A bitter-sweet MVP: the Holy Grail of the agile development

Let’s face the truth: an MVP approach is always challenging. For everyone involved. And yet, sometimes it’s inevitable to start with just enough features to be usable by the customers. But what customers exactly are we talking about? And how do we prioritise their needs over the needs of the others? Especially, if we not only have to focus on the business impact of the chosen solution but also meet the demands of internal stakeholders in highly political environments. Is it ever possible to have a nice and smooth process around an MPV-based project or migration?

In November 2021, we migrated to Drupal the MVP-version of the new integrated platform (www.leica-camera.com) for our Client, Leica Camera AG. A couple of weeks later, it was followed by a new landing page with scrollytelling for the legendary M11 camera. We would like to use this year’s DrupalCon as an opportunity to share on stage our experience with the broader audience.

Together with Marco Lunger (Global Digital Manager at Leica Camera AG and/or Thomas Hausstein (Head of Platform at Leica Camera AG), we would like to walk you through our process and answer some of the crucial questions:

- Is less really more?
- What is more important: proper scoping and estimation or the right team setup?
- How to master and continuously optimise the connection of behind-the-scenes business systems (here PIM, CRM etc.) both conceptually and in terms of implementation?
- How to manage stakeholder expectations?
- How to say “no” when the scope is exploding?
- How important is the company’s digital maturity?
- Is there a secret sauce for the successful delivery of an MVP-based migration?

Last but not least, we would like to share some insights about how to build and maintain a strong business bond based on trust, expertise, and dedication. Additionally I would like to draw from my experience as Client Service Director at FFW and tackle early warning signs to pay attention to, when it comes to nurturing relationships with the clients as well as internal changes that might have to be implemented in order to guarantee success.

Don’t miss out and learn from our mistakes!