Building a new version of your product is an exciting endeavor, but it can also be an overwhelming one. In the earliest days of a startup, there tends to be little formal structure in place, which is usually for the best! Everyone’s wearing numerous hats and just trying to get the product and company off the ground. It’s a time of innovation and creativity. When we built the first version of our product, we didn’t have a dedicated product team. That changed with version two, bringing new opportunities and challenges along with it.
Through trial and error, we moved through several iterations of workflow, communication, and reporting. The key was balancing input from both the engineering and product teams while also balancing planning and innovation. We learned a lot from this endeavor and, in addition to successfully updating our core offering, gained some important insights about how to set yourself up for success even (and especially) as your company grows.