In a recent milestone, Air Global Tech unveiled the beta version of its platform for crypto traders, valued at $100,000. This platform facilitates real-time analysis of cryptocurrency growth and decline charts, along with historical data. Artem Purlo, the CEO at Air Global Tech, shares insights into how the team navigated this endeavor and underscores the inefficiency of launching such projects without thorough quality testing. The article was prepared for the Netpeak resource.
The Challenge at Hand In the initial client discussions, the task of launching the project within 3–3.5 months was examined, factoring in the scope of work. The assessment revealed a considerable risk, with a 50% probability of launching a “working” product and a high-risk factor of 90% for failure. Two critical issues contributed to this evaluation:
1. Lack of Technical Documentation: The task list provided had concise descriptions, such as “clicking the button should trigger the console and display specific information.” While clear from a business logic perspective, operating in technical language posed challenges. Despite starting with such initial data being common for new projects, Airkod always maintains a contingency plan to ensure desired results.
2. Lack of Code Testing: Contrary to assumptions, the client was an experienced large holding company with over 20 years of investment expertise, operating in a wealthy East Asian region. The project involved a team of two front-end and two back-end developers. Despite a planned 1,800 hours of work with a limited budget, testing, which should have accounted for an additional 30–40% of the time, was not included.
The Workflow Air Global Tech adhered to its standard working method to mitigate risks and uphold its reputation:
Task Breakdown and Daily Meetings: Tasks were segmented into two-week sprints with daily meetings. These meetings allowed for a comprehensive review of the project’s state, alignment with requirements, and adjustments at control points.
Tools used: Trello, Gantt charts, Notion, Google Spreadsheets, and meetings.
Daily Design Team Meetings: Daily meetings with the design team focused on balancing impressive layouts with their practical implementation. The complexity of design directly influenced the workload for front-end developers.
Tools used: Figma, Notion, and meetings.
Task Prioritization: Tasks were prioritized, and secondary tasks were deferred to a post-MVP stage. Staying aligned with the initial market entry strategy, the team exercised common sense to determine what features could be temporarily forgone or replaced.
Why Test Driven Development Wasn’t Utilized While Test Driven Development (TDD) is essential for large projects, the team opted for a simpler scheme due to time constraints:
- Code delivery on GitHub with preliminary review by the team.
- Client review and task creation with status indication on GitHub.
- Debugging.
- Final review.
Result and Current Status
The project was released with a one-month delay due to the addition of new tasks to enhance functionality and bug fixes. As anticipated, the absence of technical documentation and testing led to this delay.
Presently, the product is undergoing closed testing with a group of investors. The team is actively addressing feedback on platform quality, fixing bugs, and gearing up for the next stage of developing a full-fledged product version.
Concluding Thoughts Incorporating a testing phase when launching an MVP ensures the project’s release within a specific timeframe, increasing the likelihood of success. The lack of technical documentation and code testing can significantly postpone the release date, depending on the project’s intricacies and the developers’ expertise.
