Wireframes for each screen in each flow
- Functional requirements describing exactly how the software will work along with some technical implementation research (where do we store documents? What happens when you click on this button? Do we use a third party API for chat or build our own? Etc)
- Potential risks along with approaches to mitigate them
- Potential technical approach to ensure the product is built the way the business needs
- A broader product direction for after your app is built
A Roadmap typically runs between 30-80 pages. Don’t worry - it’s mostly wireframes!
Roadmapping is a great way to both de-risk working with me AND to nail down a critical piece of your project. Even if we decide not to work together after the Roadmap is delivered, you can take your Roadmap to someone else to build your app.
How does a Roadmapping Session work?
In a Roadmapping Session we’ll:
- Sit down virtually for 2-4 hours with you and your team
- Dig more deeply into who your user is and what your requirements are
- Talk about potential solution(s)
- Brain dump on what the app would need to do
- Identify “core” features and “nice to haves”
- Identify any compliance, technology, legal, or other requirements
- Identify apparent project risks, along with potential approaches to mitigate them
In addition to the roadmap I’ll provide you with a fixed cost to build your MVP and a rough timeline.
It takes 2-4 weeks from our sit-down session until we walk through your Roadmap together.
After the walkthrough you can hand it back to me to build, or you can hand it off to another dev team to build.
How much does a Roadmapping Session cost?
It depends on your project scope. Drop me a line at k@reemer.com and we can talk through it together.
I’d like to learn more about doing a Roadmap together
Great! You can drop me a line at k@reemer.com. Let’s chat!