A timeline depends on the essential workflow, readiness of data and integrations, decisions and acceptance reviews. If you have a target date, first define the minimum workflow needed then. Agree on entry and exit conditions for each stage rather than assuming a universal number of weeks.
[01]Which stages belong in the schedule?
| Stage | Evidence of completion |
|---|---|
| Scope | Core user journey, inclusions, exclusions, owners and acceptance criteria |
| Design | Agreed screens, data, permissions and integration approach |
| Implementation | A working core workflow in a testable environment |
| Acceptance and migration | Results against real examples, failure handling and migration checks |
| Release and handover | Deployment checks, account and documentation handover, support scope |
[02]What should an MVP reduce, and what should it retain?
Defer features unrelated to the hypothesis you want to test. An initial booking service might need intake and operator review, while rewards, recommendations and settlement can wait. Using real personal data or payments still requires appropriate access controls, validation and failure handling.
[03]Which dependencies can delay delivery?
- API access approvals, test accounts and provider plan checks.
- Data cleanup and agreement on which records to migrate.
- Customer review of screens, copy and business rules.
- Availability of acceptance reviewers and real test examples.
- External reviews such as app-store submissions or service activation.
Track external review separately from implementation completion. When scope changes, reassess the affected stages and agree on priorities.
[04]What should you ask before agreeing to a schedule?
- Which materials, accounts and decisions must the customer provide, and when?
- What is the first reviewable deliverable and where can we inspect it?
- How are scope changes distinguished from defect fixes?
- Who decides release readiness when acceptance finds a problem?
- What is the response plan for deployment or migration failures?
[05]Can you start with just a target date?
Yes. Describe the workflow that must work by that date and the features that could follow. Assess whether a smaller scope still achieves the goal and whether accounts, data and reviewers will be ready. Agree on dates after checking these conditions.
- Delivery planning
- MVP
