Many people talk about the benefits of side projects, the further rise of a third-party product and its retraining into the main one, etc. But is it really so? And what exactly is an activity outside the main activity? Let's take a closer look at these questions together in this article.
What is a side project?
The definition of "side project" comes from music. Today it is used in many areas, including IT. In simple terms, a side project is a third-party work of a product manager. And it doesn't have to be from the development area.
For example, a person manages the development of a new platform for a small business - this is the main activity. In his spare time, he restores old Soviet cars and collects them - this is a side project.
But we'll talk about side projects in a product context. As a rule, products develop large products in a start-up or in a company and can simultaneously conduct activities that do not relate to the main place of work (but not everyone does this).
There are many stories of side projects becoming the main job. As a rule, these are "shot" products that have received high demand and have begun to make a profit.
For example, 9 years ago Mikhail Karpov, being an employee of Yandex, organized ProductCamp in Russia - the strongest community of product managers. During this time, he worked at VKontakte and Skyeng, but continues to organize conferences every year, which gather thousands of participants.
But a side project is not always a separate activity. Some products take a working version of the product and experiment in every possible way on it.
In general, the context of the definition is different, but everything has one common detail: this is outside of the main work.
Why does a product manager need a side project?
Should you be distracted from your main work and spray yourself? If this goes to the detriment of the main activity, then it is better to refuse. But in their free time, no one forbids doing something of their own, and there are several reasons in favor of this.
For self-development
Today the labor market is moving towards narrowing specializations in order to achieve better results. For example, there used to be a "programmer" who wrote programs in different languages. Accordingly, all programs written in different codes had "holes". Therefore, there was a division into narrower specializations - JavaScript developer, jQuery, etc. That is, a person specializes in something specific and constantly improves his skills.
But the desire for self-development is natural for any of us. And the more we do, the better. Therefore, many products go into extra-work activities to learn something new.
Mikhail Karpov, while working in large companies, was involved in the implementation of the Football Quiz FIFA & UEFA mobile application for the Indian market.
In the end, it didn’t work, but he also set other tasks as top priority: learning how to work with the foreign market and marketing, creating MVP of mobile products, etc.
A side project is not necessarily something successful. In most cases, they do not bring economic success, but they allow you to learn something new and that's okay! Do not be upset if your additional activities have not brought success, the main thing is knowledge.
For testing
Testing new ideas on a large project can lead to expensive consequences, but sometimes you really want to try something out of the ordinary.
As a result, the product creates a side project and begins to "conjure" over it. Such testing helps to check all the options and determine which ones really work, and which ones are better to abandon and generally forget.
This factor correlates with self-development, but at the same time helps to reduce possible losses in advance. Trust me, the management will only say thank you for such a side, especially if the new tested solution has a positive effect on the main product.
For discipline
Hired fixed-wage jobs often lead to procrastination, which puts important tasks back until the last moment. As a result, you have to work without days off and breaks so as not to disrupt deadlines.
Developing a by-product helps in self-organization and discipline. Here, no one will rush you, you will not receive any payment in the end, so you have to force yourself to do something. And then discipline helps in the work on the main product.
Clear discipline and adherence to the schedule ultimately leads to overfulfillment of plans, earlier achievement of the set goals. Looking to advance your career? Discipline yourself! Does not work? Take a side project!
For communication
Due to the specifics of the activity, the product manager mainly communicates with programmers and other IT workers. This narrows your perspective and often prevents you from thinking bigger, which negatively affects your core product.
Take another example with Mikhail Karpov. Several years ago, he decided to share his experience with aspiring product managers and organized ProductStar. Creating the first courses, attracting speakers from different fields, he communicated with dozens of interesting people from different professions. It helps the mind expand and has a positive effect on the core activity. Without communication, we begin to think narrowly only within the framework of our specialization.
The more a product communicates with different people, understands them, the better for the main job, the development of a large product, etc.
For joy
Working in a large company is often associated with delays in the implementation of various functions, internal problems, unexpected personnel changes, etc. All this turns into a routine and at one point the source of strength dries up.
In such a situation, a side project helps. There is no framework - complete freedom of action and creativity, so it is easier to achieve your goals. This provides additional dopamine, which generates strength and enthusiasm for basic activities.
How to create side projects?
Learning to manage time
Learn to manage your own time before taking on outside activities. Some products on the go define current tasks, take on their implementation and forget about something important. As a result, it takes a lot of time to switch between actions and something constantly remains unresolved. In such conditions, work on additional projects is out of the question.
Start planning your day and week. Spend 30-40 minutes on Sunday to define tasks for the next 7 days. For example, add three features to a product. And then plan every day by breaking down the main tasks into small ones. Set aside actions for a certain amount of time and do everything in sequence.
Within a month, you will feel the effect: you will start doing more with less time, the desire to procrastinate will disappear, and enough hours will be freed up to complete side projects.
We define goals
Coming up with an idea for additional activities is not easy. Therefore, it is best to start by defining goals. Think about what you want to achieve by the end of the year? Write it down in a notebook, diary, or notes on your phone. Just do not spray on a large number of targets, 5-7 pieces are enough.
Keep working and enjoying life, but return to your annual goals every 2 weeks. Analyze how their achievement is progressing, adjust if necessary.
After 2-3 months, you will understand which goals are really important, and which were far-fetched and do not matter much. Resources are always limited, so focus on what you actually do first. This will help you strive to achieve meaningful goals.
For example, by the end of the year, you want to master financial planning for budget control. In the first 2-3 months after setting the goal, you read books, try to organize budgeting for all incoming and outgoing flows in Excel, but you understand that this is very inconvenient. This is how the idea appears to create an automated platform for developing a financial plan for a month, a year, five years, etc.
As you implement a third-party product, you will dive deeper into the topic of financial planning. The bottom line is that you know how to control the budget and own a convenient accounting tool. Yes, it may not be in demand among the mass user, but your main success is the knowledge gained and pleasure from work.
Choosing an idea and deciding on quality
Before starting work, understand that the quality of the side project will not be the same as that of the main project. Moreover, understanding does not come immediately: at first it seems that the idea is very promising and will shoot steeper than anything else. Therefore, approach the assessment with a "cool" head.
And be prepared for the fact that the third-party product will be difficult due to the presence of many incomprehensible details at the moment. In most cases, products start moving in a direction that they are not familiar with. You have to learn something new along the way, solve interesting problems, etc.
Determine immediately the goals of the future project. Three options are possible here:
- do something "for fun" and have fun;
- learn something new;
- make a normal product for the consumer. In the first two cases, quality does not play a special role. You do it mainly for yourself, the final product will not get to the mass market.
But if your motivation is the third option, then know that almost any idea already has analogues on the market. And they are made not in their free time, but as a whole team at full-time, that is, the bar for the quality of the final product is high.
Objectively assess your strengths: can you achieve approximately the same quality so that people use the product at least in that narrow niche that you have chosen. If not, then it is better to abandon the idea and consider others, because when working on the current one, it will not work to satisfy the motivation.
Thus, at this stage (one of the most important) there are three main points:
- awareness of the complexity of the side project;
- determination of motivation;
- an objective assessment of one's own capabilities.
Planning a side project
When there are clear goals, the idea of complementary activities can be defined. But don't think that the side project is being implemented overnight. The implementation of an idea takes a certain amount of time, which must be allocated regularly. Otherwise, the work will quickly come to naught.
For example, there is a task to organize a conference for products. In a moment it will not go away on its own. First, we determine the format, plan the topics of speeches, attract speakers, design a poster, choose promotion channels, hold an event and see the results. Based on the results of the analysis, we understand: to carry out something similar next year or not. Everything takes time, work is done regularly.
Thus, the side project will not exist until it appears on the calendar. Without this, sooner or later he will be superseded by his main job. It is impossible to solve the assigned tasks without clear step-by-step planning.
We motivate ourselves to work
When you create a product at your main job, you are constantly motivated by the wages you receive. Nobody pays for a side project, so it's more difficult to motivate yourself. And motivation in this case tends to gradually decrease. And the longer you work without tangible results, the less the mood to do something further.
To get a "new" portion of motivation, constantly analyze the results. Feeling something tangible (for example, you earned the first $ 1000 or mastered a new skill and now you can put it into practice), you will have a charge of strength to continue moving in the chosen direction.
Motivation can be divided into two types: external and internal. The first makes you constantly return to the subject (to the project, the music album, etc.). For example, you transferred an advance payment to the developer for the implementation of a particular function, so you will be motivated to form a task for him and then check its implementation.
The inner one is aimed at solving difficulties that always appear in everyday life. It is formed within you: you need to learn to return to the subject and watch the result. If the set goals are not achieved, plan the stages of their achievement. Without internal motivation, you won't be able to implement a side project.
Putting together a team
“One is not a warrior in the field” is a well-known truth, so the team is assembled not only for the main product, but also for a third-party one. There is bad news - it is difficult to find quality specialists for different roles in a side project, because not everyone agrees to work for an idea.
There are people who, after a 5-minute conversation, agree to join the team. This happens for two reasons: your idea greatly fascinated the person, or he just wants to do something "for fun". In the first case - ok, we take it to the team. In the second, no, such a person's motivation will quickly drop to zero and he will “merge” from the team at the most inopportune moment.
Start with your colleagues at their main place of work. Perhaps someone like you is eager to work on a side project and learn new skills. Such people will agree to work for the idea. Visit thematic forums, look for enthusiasts, present your idea. You will have to spend a lot of time, but it's really possible to assemble a team.
The central element of a side project is a constantly running engine, it always “shakes” people for deadlines, motivates and directs them forward, yearns to get results and shows them to the team in the best colors for additional motivation. This engine should be you. Unfortunately, if there is no such ability, then the third-party product "fades" at an early stage of development.
Some useful tips:
Delegate all possible tasks. Admit that you don't have much time. Leave only important tasks to yourself, leave the rest to the team members. The more you give, the faster you get what you want.
Get the deadline. People working for an idea will not be able to fill responsibilities as quickly as they would for money. But always strive to meet deadlines. Remember that motivation tends to decline. Therefore, you cannot waste extra days, because at any moment the desire to engage in a third-party product may not become at all.
Drive in the most productive iterations. So you and the team will see the result, "feel" it with your hands. This will give you additional motivation and help you move on.
A product needs side projects to develop new skills, communicate with people, and test ideas. Set the rest of the goals yourself, based on your needs and desires.
Remember, outsourcing only seems like a simple task. In fact, you have to spend your free time, because the product is not sold at the snap of your fingers. This also requires learning how to manage the schedule, constantly looking for motivation and gathering a team of specialists to bring the idea to life.