Difference between revisions of "MSTE: IT COURSE"

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(Created page with " = IT Product Development = * '''Course name''': IT Product Development * '''Code discipline''': CSE807 * '''Subject area''': Software Engineering == Short Description == Thi...")
 
 
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= IT Product Development =
  
= IT Product Development =
 
* '''Course name''': IT Product Development
  
* '''Course name''': IT Product Development
−
* '''Code discipline''': CSE807
 +
* '''Code discipline''':
−
* '''Subject area''': Software Engineering
 +
* '''Subject area''': Technological entrepreneurship
   
 
== Short Description ==
  
== Short Description ==
  +
This course is for the first-time entrepreneur. We will briefly but concisely discuss all the issues related to starting your own project from scratch: how to make sure that your idea is in demand, how to do market research, how to stop putting off the launch, why the customer is more important than the product, and how to do customer research. During this course, students will get used to their entrepreneurial role, build teams, formulate a business and product idea and be ready to delve into the complexities of business development in the following courses.
−
This course has two parts: 1) building and launching a user-facing software product with the special emphasis on understanding user needs and 2) the application of data-driven product development techniques to iteratively improve the product. Students will learn how to transform an idea into software requirements through user research, prototyping and usability tests, then they will proceed to launch the MVP version of the product. In the second part of the course, the students will apply an iterative data-driven approach to developing a product, integrate event analytics, and run controlled experiments.
  
   
 
== Prerequisites ==
  
== Prerequisites ==
   
 
=== Prerequisite subjects ===
  
=== Prerequisite subjects ===
−
* CSE101
 +
* N/A
−
* CSE112
  
−
* CSE122 or CSE804 or CSE809 or CSE812
  
   
 
=== Prerequisite topics ===
  
=== Prerequisite topics ===
  +
* N/A
−
* Basic programming skills.
  
−
* OOP, and software design.
  
−
* Familiarity with some development framework or technology (web or mobile)
  
   
 
== Course Topics ==
  
== Course Topics ==
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! Section !! Topics within the section
  
! Section !! Topics within the section
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Introduction & Building Your Team & Making Your Team Agile ||
−
| From idea to MVP ||
 
  +
# Defining a startup
−
# Introduction to Product Development
  
  +
# Formulating the group project: team, business idea
−
# Exploring the domain: User Research and Customer Conversations
  
  +
# Leadership
−
# Documenting Requirements: MVP and App Features
  
  +
# Forming the team
−
# Prototyping and usability testing
  
  +
# Managing the team
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Defining Your Customer & Defining Your Product & Defining Your Rivals ||
−
| Development and Launch ||
 
  +
# Customer Segmentation
−
# Product backlog and iterative development
  
  +
# Customer Profile (JTBD, Pains, Gains)
−
# Estimation Techniques, Acceptance Criteria, and Definition of Done
  
  +
# Creating a Value Proposition
−
# UX/UI Design
  
  +
# Matching Value Proposition with Customer Profile
−
# Software Engineering vs Product Management
  
  +
# Strategy Canvas
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Defining Your Business Model & Defining Your Vision ||
−
| Hypothesis-driven development ||
 
  +
# Business Model Canvas
−
# Hypothesis-driven product development
  
  +
# Business Model Patterns
−
# Measuring a product
  
  +
# Business Model Environment
−
# Controlled Experiments and A/B testing
  
  +
# Business Model Testing
  +
# Minimum-Viable Product
  +
# Product Roadmap
 
|}
 
|}
 
== Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) ==
  
== Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) ==
   
 
=== What is the main purpose of this course? ===
  
=== What is the main purpose of this course? ===
−
The main purpose of this course is to enable a student to go from an idea to an MVP with the focus on delivering value to the customer and building the product in a data-driven evidence-based manner.
 +
The purpose of the course is to walk students through the concrete steps that are necessary for an entrepreneur to develop a tech product and build a solid business around that tech product.
   
 
=== ILOs defined at three levels ===
  
=== ILOs defined at three levels ===
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==== Level 1: What concepts should a student know/remember/explain? ====
  
==== Level 1: What concepts should a student know/remember/explain? ====
 
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  +
* design-thinking tools to design the prototype of the product,
−
* Describe the formula for stating a product idea and the importance of delivering value
  
  +
* approaches to designing and testing a business model through the experiments,
−
* Remember the definition and main attributes of MVP
  
  +
* frameworks of agile development,
−
* Explain what are the main principles for building an effective customer conversation
  
  +
* storytelling methods to design a brand,
−
* Describe various classification of prototypes and where each one is applied
  
  +
* pitching presentation tools.
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* State the characteristics of a DEEP product backlog
  
−
* Elaborate on the main principles of an effective UI/UX product design (hierarchy, navigation, color, discoverability, understandability)
  
−
* List the key commonalities and differences between the mentality of a software engineer and a product manager
  
−
* Explain what is hypothesis-driven development
  
−
* Describe the important aspects and elements of a controlled experiment
  
   
 
==== Level 2: What basic practical skills should a student be able to perform? ====
  
==== Level 2: What basic practical skills should a student be able to perform? ====
 
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  +
* concrete steps of creating a value proposition for a customer,
−
* Formulate and assess the product ideas
  
  +
* concrete steps of the business design (business model, hypothesis formulation/testing and minimum-viable product creation),
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* Perform market research for existing products
  
  +
* SCRUM roles, ceremonies and artefacts,
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* Design effective customer conversations
  
  +
* specifics of pitch presentation for investors.
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* Prototype UI, design and conduct usability tests
  
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* Prototype user interface
  
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* Design and conduct usability testing
  
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* Populate and groom a product backlog
  
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* Conduct Sprint Planning and Review
  
−
* Choose product metrics and apply GQM
  
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* Integrate a third-party Analytics tools
  
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* Design, run and conclude Controlled experiments
  
   
 
==== Level 3: What complex comprehensive skills should a student be able to apply in real-life scenarios? ====
  
==== Level 3: What complex comprehensive skills should a student be able to apply in real-life scenarios? ====
 
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
  +
* build and manage the startup team,
−
* Conduct user and domain research to identify user needs and possible solutions
  
  +
* define the customer problem and validate it,
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* Elicit and document software requirements
  
  +
* create the product to fit the problem with agile methods,
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* Organize a software process to swiftly launch an MVP and keep improving it in an iterative manner.
  
  +
* define the business model around the product,
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* Build a data pipeline to monitor metrics based on business goals and assess product progress in regards to design changes.
  
  +
* promote a product and a startup,
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* Evolve and improve a product in a data-driven evidence-based iterative manner
 
  +
* build strong networks in the business world.
 
== Grading ==
  
== Grading ==
   
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! Activity Type !! Percentage of the overall course grade
  
! Activity Type !! Percentage of the overall course grade
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Assignment || 50
 +
| Final presentation || 30
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Quizzes || 15
 +
| Project Report || 20
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Peer review || 15
 +
| Project Progress || 50
−
|-
  
−
| Demo day || 20
  
 
|}
  
|}
   
 
=== Recommendations for students on how to succeed in the course ===
  
=== Recommendations for students on how to succeed in the course ===
−
Participation is important. Showing up is the key to success in this course.<br>You will work in teams, so coordinating teamwork will be an important factor for success. This is also reflected in the peer review being a graded item.<br>Review lecture materials before classes to do well in quizzes.<br>Reading the recommended literature is optional, and will give you a deeper understanding of the material.
 +
Participation is important. Showing up and participating in discussions is the key to success in this course.<br>Students work in teams, so coordinating teamwork will be an important factor for success.<br>Reading the provided materials is mandatory, as lectures will mainly consist of discussions.<br>The main assignment in the course is Market research paper which is supposed to be useful not only for this course but s a basis for future business oriented courses
   
 
== Resources, literature and reference materials ==
  
== Resources, literature and reference materials ==
   
 
=== Open access resources ===
  
=== Open access resources ===
  +
* Tidd, J. & Bessant, J. (2011). Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change
−
* Jackson, Michael. "The world and the machine." ICSE '95: Proceedings of the 17th international conference on Software engineeringApril 1995 Pages 283–292,
  
  +
* Stickdorn, M. & Schneider, J. (2010). This is Service Design Thinking. Wiley.
−
* The Guide to Product Metrics:
  
  +
* Brown, T. & Kātz, B. (2009). Change by design. New York: Harper Business.
  +
* Osterwalder, A.& Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers
  +
* Sutherland, J. (2014). Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
  +
* Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup
   
 
=== Closed access resources ===
  
=== Closed access resources ===
  +
* N/A
−
* Fitzpatrick, R. (2013). The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you. Robfitz Ltd.
  
−
* Reis, E. (2011). The lean startup. New York: Crown Business, 27.
  
−
* Rubin, K. S. (2012). Essential Scrum: A practical guide to the most popular Agile process. Addison-Wesley.
  
   
 
=== Software and tools used within the course ===
  
=== Software and tools used within the course ===
  +
* Boardofinnovation.com
−
* Firebase Analytics and A/B Testing, https://firebase.google.com/
  
  +
* Miro.com
−
* Amplitude Product Analytics, https://www.amplitude.com/
  
  +
* Notion.com
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* MixPanel Product Analytics, https://mixpanel.com/
 
  +
* MS Teams
 
= Teaching Methodology: Methods, techniques, & activities =
  
= Teaching Methodology: Methods, techniques, & activities =
   
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| Differentiated learning (provide tasks and activities at several levels of difficulty to fit students needs and level) || 1 || 1 || 1
  
| Differentiated learning (provide tasks and activities at several levels of difficulty to fit students needs and level) || 1 || 1 || 1
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Contextual learning (activities and tasks are connected to the real world to make it easier for students to relate to them); || 1 || 1 || 1
−
| развивающего обучения (задания и материал "прокачивают" ещё нераскрытые возможности студентов); || 1 || 1 || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Business game (learn by playing a game that incorporates the principles of the material covered within the course). || 1 || 1 || 1
−
| концентрированного обучения (занятия по одной большой теме логически объединяются); || 1 || 1 || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
−
| inquiry-based learning || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
| Task-based learning || 1 || 1 || 1
 
|}
  
|}
 
{| class="wikitable"
  
{| class="wikitable"
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| Lab exercises || 1 || 1 || 1
  
| Lab exercises || 1 || 1 || 1
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Development of individual parts of software product code || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
| Cases studies || 1 || 1 || 1
 
|-
  
|-
 
| Group projects || 1 || 1 || 1
  
| Group projects || 1 || 1 || 1
 
|-
  
|-
−
| Quizzes (written or computer based) || 1 || 1 || 1
 +
| Peer Review || 1 || 0 || 0
−
|-
  
−
| Peer Review || 1 || 1 || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
 
| Discussions || 1 || 1 || 1
  
| Discussions || 1 || 1 || 1
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|-
  
|-
 
| Written reports || 1 || 1 || 1
  
| Written reports || 1 || 1 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Oral Reports || 1 || 1 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Quizzes (written or computer based) || 0 || 1 || 0
  +
|-
  +
| Simulations and role-plays || 0 || 1 || 0
  +
|-
  +
| Essays || 0 || 1 || 1
 
|-
  
|-
 
| Experiments || 0 || 0 || 1
  
| Experiments || 0 || 0 || 1
  +
|-
  +
| Individual Projects || 0 || 0 || 1
 
|}
 
|}
 
== Formative Assessment and Course Activities ==
  
== Formative Assessment and Course Activities ==
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! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
  
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Discussion || 1. What is a startup?<br>2. What are the roles within a team?<br>3. How should you form the team of a startup?<br>4. What types of leadership are the most effective?<br>5. What are the ceremonies, roles and artifacts of SCRUM? || 0
−
| Quiz || 1. What is a product? What are the techniques for describing a product idea in a clear concise manner?<br>2. What user research techniques do you know? In what situations are they applied?<br>3. What are the key customer conversation principles according to the Mom Test technique? Bring an example of bad and good questions to ask.<br>4. What are the 4 phases of the requirements engineering process? <br>5. How do we document requirements? What techniques do you know? || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Workshop || Fill in the team canvas to put all your goals and common values on one page. || 1
−
| Presentation || Prepare a short 2-minutes pitch for your project idea (2-5 slides). <br><br>Suggested structure:<br>What problem you are solving:<br>- State the problem clearly in 2-3 short sentences.<br><br>Who are you solving it for:<br>- Who is your user/customer?<br>- Why will they be attracted to it?<br><br>What is your proposed solution to solve that problem:<br>- One sentence description<br>- What main feature(s) will it have? || 0
  
−
|-
  
−
| Individual Assignments || A1: Product Ideation and Market Research<br>Formulate 3 project ideas in the following format:<br>X helps Y to do Z – where X is your product’s name, Y is the target user, and Z is what user activity product help with.<br><br>Submit Link to Screenshot board and Feature Analysis Table:<br>- Pick and explore 5 apps similar to your idea<br>- Take screenshots along the way and collect them on a board.<br>- Make a qualitative analysis table for app features.<br><br>Prepare a short 2-minutes pitch for your project idea (2-5 slides). <br><br>Suggested structure:<br>What problem you are solving:<br>- State the problem clearly in 2-3 short sentences.<br><br>Who are you solving it for:<br>- Who is your user/customer?<br>- Why will they be attracted to it?<br><br>What is your proposed solution to solve that problem:<br>- One sentence description<br>- What main feature(s) will it have? || 1
  
−
|-
  
−
| Group Project Work || A2: Forming Teams and Identifying Stakeholders<br>Students are distributed into teams. <br>Meet your team <br>Discuss the idea<br>Agree on the roles<br>Setup task tracker (Trello or similar)<br>Identify 3-5 stakeholders and how to approach them<br>Compose a set of 5 most important questions you would ask from each stakeholder when interviewing them<br><br>Submit<br>A pdf with the idea description, roles distribution among the team, identified stakeholders, ways to approach them, a set of questions for each stakeholder.<br>An invite link to join your task tracker<br><br>A3: Domain Exploration and Requirements<br>User Research Process:<br>Compose the questionnaire for each stakeholder type. <br>Talk to 5-7 stakeholders.<br>Keep updating the questionnaire throughout the process<br>Compose an interview results table<br>Produce personas<br>Summarize most important learning points<br>Describe features your MVP will have (use case diagram + user story mapping)<br><br>Submit a pdf report with:<br>Personas + corresponding questionnaires<br>Interview results table (can provide a link to spreadsheet, make sure to open access)<br>Learning points summary<br>MVP features.<br><br>Optional: <br>Start implementation of the functionality you are certain about.<br><br>Assignment 4. UI design, Prototyping, MVP, and Usability Testing<br>Break down MVP features into phases and cut down the specification to implement MVP V1<br>Produce low and high fidelity designs for your product.<br>Review the phases breakdown.<br>Follow either the Prototyping or MVP path to complete the assignment.<br><br>Prototyping path:<br>Make a clickable prototype with Figma or a similar tool<br>Make 5-10 offline stakeholders use your prototype, observe them and gather feedback<br>Embed your prototype into an online usability testing tool (e.g. Maze).<br>Run an online usability test with 5-10 online stakeholders.<br>Summarize key learning points<br><br>MVP path:<br>Review your MVP phases.<br>Build MVP V1 <br>Make 5-10 offline stakeholders use your MVP, observe them and gather feedback<br>Integrate an online usability testing tool to observe user sessions (e.g. Smartlook).<br>Distribute the MVP to 5-10 online stakeholders and run an online usability test.<br>Summarize key learning points<br><br><br>Submit all of the below in one PDF:<br>Link to sketches and designs.<br>Link to your MVP/Clickable prototype.<br>Link to online usability test.<br>Names of people you conducted the tests with and which stakeholder type are they.<br>Key learning points summary.<br><br>Make sure all links are accessible/viewable. || 1
  
 
|}
 
|}
 
==== Section 2 ====
  
==== Section 2 ====
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! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
  
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Workshop || 1. Define INTERESTING industries for all team members. Define industries in which you HAVE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE. Put these industries on the matrix. Choose ONE industry for your project that meets 2 criteria above. <br>2. Brainstorm about stakeholders from your market. Choose the segment that you sympathise the most. <br>3. Define the customer segment you empathise the most (i.e. elderly people, children, office workers etc.). Define JOBS TO BE DONE. Put each job on the separate sticker. Define user's PAINS. Put each pain on the separate sticker.Define user's GAINS. Put each gain on the separate sticker. <br>4. Brainstorm what products you can offer to the chosen segment with their pains or gains. If you are stuck, use SCAMPER techniques.Group ideas that have the similar topic into clusters. Choose 1 top idea for further development based on 2 defined criteria (innovative potential and feasibility). <br>5. Choose the best product idea. Define PRODUCTS & SERVICES. Put each item on the separate sticker. Define GAIN CREATORS. Put each item on the separate sticker. Define PAIN RELIEVERS. Put each item on the separate sticker. <br>6. Review your pain relievers and gain creators.Check if pain relievers and gain creators correspond with JBDs, pains and gains from the customer profile. Highlight those that correspond with each other. If there are any pain relievers and gain creators are left, they don't create the value for a customer. Check how you can redefine you value proposition. <br>7. Define your 5 main competitors. Define competing factors (these are your pain relievers and gain creators). Draw the strategic canvas based on competing factors. Define areas where you can compete. Redefine your value proposition if necessary (make new priorities for product and services, pain relievers, gain creators.<br> || 0
−
| Quiz || 1. What does the acronym MVP stand for? What types of MVP do you know of?<br>2. Define roles, activities, and artefacts of Scrum. What differentiates Scrum from other Agile frameworks, e.g. Kanban?<br>3. What does DEEP criteria stand for when discussing Product Backlog? Explain each of the aspects with examples.<br>4. Describe how Scrum activities are performed. Which of them are essential and which of them can vary depending on the product. || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Discussion || 1. How to validate a problem?<br>2. How to validate a market?<br>3. How to validate a solution? || 0
−
| Presentation || Prepare a 5-mins presentation describing your: <br>product backlog<br>sprint results<br>MVP-launch plan<br>Each team will present at the class. The assessment will be based on the presentation delivery, reasoning for decision making and asking questions and providing suggestions for other teams. || 0
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Customer research || 1. How customers do their jobs in the industry right now?<br>2. How can we develop the empathy with users?<br>3. What is a persona? How to design a persona? || 1
−
| Group Project Work || Assignment 5. Launching an MVP<br>1. Populate and groom product backlog: <br>Comply with the DEEP criteria. <br>2. Run two one-week sprints:<br>Conduct two Sprint plannings, i.e. pick the tasks for Sprint Backlog.<br>Conduct two Sprint reviews<br>Run one Sprint Retrospective<br>3. Make a launch plan and release:<br>You need to launch in the following two weeks.<br>Decide what functionality will go into the release.<br>Release your first version in Google Play.<br>Hint: Focus on a small set of features solving a specific problem for a specific user, i.e. MVP.<br>4. Prepare a 5-mins presentation describing your: <br>product backlog<br>sprint results<br>MVP-launch plan.<br>Demo for your launched MVP.<br>Each team will present at the class. The assessment will be based on the presentation delivery, reasoning for decision making and asking questions and providing suggestions for other teams.<br>5. Submit a PDF with:<br>Backlogs and Launch plan<br>Link to the launched product<br>Assignment 6. AC, DoD and Midterm Presentation<br>1. Produce acceptance criteria for 3-5 most important user stories in your product.<br>2. Produce definition of done checklist<br>3. Estimate the items in your product backlog<br>4. Prepare a midterm presentation for 10-mins in which you cover:<br>The problem you are trying to solve<br>Your users and customers (personas)<br>Your solution and it's core value proposition<br>Current state of your product<br>Clear plan for the upcoming weeks<br>Your team and distribution of responsibilities<br>Demo<br>Retrospective and learning points<br>Link to your app<br><br>Submit a pdf with:<br>Items 1, 2, 3<br>link to the presentation<br> || 1
  
 
|}
 
|}
 
==== Section 3 ====
  
==== Section 3 ====
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! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
  
! Activity Type !! Content !! Is Graded?
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Discussion || What is the value of the business model canvas by Alexander Osterwalder?<br>What are the components of the business model?<br>What is the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? How to define must-have, should-have and could-have requirements? || 0
−
| Quiz || 1. What are common product hypotheses present? How can we formulate them as questions about our UX?<br>2. Explain what is hypothesis-driven development<br>3. Describe the important aspects and elements of a controlled experiment || 1
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Group project || Please, develop the business model for your tech product.<br>Please, test your business model using experiments with your prototypes.<br>Please, create the concept for your Minimum Viable Product. || 1
−
| Presentation || Prepare a short 2-minutes pitch for your project idea (2-5 slides). <br><br>Suggested structure:<br>What problem you are solving:<br>- State the problem clearly in 2-3 short sentences.<br><br>Who are you solving it for:<br>- Who is your user/customer?<br>- Why will they be attracted to it?<br><br>What is your proposed solution to solve that problem:<br>- One sentence description<br>- What main feature(s) will it have? || 0
  
 
|-
  
|-
  +
| Workshop || Formulate all blocks of the business model for your business idea.<br>Define the forces that shape your business environment.<br>Define must-have, should-have and could have requirements for your product. || 0
−
| Group project work || Assignment 7: Development, Observation, and Product Events.<br>1. Continue with your development process:<br>- Hold sprint planning and reviews.<br>- Revisit estimations and keep track for velocity calculation.<br>- Host demos and release new versions to your users<br><br>2. Observing users:<br>- Integrate a user sessions recording tool into your product<br>- As a team: watch 100 user sessions and outline common user behavior patterns.<br>- Each team member: give product to 3 new people and observe them use it.<br><br>3. Product events:<br>Create a product events table.<br>Integrate a free analytics tool that supports events reporting (e.g. Amplitude, MixPanel).<br><br>Write and submit a report:<br>- describe user behavior patterns (main ways how people use your product).<br>- learning points from the observations<br>- add the events table.<br>- describe which analytics tool you chose and why<br><br>Assignment 8: GQM, Metrics, and Hypothesis-testing.<br>1. GQM and Metrics Dashboard<br>- Compose a GQM for your product.<br>- Identify your focus and L1 metrics<br>- Setup an Analytics Dashboard with the metrics you chose.<br>- Add the instructors to your Analytics Dashboard.<br><br>Hypothesis-testing:<br>- answer clarity and hypotheses: do users understand your product, is it easy for them to get started, and do they return?<br>- suggest product improvements to increase clarity, ease of starting and retention.<br>- based on the suggestions formulate 3 falsifiable hypotheses<br>- design a simple test to check each of them<br>- pick one test that could be conducted by observing your users<br>- conduct the test<br><br>Submit:<br>- GQM, Focus and L1 Metrics breakdown.<br>- Report on the hypothesis-testing activities<br>- Access link to the dashboard.<br>Assignment 9: Running an A/B test<br>Compose an A/B test:<br>- Design a change in your product<br>- Hypothesis: Clearly state what you expect to improve as the result of the change.<br>- Parameter and Variants: Describe both A and B variants (and other if you have more).<br>- Intended sample size.<br>- OEC: Determine the target metric to run the experiment against.<br><br>Then do one of the two options:<br>Option 1: Conduct the A/B test using a remote control and A/B testing tool (Firebase, Optimizely or like)<br><br>Option 2: Do the statistical math yourself<br>Conduct an A/B test and collect data.<br>Do the math manually using the standard Student T-test.<br><br>Submit a PDF with:<br>- the A/B test description <br>- report on how the experiment went.<br>- either screenshots from the tool or math calculations. || 1
  
  +
|-
  +
| Group presentation || Create a story for your product. Think about your user as a hero and your product as a helper. || 1
 
|}
 
|}
 
=== Final assessment ===
  
=== Final assessment ===
 
'''Section 1'''
  
'''Section 1'''
  +
# For the final assessment, students should complete the Market Research paper.
  +
# It should follow the market research paper structure, contain information about market volume (TAM SAM SOM), data must be gathered with help of data sources learnt.
  +
# The paper should refer to market potential and give the basis to make business decisions, answer questions on how to start and develop your idea, what is your business model, target customer persona, product MVP etc.
 
# Grading criteria for the final project presentation:
  
# Grading criteria for the final project presentation:
  +
# Market sizing has been carried out
−
# Problem: short clear statement on what you are solving, and why it’s important.
  
  +
# Customer segments are named
−
# User: should be a specific user, can start from generic and then show how you narrowed it.
  
  +
# Сompetitor analysis has been conducted
−
# Solution: how do you target the problem, what were the initial assumptions/hypotheses
  
  +
# At least 2 prominent data sources are used
−
# Elicitation process: interviews, how many people, what questions you asked, what you learnt.
  
  +
# Customer discovery interviews conducted
  +
# Future steps are mapped out
  +
# The final report is visualized clearly and transparent
 
'''Section 2'''
  
'''Section 2'''
  +
−
# Arriving at MVP: how you chose features, describe prototyping and learning from it, when did you launch, and how it went.
  
−
# Team and development process: how it evolved, what were the challenges, what fixes you made to keep progressing.
  
−
# Product demo: make it clear what your current product progress is.
  
 
'''Section 3'''
  
'''Section 3'''
  +
−
# Hypothesis-driven development: how did you verify value and understandability of your product, what were the main hypotheses you had to check through MVP.
  
−
# Measuring product: what metrics you chose, why, what funnels did you set for yourself, and what was the baseline for your MVP.
  
−
# Experimentation: What usability tests and experiments you conducted, what did you learn, how did it affect your funnels and metrics.
  
   
 
=== The retake exam ===
  
=== The retake exam ===
 
'''Section 1'''
  
'''Section 1'''
 
# .3 The retake exam.
  
# .3 The retake exam.
  +
# For the retake, students have to submit the results of the market sizing exercise with the TAM SAM SOM method in the form of a visual framework studied.
−
# For the retake, students have to implement a product and follow the guidelines of the course. The complexity of the product can be reduced, if it is one person working on it. The grading criteria for each section are the same as for the final project presentation. There has to be a meeting before the retake itself to plan and agree on the product ideas, and to answer questions.
  
 
'''Section 2'''
  
'''Section 2'''
   

Latest revision as of 14:01, 31 August 2022

IT Product Development

  • Course name: IT Product Development
  • Code discipline:
  • Subject area: Technological entrepreneurship

Short Description

This course is for the first-time entrepreneur. We will briefly but concisely discuss all the issues related to starting your own project from scratch: how to make sure that your idea is in demand, how to do market research, how to stop putting off the launch, why the customer is more important than the product, and how to do customer research. During this course, students will get used to their entrepreneurial role, build teams, formulate a business and product idea and be ready to delve into the complexities of business development in the following courses.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite subjects

  • N/A

Prerequisite topics

  • N/A

Course Topics

Course Sections and Topics
Section Topics within the section
Introduction & Building Your Team & Making Your Team Agile
  1. Defining a startup
  2. Formulating the group project: team, business idea
  3. Leadership
  4. Forming the team
  5. Managing the team
Defining Your Customer & Defining Your Product & Defining Your Rivals
  1. Customer Segmentation
  2. Customer Profile (JTBD, Pains, Gains)
  3. Creating a Value Proposition
  4. Matching Value Proposition with Customer Profile
  5. Strategy Canvas
Defining Your Business Model & Defining Your Vision
  1. Business Model Canvas
  2. Business Model Patterns
  3. Business Model Environment
  4. Business Model Testing
  5. Minimum-Viable Product
  6. Product Roadmap

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

What is the main purpose of this course?

The purpose of the course is to walk students through the concrete steps that are necessary for an entrepreneur to develop a tech product and build a solid business around that tech product.

ILOs defined at three levels

Level 1: What concepts should a student know/remember/explain?

By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...

  • design-thinking tools to design the prototype of the product,
  • approaches to designing and testing a business model through the experiments,
  • frameworks of agile development,
  • storytelling methods to design a brand,
  • pitching presentation tools.

Level 2: What basic practical skills should a student be able to perform?

By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...

  • concrete steps of creating a value proposition for a customer,
  • concrete steps of the business design (business model, hypothesis formulation/testing and minimum-viable product creation),
  • SCRUM roles, ceremonies and artefacts,
  • specifics of pitch presentation for investors.

Level 3: What complex comprehensive skills should a student be able to apply in real-life scenarios?

By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...

  • build and manage the startup team,
  • define the customer problem and validate it,
  • create the product to fit the problem with agile methods,
  • define the business model around the product,
  • promote a product and a startup,
  • build strong networks in the business world.

Grading

Course grading range

Grade Range Description of performance
A. Excellent 90-100 -
B. Good 75-89 -
C. Satisfactory 60-74 -
D. Fail 0-59 -

Course activities and grading breakdown

Activity Type Percentage of the overall course grade
Final presentation 30
Project Report 20
Project Progress 50

Recommendations for students on how to succeed in the course

Participation is important. Showing up and participating in discussions is the key to success in this course.
Students work in teams, so coordinating teamwork will be an important factor for success.
Reading the provided materials is mandatory, as lectures will mainly consist of discussions.
The main assignment in the course is Market research paper which is supposed to be useful not only for this course but s a basis for future business oriented courses

Resources, literature and reference materials

Open access resources

  • Tidd, J. & Bessant, J. (2011). Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change
  • Stickdorn, M. & Schneider, J. (2010). This is Service Design Thinking. Wiley.
  • Brown, T. & Kātz, B. (2009). Change by design. New York: Harper Business.
  • Osterwalder, A.& Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers
  • Sutherland, J. (2014). Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time
  • Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup

Closed access resources

  • N/A

Software and tools used within the course

  • Boardofinnovation.com
  • Miro.com
  • Notion.com
  • MS Teams

Teaching Methodology: Methods, techniques, & activities

Activities and Teaching Methods

Teaching and Learning Methods within each section
Teaching Techniques Section 1 Section 2 Section 3
Problem-based learning (students learn by solving open-ended problems without a strictly-defined solution) 1 1 1
Project-based learning (students work on a project) 1 1 1
Differentiated learning (provide tasks and activities at several levels of difficulty to fit students needs and level) 1 1 1
Contextual learning (activities and tasks are connected to the real world to make it easier for students to relate to them); 1 1 1
Business game (learn by playing a game that incorporates the principles of the material covered within the course). 1 1 1
Task-based learning 1 1 1
Activities within each section
Learning Activities Section 1 Section 2 Section 3
Lectures 1 1 1
Interactive Lectures 1 1 1
Lab exercises 1 1 1
Cases studies 1 1 1
Group projects 1 1 1
Peer Review 1 0 0
Discussions 1 1 1
Presentations by students 1 1 1
Written reports 1 1 1
Oral Reports 1 1 1
Quizzes (written or computer based) 0 1 0
Simulations and role-plays 0 1 0
Essays 0 1 1
Experiments 0 0 1
Individual Projects 0 0 1

Formative Assessment and Course Activities

Ongoing performance assessment

Section 1

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Discussion 1. What is a startup?
2. What are the roles within a team?
3. How should you form the team of a startup?
4. What types of leadership are the most effective?
5. What are the ceremonies, roles and artifacts of SCRUM?		 0
Workshop Fill in the team canvas to put all your goals and common values on one page. 1

Section 2

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Workshop 1. Define INTERESTING industries for all team members. Define industries in which you HAVE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE. Put these industries on the matrix. Choose ONE industry for your project that meets 2 criteria above.
2. Brainstorm about stakeholders from your market. Choose the segment that you sympathise the most.
3. Define the customer segment you empathise the most (i.e. elderly people, children, office workers etc.). Define JOBS TO BE DONE. Put each job on the separate sticker. Define user's PAINS. Put each pain on the separate sticker.Define user's GAINS. Put each gain on the separate sticker.
4. Brainstorm what products you can offer to the chosen segment with their pains or gains. If you are stuck, use SCAMPER techniques.Group ideas that have the similar topic into clusters. Choose 1 top idea for further development based on 2 defined criteria (innovative potential and feasibility).
5. Choose the best product idea. Define PRODUCTS & SERVICES. Put each item on the separate sticker. Define GAIN CREATORS. Put each item on the separate sticker. Define PAIN RELIEVERS. Put each item on the separate sticker.
6. Review your pain relievers and gain creators.Check if pain relievers and gain creators correspond with JBDs, pains and gains from the customer profile. Highlight those that correspond with each other. If there are any pain relievers and gain creators are left, they don't create the value for a customer. Check how you can redefine you value proposition.
7. Define your 5 main competitors. Define competing factors (these are your pain relievers and gain creators). Draw the strategic canvas based on competing factors. Define areas where you can compete. Redefine your value proposition if necessary (make new priorities for product and services, pain relievers, gain creators.
 0
Discussion 1. How to validate a problem?
2. How to validate a market?
3. How to validate a solution?		 0
Customer research 1. How customers do their jobs in the industry right now?
2. How can we develop the empathy with users?
3. What is a persona? How to design a persona?		 1

Section 3

Activity Type Content Is Graded?
Discussion What is the value of the business model canvas by Alexander Osterwalder?
What are the components of the business model?
What is the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? How to define must-have, should-have and could-have requirements?		 0
Group project Please, develop the business model for your tech product.
Please, test your business model using experiments with your prototypes.
Please, create the concept for your Minimum Viable Product.		 1
Workshop Formulate all blocks of the business model for your business idea.
Define the forces that shape your business environment.
Define must-have, should-have and could have requirements for your product.		 0
Group presentation Create a story for your product. Think about your user as a hero and your product as a helper. 1

Final assessment

Section 1

  1. For the final assessment, students should complete the Market Research paper.
  2. It should follow the market research paper structure, contain information about market volume (TAM SAM SOM), data must be gathered with help of data sources learnt.
  3. The paper should refer to market potential and give the basis to make business decisions, answer questions on how to start and develop your idea, what is your business model, target customer persona, product MVP etc.
  4. Grading criteria for the final project presentation:
  5. Market sizing has been carried out
  6. Customer segments are named
  7. Сompetitor analysis has been conducted
  8. At least 2 prominent data sources are used
  9. Customer discovery interviews conducted
  10. Future steps are mapped out
  11. The final report is visualized clearly and transparent

Section 2

Section 3


The retake exam

Section 1

  1. .3 The retake exam.
  2. For the retake, students have to submit the results of the market sizing exercise with the TAM SAM SOM method in the form of a visual framework studied.

Section 2

Section 3

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