HarborOps is a mid-market maritime software company that sells port operations tools to 40 commercial terminals across North America and Europe. Its core products help terminal operators manage berth schedules, yard activity, and vessel turnaround, and the company now wants to launch a new data product for onboard teams working on cargo vessels.
Today, onboard teams rely on email, spreadsheets, radio updates, and disconnected port systems to prepare for arrival and cargo operations. Interviews with 12 vessel captains, chief officers, and operations managers found three recurring pain points: poor visibility into port readiness, fragmented operational data, and last-minute changes that create delays and rework. HarborOps believes a data product could improve coordination between ship and shore, but the team has only 10 weeks and a small cross-functional squad to ship an MVP.
Leadership wants the MVP to prove that onboard users will adopt the product weekly and that it can reduce avoidable coordination friction before committing to a broader platform investment.