How do you balance between fixing bugs and developing new features?
Alex AI
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Timothy Bramlett@timothybramlett
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As always, it depends on the stage your product is in, but in general you want to prioritize bugs that customers have submitted.
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@timothybramlett
Agree Timothy!
It is based on the priority of users, impact and its values. I would first recommend fixing the bugs and retain existing users, than building new features which are yet to create a new traction.
to me bugs have priority, features can wait.
How about you?
Both bugs and features are product backlog items, I treat them as such. So depending on a given bug's urgency, severity, complexity, I will assume a priority for it and will compare it against both other bugs and actual new features in the backlog - what is the most value I can deliver now? Is it fixing a specific bug or creating a new feature deferring the bug fix?
In the early stages, I have focused on adding new features to build the product. As the software grows, fixing bugs becomes more important, and balancing both gets trickier. Having a general plan on what features to add, while addressing feedback that's usually going to be bugs is a good idea. You can also make your life easier by testing your software a lot.
@byalexai Sure! You can start by brainstorming features that align with your vision for the software. For common functionalities, check the market to ensure you include standard features. For example, if you're creating a messenger app, keep intuitive shortcuts that users already expect like spell checks and so on. These become part of your plan automatically. For niche aspects, think creatively. Your original idea can guide you in this process. As the software evolves, so does your vision, making it easier to decide what to implement. You can even use direct feedback to add more features to your plan. If there is something people want to see, that's a great reason to add it.