The Develop Phase
The develop phase will vary significantly from project-to project. However, the basic goal will always be the same:
To make the thing you've envisioned, either yourself or via experienced third parties.
You may be an adept learning team, capable of making apps, films, websites, graphics, and expert faciliators, or you may need outside help. Either way, at the end of the development phase, you should come away with a version of the solution that you can show to your audience to gauge its effectiveness.
- ☑
Project managementHere's where your project plan will be working overtime!
Get a good grasp of all the individual pieces of your solution. You need to know how long they'll take to develop, who needs to be involved, and factor in review time if you’re getting stakeholder input.
You also may need to interview or audition third parties for some elements of your solution, so factor this into the project plan as soon as you can. - ☑Prototype & MVP
Aim to get a prototype or MVP (Minimum Viable Product) of your solution ready as soon as possible. You may have done some of this in the Design phase, in which case, you're in a good place.
You'll quickly determine what's going to work and what needs more time and refinement. Where possible, involve a sample of the people you spoke to in discovery for some valuable solution feedback. - ☑Pilot and rehearse
Similar to prototyping, your solution may require rehearsal or pilot sessions to test it in a rough format. If you have actors, facilitators, or live delivery, book in table reads and rehearsals as soon as you can.
It's where you'll see it all come to life early, and identify areas you want to tweak. Pilots and rehearsals are the perfect opportunity to begin creating marketing materials and behind-the-scenes content to promote your solution. - ☑Develop communications
Talking about your solution in the right way is a big part of development.
In develop, you’ll creating marketing assets for your solution. Think of them like a series of press releases for a product launch. Assets, like facilitator guides, stakeholder briefing packs, and intranet posts all contribute to landing your solution successfully. - ☑Product build
Once you’ve got the right people involved, got a water-tight project plan, and tested your prototype, it’s time to build the final product.
If you're working with third parties, you may simply be managing key milestones and deliverables, or you may be knee-deep in development yourself. Either way, enjoy seeing your design come to life!
SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE…
During the Develop phase, we often assume the role of product managers, ensuring that things are built to spec and on time. Other times, we're in the thick of it, pixel-pushing, and developing things ourselves.
If you've completed the previous phases correctly, you'll have a ready-made project plan that just needs executing. You may find yourself taking a step back to manage all the smaller deliverables as they come together.
