Think MVP: Forget about big projects—they never get finished

Here’s how a normal project start-up goes:

1. A project is conceptualized and is aimed at making a dent in the universe.
2. To execute it, a software developer is identified after a careful examination of the latter’s potentials.
3. A project plan is made for the entire project, with six months development and testing in mind. Everyone knows their tasks.
4. It cannot go wrong.

It does. It's actually pre-programmed to go wrong.

• The project is taking forever; it never gets completed.
• The project gets twice or thrice more costly than planned in over six months.
• Everyone is stressed out and in panic.
• The software developer gets fired and a new developer takes over. The new developer concludes that the previous one was incompetent, everything is useless, and that the project should start over.
• The project is in ruins, and the client loses a lot of money.

Rome was not built in one day―and neither is software.

But if you follow these steps, you'll complete your project.

1. Make an exhaustive list of all the things you want done.
2. Divide your list into version 1, 2, 3, and 4.
3. Version 1 should contain the main requirements for the MVP (minimum viable product) to go live.
4. Move all nice-to-have features to versions 2, 3, or 4. The goal is to make version 1 as small as possible, so that:
   • You can start quickly and keep your cost down.
   • You can void a situation where money is spent developing things that users don’t need.
5. Wait for user feedback before implementing “cool” features.