Adding a Third Track: The Opportunity Track in Software Development

Published on July 9, 2024 by Brayden Hancock

In the fast-paced world of software development, selecting the right opportunities to pursue is both difficult and crucial. This decision is often underestimated, yet it significantly impacts the efficiency and success of development efforts. While the concept of dual-track development—often referred to as continuous discovery and delivery—addresses this to an extent, there’s an emerging need for an additional track that focuses on uncovering and evaluating long-term opportunities. Let’s dive into what dual-track development is and why adding an Opportunity Track can significantly enhance the software development process.

What is Dual-Track Development?
Dual-track development, commonly known as continuous discovery and delivery, is a methodology that divides the development process into two parallel tracks:

• Discovery Track: This is where high-level solutions or rough ideas are explored and refined. Product managers and designers work together to prototype and validate these concepts with real users. The goal is to understand the feasibility and potential impact of these ideas before committing to development.
• Delivery Track: Once an idea is validated in the Discovery track, it moves to the Delivery track. Here, developers focus on building and shipping the feature. This track is all about execution, ensuring that the validated ideas are turned into functional, high-quality software.

The Need for an Opportunity Track
Selecting the correct opportunity to work on is crucial because teams will invest significant time and effort into the chosen opportunity. If the wrong opportunity is selected, or if there is a better one that was overlooked, it’s akin to making a bet without seeing all the possible bets. This can result in selecting an opportunity with a much lower ROI, and it can take a considerable amount of time to correct course. Often, the decision-making process in identifying these opportunities is handled by board members or HiPPOs (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion) who are positioned at a distance from the actual data. Their decisions are sometimes made without critical thought or the backing of quantitative and qualitative data, relying instead on intuition or influence.

This is where the Opportunity Track comes into play. The Opportunity Track is designed to look beyond immediate problems and focus on discovering and evaluating a broad range of opportunities that align with the company’s strategic goals and drive future growth, using data-driven insights rather than just opinions.

Key Benefits of the Opportunity Track:

• Comprehensive Exploration: The Opportunity Track allows teams to explore a wide range of possibilities before narrowing down to specific high-level solutions. Without knowing the full spectrum of opportunities, it's challenging to prioritize and focus effectively in the Discovery track.
• Strategic Alignment: This track ensures that all opportunities are in line with the company’s long-term strategy, facilitating better prioritization and resource allocation.
• Risk Mitigation: By continuously scouting for opportunities, teams can anticipate market changes and adapt more swiftly, reducing the risk of being blindsided by industry shifts.
• Informed Decision-Making: The Opportunity Track provides a foundation for making informed decisions in the Discovery track. By understanding the full range of potential opportunities, teams can better assess which ideas are most worth exploring.
• Data-Driven Approach: Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data ensures that the decisions made in the Opportunity Track are based on evidence and critical thought, rather than solely on senior management opinions.

Conclusion
Incorporating an Opportunity Track alongside the traditional Discovery and Delivery tracks can significantly enhance a team’s ability to innovate, adapt, and succeed in the competitive software landscape. By systematically exploring and evaluating a wide array of opportunities, organizations can ensure they are making informed, strategic decisions that align with their long-term goals. This comprehensive approach not only mitigates risks but also maximizes the return on investment, ultimately leading to the development of high-impact, market-aligned products. At nFluunt, we’re excited to lead this evolution in software development, helping teams not only meet their current goals but also prepare for a prosperous future.