Product
Product Process: Building and Iterating (Phase 3)
After the shaping work — and when a pitch is bet on — it’s time for the development team to take over the responsibility of delivering the solution within the appetite that has been established. Here’s how we think about building at Differential. Fixed time, variable scope The concept of...
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Product
Product Process: Shaping the Solution (Phase 2)
We begin our product process by setting the boundaries of the solution. This is the motivation behind the work we need to do — what is the problem and why is it important to solve it? This is what framing provides us. Shaping turns that upfront work into a specific...
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Product
Product Process: Framing the Problem (Phase 1)
We can’t shape a solution until we fully understand the problem. Framing answers questions such as: Are we working on the right problem? Do we have enough background information to understand the problem fully? Does the entire team have the same understanding of the problem? Assumptions will only...
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Product
The Differential Product Process
Since our adoption of Shape Up in 2019, our team has leaned into continuous improvement of our product process. While we don't follow everything in Shape Up, the core tenants serve as our framework and inspiration (learn more about Shape Up at Differential). Differential’s product process helps our designers, developers,...
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Business
Four Insights to Build Innovation into Your Company Culture
Innovation is a key driver of business success. It allows companies to stay ahead of the curve, adapt to changing market conditions, and offer unique solutions to their customers – but cultivating a culture of innovation isn't easy. It requires a sustained effort to create the right environment for creativity...
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Business
9 Reasons Why Innovation Projects Fail
Business in the twenty-first century is fast-paced, technology-driven, and obsessed with the word “innovation”. And for good reason. The rise and fall of new businesses can be linked to the success of their innovation efforts. Some companies have entire teams dedicated to innovation efforts, others innovate by accident or don’t...
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Design
Keeping the Human in Human-Centered Design
There’s a reason that design thinking also goes by the name human-centered design. It’s all about the humans involved! While this process can certainly bring about creative thinking and innovative ideas, the best results align the desires of your clients or users. The first part of the design thinking process...
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Development
39 Questions to Ask Before Building a Digital Product
Whether you’re developing a mobile app or project management software, having a clear strategy in place can align your digital product with the objectives of your organization, meet the needs of the right target audience, and differentiate your product from the competition. Asking key questions will guide your development process,...
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Products
Infrastructure-as-Code Is Great, but When Do You Need It?
If you’re anything like me, you like to try out all the shiny new things that make their way into your news feed; one of the newer things in software development that’s been growing over the past few years is Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC). After having focused heavily on learning, applying, and...
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Development
Top 5 Emerging Tech Trends in 2023
Isn't it funny how a piece of technology that seemed incredible at its arrival can be outdated and clunky in just a few years? Think about the first generations of the iPhone. The initial version was revolutionary, now merely a relic in the shadows of newer models (we’re loving the...
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