Lessons learned while growing our studio.
We begin every new product development project with a Co-design Workshop, where we have condensed the value of different methodologies applied at Moze over the years. Why?
In the past, we used the Design Sprint, the one from Google Ventures, which lasts five days, starting from the idea and going all the way to testing a prototype by interviewing a small group of potential users.
It was fun but more suitable – as the name suggests – for idea-stage projects with founders who still want to iterate on the concept rather than mature projects already focused on product development.
Over the years, as we worked more and more with this second segment (startups or scaleups with clear ideas that want to create a new product or improve an existing one), we developed collaborative tools more focused on the product-building phase.
Unlike the Design Sprint, our Co-design Workshop doesn’t last a few days but several weeks. It alternates between shared work moments with the client (understanding, User Story Mapping) and activities carried out in-house by our designers (sketching, wireframing) and developers (technical analysis, technology selection). In the end, there is the overall project vision, an Agile work plan, and an economic plan for product development.
By starting this way, we offer two teams the opportunity to get to know each other and work together, aligning their expectations and preventing many risks that could arise during development. We optimize the product idea from the beginning, leveraging the experience of each team member. We achieve much more accurate estimates of development time and costs compared to simply creating a “quote”.
It all starts with an initial analysis. Usually, we organize a Co-design Workshop with the client, a process that allows us to explore the project idea, design key wireframes/sketches, define requirements (what to do), and specifications (how to do it). It’s an excellent opportunity to align expectations and create a solid foundation.
One of the outputs of the Co-design Workshop is a high-level roadmap. Using this roadmap, we assign people to various projects following a well-defined timeline, taking into account work schedules and any potential constraints (holidays, vacations, other upcoming projects). We used Google Sheets for this, but we have recently developed our own internal tool.
We organize projects into sprints. This allows us to give rhythm to the project, maintain appropriate allocation and focus, make changes during the process, ensuring greater flexibility and adaptability in a continuously changing context.
Then the management shifts to Trello. We “break down” the project into cards and create columns like “Backlog,” “This Sprint – To-Do,” “This Sprint – QA,” “This Sprint – Done.” This helps us visualize progress, track ongoing tasks, and facilitate communication between team members and the client.
At the end of each sprint, we have a sync with the client. Instead of communicating only at the beginning and end of the project (I’m exaggerating, of course), we prefer to maintain constant dialogue. We meet every two weeks, sometimes even weekly, to showcase what we are doing, clarify any doubts, gather feedback, and quickly incorporate changes.
Three things that have made a difference and allowed us to deliver projects on time and within budget:
Resource management: We keep track of projects on a timeline, recording resource allocation, dedicated time, and effort (e.g., 4 out of 5 days a week). This gives us a clear view of available resources.
Breaking projects into sprints: This practice helps us distribute the workload of a large project into smaller iterations. It also provides the necessary flexibility to make changes during the process if needed. Agility has been key in quickly adapting to unexpected challenges that arise during project execution.
Initial analysis phase with the client (the workshop): We consider this phase as a mini-project where teams have the opportunity to get to know each other and build a strong collaboration. When there is a fit between us and the client, excellent synergies develop, resulting in smooth communication and a shared understanding of goals.
Here at Moze, those who work on projects also have the responsibility of keeping the work organized and managing communication with the client. Does it work?
Yes, for us. Here’s why:
We are a team of front-line operators, designers, and developers who work for startups, scale-ups, and tech companies. Our clients speak the same language as us and don’t need intermediaries to help them understand what’s happening “on-site.” On the contrary, they appreciate the teamwork, which we sometimes organize as if we were a single team.
The three of us, the partners 🕵🏻♂️👨💼👩🎨 in the studio, particularly Matteo (who leads the design) and Sergio (who leads technology and processes), are among the operational team members in key project phases. This allows us to provide our clients with the guarantee of a “signed” result, from a craft studio, and exercise effective quality control with an entrepreneurial perspective not only on the final deliverable but on the entire product development process. It’s a demanding model, but the results are rewarding.
We carefully choose every new member of our team, evaluating not only their technical skills but also their organizational and relational competencies. We ensure that everyone has the opportunity to grow in all these areas.
Over the years, We’ve devoured countless books on products and startups. But only a handful have changed how we handle projects at Moze.
Here’s our top-five:
#1 User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton. It opened our eyes to the value of visualizing a map of the product and discussing it with stakeholders.
#2 Sprint by Jake Knapp. This book gave us the facilitator’s toolkit to solve business problems. Define clear goals, generate ideas and do experiments in a short frame of time.
#3 The Agile Inception Deck by Jonathan Rasmusson. Everything you need to kick off a new project. Defining the vision, objectives, risks and expected successes.
#4 Shape Up by Basecamp. This book taught us to adopt a more pragmatic approach to project planning. Set clear time limits, adapt the project scope and delegate.
#5 The Seven-Day Weekend by Ricardo Semler. It opened our minds to the importance of promoting autonomy and trust. Work can be more meaningful and enjoyable for everyone.
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