1️⃣Day 1 - Define your MVP

Stellar Community Fund reviewers expect you to explain clearly which problem you are you solving, for whom, and how. This first part is characterized by understanding the problem and working on it. It will allow you to get a clear problem statement and to complete the SCF Award Submission Form.

Define the problem

Here is an example from the "Aldamin" sample design sprint.

Avoid describing solutions; describe problems instead.

The Figma file provides space for you to do the same.

Don't worry about being neat!

Refine the problem

Once you've brainstormed the problems you're trying to solve, choose the most important ones to focus on first. Remember that you're asking for one to two months of funds to develop your solution.

Choose between one and three problems you'd like to focus on.

Next, write down a succinct problem statement that encapsulates the essence of what you're solving

Take your time and think of a powerful problem statement that'll catch the eye of reviewers

Define the Personas

It is important to understand who you are working for and what objective you are pursuing. To answer the question "for whom," you can use a tool called a User Persona.

Take your time and think of a powerful problem statement that'll catch the eye of reviewers

Golden Path

The golden path encompasses the entire user journey within a product. You have to complete the entire process that the user or users perform to achieve the goal of your product.

The golden path should have broad, high-level steps that the user must complete to achieve your application’s most important (golden) path.

The golden path does not contain alternative paths or edge cases, it is the path that in a perfect world all your users would take

User Story Map

Once you've defined your golden path, copy it into the next section and start defining the concrete steps and edge cases you need to cater to for each "broad" part of the golden path.

For instance, "client visits page and signs up" is a broad statement that involves a lot of concrete work:

• Creating a landing page

• Registration

• Sign in

• Forgot password

• Profile page

This level of detail is favored by reviewers who want to ensure you have a clear idea of what you are building.

Each step of the golden path must be broken down into more concrete steps and edge cases contemplated in that part of the journey

Define your Proof of Concept (POC), Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Minimum Marketable Product (MMP)

1. Proof of Concept (POC):

   • Timeframe: 1-2 months

   • Definition: A proof of concept is a small-scale demonstration to validate the feasibility of a concept or idea. It aims to verify whether a certain concept can be implemented effectively.

2. Minimum Viable Product (MVP):

   • Timeframe: 4-6 months

   • Definition: A minimum viable product is a basic version of a product with only essential features to satisfy early adopters and collect feedback for future development iterations.

3. Minimum Marketable Product (MMP):

   • Timeframe: 6-12 months

   • Definition: A minimum marketable product is the version of a product that includes enough features and functionality to satisfy early customers and generate revenue.

For the activation award, you must present a project that can be delivered in 1-2 months (a proof of concept)

In this section, you are required to organize the tasks that you created in the USER STORY MAP into items that it must have to test the solution in 1-2 months (this is your POC), items it should have in the next 4-6 months (this is your MVP), and items it could have (this is your MMP) in the next 6-12 months. Everything else will go into the Will Not Have section.

You will use a tool called MoSCoW to determine your POC, your MVP, and your MMP.

Must Have: This is what you'll be applying for your in your Activation Award submission

Should Have: This is likely to be your Community Award submission roadmap

Could Have: Together with the "Should Have," this is likely to be a good base for determining", your Total Expected Roadmap. These are stories that will make it into your MMP.

Won't Have: These are items that are 1+ years away from being built, and therefore are not worth spending any time over right now.

Summarize your Project

The Stellar Community Fund reviewers expect you to summarize your project in a one-sentence pitch. Make it memorable!

Try to use short, impactful statements that make it clear what your project is about.