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CASE STUDY

Improving development readiness through MVP validation

MVP VALIDATION RPRODUCT BUDGETING PLAN SBACKLOG REFINEMENT ROADMAPPING 

The Challenge

Sukup Manufacturing Co. — the world’s largest family-owned and operated manufacturer of grain storage, grain drying and handling equipment and steel buildings — wanted to bring its legacy Sukup Office platform into the modern era, to improve functionality and user experience for distributors and Sukup employees alike. While workable in its existing form, the legacy platform featured components and technology stacks that limited its true potential to leverage critical growth technologies.

To break down the software challenges and begin to identify a path toward development, Sukup

partnered with Shift to conduct Minimum Viable Product (MVP) validation.

 

OUR APPROACH

We knew an MVP validation phase was key prior to the development of the upgraded Sukup Office platform. Prioritizing and visualizing the initial release of this platform with only the necessary and functional features first would enable more efficient development, improved time to market and a greatly reduced risk of rework or budget challenges.

 

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The Solution

Using a phased-agile approach and validation efforts, Shift worked with the product owner and stakeholders from Sukup to define the highest priority features and functionalities for the new platform. The process of developing this backlog would help break down the features and functionalities into workable chunks that would be easier to tackle during the development phase.

During the MVP validation process, we also talked through our recommended approach for software frameworks, technology stacks, integrations and APIs that would bring the Sukup Office Platform forward. This was an important step toward aligning on future development goals and identifying key software investment opportunities before any development began.

TECHNOLOGIES

C#
Microsoft .Net Core
Angular Frontend Framework

SERVICES

MVP Validation
Backlog Refinement
Roadmapping

Product Budgeting Plan

PROJECT
OUTCOME

Through MVP validation, we were able to lock in an accurate picture of what Sukup

wanted for its first release of the upgraded Sukup Office platform. We were also

able to define the information architecture, validate business functionalities, gain

continuous feedback and ready the team for development — all while fostering

collaboration and synchronicity with our partners. The result of our effort was a

high-level roadmap containing the order of prioritized features along with a

development backlog, which allowed us to provide a more accurate project

scope. Both documents led to faster budget approvals and a clear breakdown of

development tasks, allowing developers to hit the ground running on day one.

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