Marketing 0

Develop a Flexible Product Platform
The most significant reason why agile teams have a fast turnaround
is that they do not build new projects from scratch. Instead, every
new iteration comes from the same base, which is called a platform.

---

When customers evaluate a specific product, for instance, they do
not love or hate it entirely. They might dislike some elements while
desiring others. Thus, everything—product features, software
components, CX touchpoints, or creative designs—is designed to be
modular and layered. The base serves as the core product while other
modules can be assembled differently on top to augment the product.
Software and other digital companies by default are more flexible
and agile in their product development. With no physical assets, they
can better adapt to market volatility and uncertainty. Despite its
roots in digital products, the practice is also common in hardware
companies. In automotive, for instance, it is common to base product
development on only a few platforms. Different car models with
distinct looks and even different automaker brands might use the
same platform. The rationale for this practice is to save costs and
standardize manufacturing processes globally. That way, automakers
can keep prices low while still providing customized design
variations catering to different market preferences.
In some cases, companies shift their business model from hardware
ownership to digital services to improve their agility. Hardware and
software products have longer sales cycles as customers do not
frequently upgrade them if improvements are not significant. Thus,
agile marketing might not be as useful. That is why tech companies
move up from selling enterprise hardware and software to offering
service subscriptions. With the new revenue model, they can provide
products that are well integrated and continuously upgraded.
With the flexible product platform, agile teams can quickly
experiment with various configurations until they gain the most
favorable feedback from the market. But most importantly, product
platforms and modular components enable companies to do mass
customizations. Customers can choose their unique configurations
for all kinds of products, such as frozen yogurt, shoes, and laptops.