Overview
To stay ahead of industry trends and maintain a competitive edge, an organisation launched a strategic initiative to rapidly test new product ideas in the market through Minimum Viable Products (MVPs). These MVPs were intended to gauge customer interest, validate assumptions, and enable quick go/no-go decisions.
However, delivering multiple MVPs would require a wide range of skills and disciplines — from UX/UI design and front-end development to backend architecture, cloud, mobile, and analytics. Hiring an in-house team for each concept carried significant risk, especially given the uncertainty around which products would gain traction. To address this challenge, a co-authoring model was adopted in collaboration with multiple experienced vendor organisations.
Challenge
- The organisation wanted to launch MVPs quickly to validate market interest and customer acceptance
- Building internal teams for each idea was costly, slow, and risky, particularly without guarantee of long-term productisation
- Each product concept required different technology stacks and skill sets, increasing complexity
- There was a need for a flexible, scalable innovation framework that maintained intellectual property rights and governance
Approach
A co-authoring framework was established, engaging multiple vendor partners with relevant technical expertise and prior experience. These vendors worked as strategic collaborators in the MVP process, with the following principles:
Key Elements of the Model
Collaborative Proposal Process
For each new product concept, a high-level brief was shared with selected vendor organisations.
Solutioning & Estimation
Vendors responded with proposals, estimated effort, skill plans, and time-to-market. Past experience and domain knowledge were considered in evaluations.
Selective Co-Creation
Based on technical alignment and speed-to-execution, a vendor was selected to co-author the MVP alongside the client's product and business teams.
Shared Risk, Defined Reward
- In some cases, vendors agreed to build the MVP at reduced cost or no initial cost, sharing the innovation risk
- If the MVP succeeded and moved into productisation, the same vendor would be fully engaged in scaling and maintaining the product as a commercial engagement
Intellectual Property (IP) Ownership
IP of all MVPs and products remained solely with the client organisation.
Agile Delivery and Transparent Collaboration
Development was iterative, with regular reviews, testing, and business involvement to ensure speed and adaptability.
Outcome
Multiple MVPs Delivered
Several product concepts were turned into functional MVPs within 8–12 weeks, enabling faster feedback from customers and internal stakeholders.
Cost-Efficient Innovation
Early-stage experimentation was conducted at a fraction of traditional costs, reducing financial risk significantly.
Vendor Ecosystem Activated
A curated ecosystem of vendor organisations provided flexible access to diverse technical capabilities on demand.
Stronger Productisation Pipeline
Promising MVPs transitioned seamlessly into scalable, production-ready applications — with continuity from the same co-authoring vendor.
Speed-to-Market Advantage
The organisation was able to test more ideas, faster, than its competitors — strengthening its innovation credentials in the market.
Governance & Sustainability
Clear Agreements
All engagements were backed by clear agreements on IP, confidentiality, and commercial transition terms.
Quality Assurance
A structured review and selection process ensured vendor accountability and continuous quality.
Strategic Alignment
The model encouraged vendor investment in the client's success while maintaining commercial clarity and long-term alignment.
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