Release it already…
- Posted November 10th, 2008
- Filed under: How We Do It
Riffing off last weeks post Buying into Batchbook post I also wanted to touch on something I think is extremely important for any start up trying to break into the world of SaaS.
For a lot of folks used to working at large, slow-moving companies, the idea of releasing code every week (or even every month for that matter) is a foreign idea. Many obstacles are usually in one’s way, whether it be sign off on every little detail by the CEO (or those in charge of the project) or things like getting IT on-board to quicken the pace of their release cycle.
In my opinion, this is a quick way to kill your product—especially when competing in a crowded space like we do here at BatchBlue. Being nimble and agile enough to react to market needs and feedback is crucial to keep the little guys like us in the game. We are competing with companies with huge tech resources, large mind share and the ability to throw lots of money at the problem. It is a daunting assignment going against the big boys and trying to change the market’s view on the product you are offering.
We have one HUGE advantage, though. We can move much more quickly and we should take full advantage of that. Here at BatchBlue, we feel pretty strongly about not having milestone-style development. Schedules, for most things, do not work for us because our focus can change from week to week depending on user feedback or market changes. Getting attached to a release cycle of ‘Get blah done on 11/25/08′ has proven to be a quick path to developers feeling undue pressure and unrealistic expectations put on the team as a whole.
Our project is ‘Make BatchBook the most flexible, cost-effective and user-friendly CRM/Contact Manager on the planet’. Something as simple as changing a style on a link to big things like launching 3rd party integrations all fit under that umbrella. We honestly will never fully reach that goal and will always be innovating to make the BatchBook experience better, so why tie the team down to ‘you must get this done on such a such date’?
