How To Build, Develop, and Ship a Project in 3 Weeks

Do you have a stellar idea, but a short time frame? Or maybe you just need a deadline to jump-start your minimum viable product (MVP) development? No problem. Let’s show you how to go from concept to product in just three weeks.

With the right planning and tools, you can build, develop, and ship an MVP in just a few weeks. (And it can be a real product that people want, not just a demo or prototype.)

Let’s think like entrepreneurs, and look at how you can make the most of a three-week timeline on the way to success.

A 3-Week Life Cycle

Start Building Attention

There’s a lot to do in a three-week develop, build, ship plan. But while you’re busy working on your project behind the scenes, you’ll probably want to start building attention and buzz around your app with a landing page.

This bit of “preview” marketing can help build suspense about what you are working on while you are in your three-week cycle. Whether you build this yourself, or use a third-party platform like Unbounce, it’s a useful thing to have in place right from the outset.

This also forces you to decide on some basic branding, a name for the project, and a simple look-and-feel. You’ll want this to follow through from a landing page to the application experience itself.

Define Goals & Design a Workflow

Next, begin outlining your user goals. Who is the website or software project for? What action are users supposed to engage in when they use it? How long should the action take? How will you know if they succeed?

After that, a great starting point is to sketch out the workflow and process that your app will follow. Start drawing up different screens and types of interaction, and organise how these different elements fit together.

A tool like Origami Studio can be perfect for this. You can connect together different design elements, interactions, and screens to build out the concept of your application. This will help you iron out any problems at an early stage before you’re having any actual development work done.

The Development Phase

When it comes to digital product development, there are a lot of elements to cram in. You’ve come up with your basic workflow, but now it has to be refined, coded, and made to work in a way that users can appreciate.

You’re probably going to need a little help. Whether you are a solo entrepreneur or larger-scale business, a dedicated development team is necessary to pull it off this quickly.

Here’s the thing: you need your minimum viable product to really stand out as a valuable product in its space. With a tight schedule, that can be tough for anyone to accomplish on their own.

That’s why the team at Mayven is available. Here’s what we can do:

• Take your design concept and turn it into a usable digital product.
• Help with front-end development, WordPress development, web application development and mobile development.
• Write all the code. Don’t give up on a great idea because you aren’t a coder. If you can imagine it, Mayven has someone that can do the coding for you.
• Offer a full-service development team that will help you all the way through implementation.

We can talk you through the process over the phone, in a live chat or via email — you can start your project in a few minutes.

What Types of Project Are Suitable?

Even with a great development team, a three-week timeline might be a bit ambitious for some projects. For others, it is totally doable. Think about your project and temper your expectations accordingly.

Projects that can be finished in three weeks include:

• A simple one-page website, with simple actions, such as buying a single product. (Remember to link an ad campaign to maximize traffic flow.)
• An explainer or intro video linked to a sales platform.
• A one-feature website or app. This might include a simple game.
• Phase one of a larger product that will be released in small bits.

Make sure to set realistic expectations with your development team from the start. Provide a clear explanation of what your product is, what it is supposed to do and what type of effort you are using to back it. Then listen. Get a realistic timeline from the development team. Do they think it is possible to incorporate everything you want into your design and build in the expedited timeline? If not, are there changes to make the timeline work? (And are you willing to forego those elements?)

Expect compromise in any project, but particularly one that happens quickly. Talk to the development team about ways to build something now that can be stretched or expanded later to meet growing needs or goals.

An MVP should not be an end-all solution; think of it as more of a first step in the design and build process. It’s something you can get out there now to generate early sales, gauge interest, and engage with users before scaling up. And the real key is to be realistic in your goals and expectations!

Conclusion

Working with professional team, such as Mayven, is a surefire way to make sure you meet your goals and deliver your product within three weeks. They’ll help you stay on target and on top of deadlines.

It’s very doable. Clear your schedule, focus on threading marketing, design, and development together as you work though the project, and don’t lose sight of the goals that you’re wanting to help customers accomplish!