How to start a project in terms of management?

Question

Project management

Hello.
Now there are a lot of scattered and contradictory articles on the topic of starting their own projects. Someone writes that it is better to start alone, someone immediately from the search for a team - but that's okay, you need to get to this stage.
Are there any methods or a generally accepted plan for actually "beginning" - how, for example, to analyze a niche, demand, draw up a development plan, etc. What tools are commonly used?
I would like to somehow take it more seriously, so that it would result in at least something that I would not be ashamed to show and gain management experience for myself.
Let the options "walk on paper" and "MVP in 5 days" stay away :)

Answer 1

Start by identifying the need for your product. If there is no need, then nothing else matters.

Answer 2

If you are sure that someone needs it at all, then do this:
And yes, often these moments begin to clear up only in the process, that is, after the MVP.

Answer 3

Look at the practice of Lean Startup, there are many articles on the Internet on this topic, although the approach is not directly universal.
In short, before launching the product and generally before the code, make a page "quickly" on some kind of Landing Page generator. Even if you are a cool Front-end developer, it will be cheaper for you. Write down the idea you are planning, write "Coming soon", add a "Subscribe" or "Notify me when the product is available" block. Distribute the site among the target audience and evaluate "how it will go", how many potential first customers you will receive. The most active users will also send you feedback and wishes. You can understand whether the whole thing will be profitable at all and whether it is worth the candle.
Classical marketing like analysis of competitors, niches,
If the sheepskin is worth the candle, then make an MVP (one or a team depends on the scale). Distribute it among the target audience and the already collected subscriber base. This is for you and the first clients and feedback for further growth (or stopping the project).
And there is also an opinion (and I tend to agree with him) that if you are not ashamed of the MVP, that is, the first version of the product, then something went wrong.
If you want more advice then:
- Find a motivated partner. If you are a techie, then let it be a marketer / seller and vice versa.
- A large team should not be involved if you do not pull it in terms of money. At the same time, finding people who work not only for a salary, but also because they like your product is a great success, but this should be strived for at the first stage.
- Be formalized when it became clear that the MVP is going well. There are a lot of conversations on this topic, in fact, but if you don’t get along with your partners, then it will be even more painful to diverge. Although, if the risk of product failure is too high, getting involved in bureaucracy / paperwork / legal issues too early is also not cool and takes a lot of time.
- Do not attract investments too early if you can stretch yourself at least for some time. Then you will cost more, and share a smaller percentage.
- Don't be afraid to change on the go, MVP is there to find your business model. There are many examples when it was not the main idea that fired, but a side branch of the product.
- And by the way, immediately think about how you will build up from competitors.
In general, I'm afraid you still won't listen to some of the advice. If this is your first project, you will still get bumps so that by the next project you will understand that "MVP in 5 days" is not such a bad idea :) We passed, we know.
UPD. And yet, your tools at the first stage:
- Landing Page Builder
- Excel
- Mailchimp
- Go to development, immediately put something to manage tickets. The first step could be something lightweight like Trello.
PS if it's not a secret, in what area is the idea?

Answer 4

• Understand who your client is and understand whether you are boring to him.
  Next is the implementation.