Here are some questions to ask before building a prototype or – even more critically – something which will go into production and get exposed to end users.
- What should the solution address?
- If the solution is an improvement, what changes are needed?
- How can the work be broken down into smaller testable pieces?
- Who is responsible for delivery?
- What is the delivery cadence?
- What needs to be made? A prototype or a production-ready solution?
- Has “done” been defined?
Digging Deeper
In the ROAMER Model, making refers to the act of building something to either be used or tested. This means that if an idea is mature enough to be the foundation of something that can be released to the public, for instance, then that is what should be delivered in the make stage. If the goal is to test a hypothesis and gather feedback for refinement, then a prototype might be a better delivery goal.
There is a range of refinement between the first thing that is made in response to an idea and a final, completed, production-ready solution. Anything that is made along that spectrum is something that can be delivered in the making phase.
