This blog post is part of a series outlining the key steps to building a successful product. Each chapter breaks down the essential teams and strategies required to succeed at every stage of the product lifecycle.

This first chapter will focus on the very first step: starting from scratch.

1. The right team for every product challenge
2. Breaking it down: the startup phase
3. MVP launch & initial testing
4. Scaling your team for growth
5. Finding the right balance

1. The right team for every product challenge

In this article, we want to address an essential question for every startup: What team do you need to build your product from scratch, based on the specific challenges of your project?

Building a successful product involves defining a team tailored to each stage of development. Whether you're launching an MVP or scaling a product that has already found market fit, your team’s composition needs to evolve based on your goals, timelines, and the resources at hand.

In this first chapter, we’ll focus on how to create a product from zero, going from an initial idea to a functional MVP in a maximum of 4 months—just like we do at Eagerworks. The first version is critical, as it is the foundation for everything that follows. We believe that if an MVP can’t be ready in this time frame, the initial scope definition is not clear enough, and this is why a discovery phase is so important.

2. Breaking it down: the startup phase

When you’re just starting and have already completed your product discovery phase —meaning you've identified your target audience, addressed their specific pains, designed your product, and mapped out user flows—it's time to shift focus to development.

On this stage, your team needs to be lean, focused, and efficient. You also want to build an MVP with the best investment-performance ratio, focusing only on the core solution that addresses the specific pain, leaving every other accessory feature for a second stage after user testing. So, what would the ideal team look like in terms of size and roles?

Here’s what this core team typically looks like:

• Product Manager (PM)

The PM’s job is to keep the product development process on track, ensuring that everything aligns with the bigger vision. They manage the product backlog, prioritize features, and make sure the MVP is heading in the right direction.  To make the best possible use of a given budget, in this initial phase, the PM normally takes on the role of Quality Assurance (QA), ensuring that the product meets minimum quality standards before it's released for user testing. This streamlines the process and allows faster adjustments as the MVP is developed.

• Technical lead

This person defines the product’s architecture, ensuring a solid technical foundation for future scalability. They guide the development team, making critical decisions to set the project up for long-term success. This role is initially full-time to establish the architecture and set the technical direction. As the project progresses, their involvement transitions to a part-time supervisory role, ensuring adherence to the defined architecture and technical standards while optimizing costs. Toward the end of the project, their full-time presence becomes critical again for final adjustments and deployment.

• Developers

Depending on the scope of your MVP, you'll need at least one or two developers to code the product. Usually, we work with a semi-senior developer and a junior developer. The first works closely with the Technical Lead and handles more complex tasks, making them essential for keeping things on track. The latter is responsible for tasks that have been simplified through collaboration with the semi-senior dev. They are the development horsepower.

• UX/UI Designer

Even an MVP needs to be user-friendly and visually appealing. The designer’s role is to make sure the interface is intuitive and attractive, so users don’t hit friction points while testing the product.

This lean, high-impact team of 4-5 people (some full, some part-time) can move fast to get the MVP ready.

3. MVP launching & initial testing

Once your MVP is built, it's time for user testing. This phase is crucial for getting real feedback from users and understanding whether the product is meeting market needs. Typically, the MVP should be tested for a period of 1 to 4 months, depending on how quickly you can acquire users and gather meaningful feedback.

4. Maintenance & Optimization (Low-investment period)

After launching your MVP, the primary goal is to ensure the system operates at peak performance while maintaining minimal investment. This period is all about stability, gathering insights, and building trust with your early user base.

Key Objectives:

• System stability: Keep the platform running smoothly with a small maintenance team or part-time developer(s). Address critical bugs or performance issues immediately.
• Peak performance: Ensure the system can handle its current user load efficiently while providing a seamless experience.
• User acquisition: Focus on onboarding and engaging new users to expand your user base organically.
• Feedback collection: Use this period to actively gather feedback from users about their experience with the product.

During this phase, you don’t need a large team. A lean approach allows you to focus on running the MVP efficiently without overinvesting in unnecessary resources. The idea is to observe how users interact with the product and identify areas for improvement. Typically, this phase lasts between 1 to 4 months, depending on how quickly you can collect meaningful data and insights.

5. Scaling your team for growth

Once your MVP is tested and you’ve achieved product-market fit, it's time to scale. At this stage, your team will need to grow, and the composition will change based on your goals. The approach to scaling depends on the resources at hand and how much control you want over the process.

• In-house scaling

If your product generates revenue and you want to continue growing, expanding your team in-house may be the best option. This means adding more developers, designers, and possibly even a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to help drive your tech strategy.

• Outsourcing

If your focus is more on growing the business side of things while keeping the technical side flexible, outsourcing some of the technical roles could be a good option. You could engage a CTO-as-a-service to help you define your technology roadmap and hire external developers for the bulk of the work.

• Hybrid teams

For many startups, a hybrid approach works best. This means keeping your core team in-house (e.g., PM, designer) while working with external experts (e.g., developers, testers) to fill in the gaps. This approach allows you to retain control over the product vision and user experience while still scaling the technical capabilities as needed.

6. Finding the right balance

Ultimately, the right technical team for your startup will depend on where you are in the product life cycle and what your specific goals are. For MVP development, you want a lean, agile team that can move quickly. As your product matures and you look to scale, you’ll need to expand your team in both size and specialization. The trick is finding the right balance between investing in the right people and staying agile enough to keep iterating and adapting based on feedback. By constantly assessing your needs and adjusting your team accordingly, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success.

By following this approach, you can build a product that not only meets the market’s needs but also scales as your business grows. And remember—at Eagerworks, we specialize in getting your first version of the product out the door quickly. In 3-4 months, we can have your MVP ready for launch. If that timeframe isn’t met, it’s likely due to an unclear scope definition, so getting the MVP right in the discovery phase is crucial.

Want to know more about what we do and how we can help your product? Check out our Startup Studio, and read our blog to stay up-to-date on the latest business trends.