App Development

Course overview

Most app projects go over budget for reasons that have nothing to do with code: a vague idea, a scope that keeps growing, the wrong supplier and no plan for launch. This course helps you avoid those mistakes before you spend the money.

You will test the idea cheaply, turn it into user stories, compare no-code, freelancers, agencies and in-house teams, write a brief, run the project week by week and launch with a checklist and a 90-day roadmap. You do not need to write a single line of code.

What you will learn

• Decide whether you need an app at all, or something simpler
• Validate the idea before anyone writes code
• Define a minimum viable product with prioritised user stories
• Choose between no-code, freelancer, agency or in-house, and brief them well
• Manage budget, timeline, testing and launch

The 8 lessons

Every lesson is unlocked the moment you pay. Each one explains a method, shows a worked example and ends with a task.

1. 01

   Start here: what building an app really involves

   You will be able to describe the roles and phases of an app project, recognise where projects usually go wrong and decide whether you need an app at all.

   12 min read

2. 02

   Validate the idea before anyone writes code

   You will be able to test whether your app idea solves a real problem with interviews, a landing page and a manual test, judged against success criteria you set in advance.

   13 min read

3. 03

   The minimum viable product: user stories and scope

   You will be able to write user stories for your app, prioritise them with MoSCoW and agree a first version small enough to build quickly and learn from.

   12 min read

4. 04

   How to build: from no-code to an in-house team

   You will be able to compare the main ways of building your app on cost, speed, control and risk, and make sure your company owns the code, accounts and domain whichever route you choose.

   13 min read

5. 05

   Write a brief and choose a development partner

   You will be able to write a clear project brief, compare suppliers with a weighted scorecard, spot red flags and list the contract points to raise with your lawyer.

   14 min read

6. 06

   Budget, timeline and running the project

   You will be able to build a budget with contingency, plan milestones you can check, run short iterations with a weekly check-in and handle change requests without losing control of cost or date.

   13 min read

7. 07

   Testing and launch: from test plan to launch day

   You will be able to write a test plan, run a beta with real users, check the basics of accessibility and privacy, allow for app store review and run launch day from a checklist.

   13 min read

8. 08

   After launch: metrics, feedback and your roadmap

   You will be able to track activation and retention, turn support requests into decisions and keep a now, next, later roadmap with a 90-day plan and a monthly review.

   14 min read

Templates included

You copy these into your own spreadsheet and fill them in as you go:

• App readiness self-check
• Validation plan
• User story backlog
• Build options comparison
• Supplier scorecard
• Budget and milestone table
• Launch checklist
• 90-day product roadmap

Who it is for

• Non-technical founders with an idea for an app or platform
• Managers who must commission software for their business
• Owners who were burned by a project that never finished

How you receive it

Straight after payment you get a button to open your library and an email with your personal link. There is no account to create and no app to install.

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The courses are business education, not legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice. Professional disclaimer.