Concierge service

It is important to realize that some parts of the solution you are creating are essential, but may not necessarily be good candidates for automating processes right away. These parts can be offered manually as well. Such a solution is known as a Concierge Service, or as the Concierge Minimum Viable Product (CMVP). At first glance, that does not really seem to make much sense to a developer. You might be thinking that the lean startup methodology is about minimizing waste, and wonder why we should do things manually?

The truth is that doing things manually is indeed not very efficient, but that is fine for now. It is a short-term solution that can help you gain new insights and learn how to solve the user's or customer's problem. Once you fully understand the problem and know what the solution should be, it is time for automation.

What would happen if you worked on an awesome feature for 3 months and afterwards learned that your app does not seem to know your user's problem? It will probably be a huge disappointment for all stakeholders and you will wonder why this happened. You should always ask yourself whether you have all the required information to solve the issue and whether you understand your customer's needs. If that is not the case, your effort may lead to delivering a product that nobody wants. You might need to refactor a lot, or start all over again. Such activity would be a waste of your time (and if you are having bad luck, your credibility).