Sprint Zero — Product Development Plan & Design Concept

What is sprint zero with Surf

Our team offers sprint zero as a predevelopment research phase to assess the project’s scope and timeline, visualize the end product concept, and create deliverables that would help you justify the budget and minimize eventual risks.

1–3 weeks

depending on project complexity

~5%

of total project cost

Senior

experts in the team

When you need sprint zero

Zero sprint is an optional stage recommended for better planning for complex and non-typical projects, especially when the budget has not yet been allocated and the project is to be pitched to investors or a steering committee.

Non-standard project with large scope of work
It is challenging to specify basic requirements and provide a comprehensive spec
MVP functionality is vague
The backlog is complete and huge, but lacks prioritization and assessment
Architecture is not defined
The backend needs to be improved, including additional integrations and middleware

Zero sprint planning with Surf

The key reasons to choose Surf to collaborate on the predevelopment stage are our people and results you get.

Team of senior level experts

Project manager with at least five successfully supervised products
Art director, designer, strategist, and business and system analyst
QA, backend leads with at least 4 years of project and risk assessment experience

Sprint zero results

Prioritized MVP composition with backlog
Design concept in Figma
Integration plan and risk review
Review of the client-side backend
Project assessment and roadmap

Risks minimized

Product positioning errors
Overspending for architecture or development
Inaccurate presale estimates
Failure to justify budget

Real benefits of sprint zero: our case studies

A well-thought-out concept and a roadmap helps implement impactful features and achieve measurable results, as proven by our case studies.

If you want to develop and scale your app after the first version release, let’s plan ahead.

Our sprint zero workflow

Surf team applies well-tuned flows and communication channels, but we are ready to adjust to the clients’ tools and approaches.

Preparing activities
- Requesting info on client’s goals, expectations, target audience, and competitors
- Quick briefing and requirements analysis
- Brainstorming with the Surf team and the client team
Researching
- Analyzing niche and competitors, including their strengths and weaknesses
- Checking user pain points, needs, and requests
- Sorting features for an MVP and subsequent versions
Delivering results
- Graphic design concepts for four to five key iOS screens
- Short spec with MVP functionality
- Estimated design and development costs