Iterative Development Techniques

Back in the day I worked on a major platform revamp. The objective was to remain competitive and meet regulations. At the same time our biggest competitor was also upgrading their system. Both were huge, multi-year projects with lots of investment. Our competitor started ahead of us. But, we had a key strategy: → Rapid adoption with shorter cycles! Instead of waiting for a big reveal after three years, we rolled out capability periodically. This let us constantly improve our platform based on real-time customer feedback. Our competitor went with a traditional approach, aiming for one major release at the end. The result? By the end of three years, we had not only improved our NPS score but also taken a larger part of the market share! Our strategy kept us agile and responsive, letting us adapt quickly to market changes and customer needs. Our competitor launched an outdated system that couldn't meet current demands. Here's what we learned: 1. Customer-Centric Development: ↳ Frequent releases allowed us to gather and implement customer feedback continuously, enhancing user satisfaction and engagement. 2. Iterative Improvement: ↳ Rapid iteration enabled us to pivot quickly and address any issues or new opportunities that arose during the development process. 3. Competitive Edge: ↳ By staying ahead of trends and being first to market with new features, we were able to capture more market share and strengthen our position. In tech, speed isn't just about being fast—it's about efficient adoption. 👉 Rapid adoption and continuous iteration transforms a good product into a great one, and adds a massive competitive advantage to the company. It can also ensure survival.

Agile isn’t just a process—it’s a mindset. At its core, Agile is about valuing progress over perfection. It’s choosing working software over a big, detailed plan that might never see the light of day. It’s about learning fast, experimenting, and improving as you go. Think of it as a loop: 1️⃣ You build something. 2️⃣ You reflect on whether it worked (hello, retrospectives). 3️⃣ You improve. 4️⃣ Repeat. This iterative approach isn’t just about delivering better results; it’s about adapting and growing. Agile frameworks like Scrum are tools that help implement this mindset, but the mindset itself is what matters most. Here’s something interesting I learned from @Maria Chec: Scrum, which many associate closely with Agile, was actually created before Agile. The thought leaders and creators behind it had already started shaping what would eventually become the Agile Manifesto. For me, this is a reminder that frameworks like Scrum are helpful, but they’re not the goal. They’re just vehicles to help us embrace an Agile way of thinking. And a few tips to embrace an Agile mindset: ✅ Value progress over perfection: Focus on creating working software instead of detailed plans that might never happen. ✅ Learn fast: Experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them quickly. ✅ Reflect and improve: Use retrospectives to see what worked and what didn’t. Then, make changes and improve. ✅ Think iteratively: Build, reflect, improve, and repeat. This loop helps you adapt and grow. ✅ Use frameworks like Scrum: Remember, Scrum was created before Agile. It’s a tool to help you implement the mindset, not the goal itself. ✅ Embrace change: Be ready to adapt as you learn more and as circumstances change. What’s your experience with Agile? Do you feel like it’s a mindset or more of a set of rules where you work? Let’s discuss in the comments! 👇

𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁. That’s not just a tagline. It’s the rhythm that has shaped every product I’ve ever created. From building custom FDM 3D printers with 1-meter build volumes… To deploying digital cinema software for studios across India… To developing CPR innovations that may one day save lives… I’ve come to realize: Most people overestimate ideation and underestimate execution.  • Ideas are easy.  • Building is hard.  • Building again—after feedback, after failure, after fatigue—is what defines product people. Here’s how I’ve applied this mantra: 🔹 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀: Deep dive into the problem. Cut the noise. Understand the user. 𝗙𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗦 — 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: Remove tasks that don’t align with your core goal this week/month. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲-𝗯𝗼𝘅 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆: 2–3 deep work sessions > 10 scattered hours. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱: Mindfulness, journaling, and even a short walk can reset your focus. 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝗡𝗢 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻: Every yes is a cost. Guard your attention. 🔹 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱: Don’t wait for perfect. Get a working version. Test it. Break it. Rebuild. 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗 — 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸, 𝗗𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘆: Don’t wait for the perfect version. V1 is always ugly, but it works. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀: Work in weekly deliverables or prototypes you can test. 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Launch small, fail fast, learn faster. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗹𝘆: Automate where possible. Don’t waste energy reinventing the wheel. 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁: What worked yesterday won’t work tomorrow. Evolve fast, or become obsolete. 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗧 — 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀: Ask, “What did I build this week?” Not just what you did. 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗹𝘆: Improve with intention. Don’t abandon too early. 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸: Small improvements compound into big outcomes. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺: Repetition creates mastery. It’s okay if it’s not always thrilling. If you’re working on a new product, startup, or even a creative project—just remember: 🚫 Don’t chase motivation. ✅ Build systems. ✅ Track progress. ✅ Stick to your loop. Focus. Build. Repeat. That’s how breakthroughs are born. #PingnaganPranavam #ProductDevelopment #StartupJourney #MakersMindset #ExecutionOverIdeas #FocusBuildRepeat #PPWrites #builtbypp

Product development in 2024 - the old way: • Design low-fi wireframes to align on structure • Create pixel-perfect Figma mockups • Socialize designs with stakeholders • Wait weeks for engineering capacity to build • Build core functionality first • Push "nice-to-have" animations to v2 • Ship v1 without thoughtful interactions • Iterate based on limited feedback • Repeat the cycle for 3-6 months Product development in 2025: • Quickly prototype in code with AI tools like Bolt • Generate functional prototypes in hours, not days • Deploy to real URLs for immediate testing • Add analytics to track actual usage patterns • Test with users while still in development • Designers directly create interaction details • Engineers implement interaction details by copying working code • Ship v1 with thoughtful animations and transitions • Iterate rapidly based on both qualitative and quantitative data • Implement improvements within days Last week, we hosted William Newton from Amplitude to share how this shift is fundamentally changing their product development approach. "I made those interaction details myself. I made those components myself, and I sent them to my engineer and he copied and pasted them in." Features that would have been pushed to "future versions" are now included in initial releases. Loading animations, transition states, and micro-interactions that improve user confidence—all shipped in v1. This approach doesn't eliminate the need for thoughtful design and engineering. Instead, it changes the order of operations: - Traditional process: Perfect the design → Build the code → Ship → Learn - Emerging process: Prototype in code → Learn while building → Ship with polish → Continue learning The limiting factor is shifting from technical implementation to your taste and judgment about what makes a great experience. When designers and PMs can participate directly in the creation process using the actual medium (code), they make different—often better—decisions about what truly matters.

Good decisions are hard, but fast decisions are good. I’m walking through the core values we used at Proletariat Inc., what they meant, how we wrote them, and how they shaped our day-to-day work. Last week I wrote about Understand Why, our value around curiosity, transparency, and trust. This week is all about velocity, action and learning. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 Good decisions are hard, but fast decisions are good. Quickly agree and commit to a well-reasoned direction, even without consensus. The tradeoff is worth it. Act, gather feedback, measure against expectations, and adjust accordingly. It’s okay to be wrong, work to learn from it quickly. Nothing’s sacred and we should always question the status quo. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 Teams suffer from indecision and inertia far more often than from bad choices. The longer you spend discussing a decision around a white board the more time you waste speculating when you could be testing. This value was about embracing action, reducing fear of failure, and creating a culture where we’d rather ship something rough and 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 than wait for something to be perfect. It also reflected a reality about building complex products like games: the sooner you start iterating, the sooner you start solving real problems. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 - Decisiveness over consensus – Consensus is ideal but not required, it’s better to disagree and commit fully than wait for a compromise - Action over perfection – Waiting for 100% clarity usually meant we were already behind - Data over assumptions – Every assumption will be tested eventually, might as well start as early as possible This wasn’t a license to be reckless. It was a call to take smart, intentional action, and then be humble enough to adapt quickly and go again. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐖𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐭 “Decide Fast and Iterate” showed up in our product development, leadership meetings, and team dynamics: - In game and product design, we prototyped quickly and often. We'd test something internally or with players, kill what didn’t work, and build on what did - If a candidate had promise, we moved fast to get them hired and provided a strong onboarding plan - Leaders had clear ownership to make quick calls, rather than waiting for universal agreement - In production process or company policy decisions we were willing embrace a change quickly, while measuring the impact 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 We didn’t just say “move fast and break things.” Making quick decisions was paired with: - Psychological safety – People and teams weren’t punished for early mistakes if they iterated quickly - Short feedback loops – Reviews, retros, and playtests were built into our process - Visible support from leadership – Leadership made imperfect decisions in public, adjusted when needed, and talked openly about what we were learning

Continuous research and iterative design benefit leaders who want to build team momentum. Building momentum with other stakeholders is challenging when working with large teams. Getting everyone aligned can be tough, but consistent delivery and user-informed decisions make it much easier. It’s one of the hardest parts of design. Here’s how we overcome this difficulty. We run weekly design cycles that build on what we learned the previous week. We use Helio to test and gather insights from a large, targeted audience. Here are the areas to structure in your process: → Start with a KPI Continuous research helps leaders set relevant and realistic KPIs by understanding market trends, customer needs, and competitors. This ensures that KPIs match business goals and can be used to frame leading metrics in the design process. → Create a Hunch Ongoing research helps leaders validate their initial ideas, reducing the risk of following unproven concepts. Iterative feedback sparks new and creative solutions based on real-world data. → Develop 3-5 Concepts Research-driven insights help leaders create concepts that appeal to target audiences. By testing and refining these concepts, leaders can focus resources on the best ideas, reducing waste and time. These concepts could be focused on one area or multiple concepts across the experience. → Refine Iterations Iterative design uses user feedback and user experience data to make each version more impactful. Continuous research helps spot potential issues early, allowing for timely adjustments and reducing the risk of major setbacks. → Release Concepts Iterative testing ensures that the final product is thoroughly checked and ready for the market, boosting its chances of success. By continuously using customer feedback, the final product will more likely meet customers' needs, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty. Continuous research and iterative design can provide leaders with a structured approach to innovation. They ensure that each step is informed by data and user insights, ultimately leading to more successful and impactful products. I’m happy to share more of our experiences with leaders. #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

🚀 Utilizing Agile Principles for Complex Projects 🌟 In my 15+ years as an IT Project Manager, I've learned that complex projects often demand a flexible approach. That's where Agile principles come into play! Here’s how I effectively leverage Agile methodologies: 1️⃣ Iterative Development: Break projects into smaller increments. This allows teams to deliver functional parts sooner and adapt based on feedback. 2️⃣ Cross-Functional Teams: Foster collaboration across various disciplines. Combining skills from different areas leads to innovative solutions and faster problem-solving. 3️⃣ Customer Feedback: Engaging stakeholders early and often ensures the end product meets expectations. Regular reviews can guide necessary adjustments in real-time. 4️⃣ Emphasize Communication: Daily stand-ups and regular retrospectives keep the team aligned, enhancing transparency and quick decision-making. 5️⃣ Encourage Adaptability: In a tech landscape that shifts rapidly, being open to change is crucial. Agile isn’t just a method; it’s a mindset. By embedding these Agile principles into complex projects, we can manage uncertainties more effectively and drive successful outcomes. Remember, the goal is not just to deliver but to continuously improve the process. What Agile practices have you found most effective in your projects? Let’s discuss below! 👇 #Agile #ProjectManagement #Leadership #Tech #LifestyleHacks #AI #ContinuousImprovement

Requirements for data & analytics projects evolve. Yet companies continue to set themselves up for failure. By executing these projects in a traditional waterfall approach: -Business provides their detailed requirements -Data team goes off for 3 months to execute them -Business is asked to test the solution before putting it in production Of course, the business finds all kinds of issues, ultimately delaying the project another 3 months. A better alternative to avoid these issues is to Prototype and Iterate throughout the project. Notice I didn’t say to follow an Agile methodology. Agile too often breaks both business and data teams due to the grind of sprints. Prototype & Iterate looks like this: 1. When designing the solution, prototype the most challenging aspects of the proposed solution to help mitigate risk early in the project. 2. During development, hold frequent review sessions with the business and allow them to get hands-on keyboards to truly experience what the new data or reports will look like. 3. Capture nice-to-have enhancements throughout the project. Don’t let low-priority requests derail the timeline and scope of your project. Document the request, and if it’s truly a priority, have the business make a trade-off for getting it in scope during this project. By following the Prototype and Iterate approach, the business will be actively engaged throughout the project, which will help increase the likelihood of project success. It isn’t the easiest option, But you will build long-term relationships with your key business partners. And you will become their trusted, go-to data leader. #data #analytics

This was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on at Salesforce. It was an AI-powered Slackbot for enterprise cybersecurity at Salesforce, called Ask-IAM. When we first launched the MVP, I was so confident it would blow customers away. But within weeks, user feedback started flooding in, pointing out glaring gaps we hadn’t anticipated. It was humbling, but it forced us into a constant cycle of iteration. For one week, we were refining the natural language processing (NLP) to better understand user queries. Next, we adjusted the bot’s tone to make it feel less robotic and more approachable. It was a rollercoaster, but every tweak made the product better. The takeaway was that success doesn’t come from getting it right the first time; it comes from how fast and effectively you can respond when you don’t. This iterative mindset has stuck with me since then. In AI Product Management, iterative development is the name of the game. Unlike traditional software, AI products evolve rapidly based on continuous data input, requiring constant tweaks. Being a master of iterative development isn’t optional; it’s essential. Here’s how you can master this skill as a superpower: 1. Adopt Agile Frameworks: Learn agile methodologies but tailor them for AI workflows. Understand what “sprints” mean to retrain models, data refinement, and experimentation cycles. 2. Embrace Failure: AI thrives on experimentation. Cultivate a mindset where failed experiments are opportunities to gain insights and improve. Track and document these iterations to build a knowledge base. 3. Collaborate Across Teams: Iterative AI development demands collaboration between PMs, data scientists, and engineers. Sharpen your cross-functional communication skills to lead and align teams during rapid iteration cycles. NavHub AI and APM Club (NavHub AI’s proud community partner!) can help you gain an advantage in learning this skill: 👉 AI-Powered Iteration Practice: Participate in mock project sprints via NavHub AI that simulate real-world AI product development iterations. 👉 Dynamic Feedback Loops: Leverage our mentorship pairing feature to get constant feedback from experienced AI PMs and data scientists on your project iterations. 👉 Live AI Challenge Events: Join hackathons organized by APM Club, designed to mimic high-pressure and iterative AI product development cycles. Iteration isn’t just about doing things fast; it’s about doing them right, with agility and precision. Join our Pilot Program now to turn your skillset into your competitive edge: http://tiny.cc/of15001 #artificialintelligence #upskill #data #productmanagement #communication

Are you stuck in traditional development hell for your startup? Endless loop of tweaks, approvals and delays  That causes you to miss momentum… Results? ↳ Dragged Timelines ↳ Missed Market Opportunities After working with 50+ founders and startups,  Here’s how I help founders break out of it > a basic, simple and repeatable process: The Lean Loop It’s not another fancy technical term. It’s not some sort of magic wand. ➞ It’s structured thinking with a technical approach. Here’s the breakdown: 1) Start with “real outcomes” No hypothesis. No shiny object syndrome. Simply answer, “ What would be the impact of it?” 2) Limit Feature Scope Strictly If it doesn’t serve the purpose, it’s out. Even if it's AI, a cool feature or element. 3) Build Fast and Precisely Speed must be the priority at this stage. Testing an idea shouldn’t take 6 months. 4) Observe and Measure Logically Data should be the decision maker here. Iterate only if the feedback supports it. 5) Iterate and Reposition If the results are validating, double down. If there are loopholes, adjust and test again. It saves time, resources, above all “your product” In 2025, just building isn’t the way to go. You need to build with purpose, within a timeline,  through a targeted process… Want to add something to the lean loop approach? Comment below!