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What is a Greenfield Project? A greenfield project can describe any project that a team starts from scratch. The term comes from real estate, where it conveys the image of a literal green-field site for development, undisturbed by previous construction. Product managers use greenfield to describe developing a new product, as opposed to enhancing or building on an existing product. We can segment this concept further into two types of new products: A product that’s new for the company making it. Example: A grocery chain wants to build a mobile ordering app. Other grocery retailers have released similar apps to customers, but it will be the first time this company builds one. The first product of its kind anywhere. Example: An automaker plans to build the world’s first electric-powered car. This is a true greenfield project in that the automaker will be starting with no comparable product anywhere to analyze. Note: When a team builds on existing infrastructure or upgrades an existing product, the industry calls this a brownfield project. What Does a Greenfield Project Mean in Software Development? For software companies, a greenfield project refers to kicking off a new app from scratch. That means, for example, that the product team will be starting without things like: Earlier versions of the product (or similar products) An existing codebase A well-defined user or buyer persona Feedback from key personas Research estimating the product’s total addressable market Historical data indicating the most effective selling messages and pricing models For these reasons, starting a greenfield project will require much more upfront work from the software product team and more coordination across the company.