🧪 MVP Strategy
Delivering the smallest viable version to learn fast and iterate.
What is an MVP?
A Minimum Viable Product is the smallest version of a product that delivers enough value to validate the core hypothesis with real users.
MVP is NOT
- A half-built product
- Version 1.0 with fewer bugs
- A prototype (prototypes test feasibility, MVPs test value)
- An excuse for poor quality
MVP design process
- Identify the core hypothesis — What must be true for this to succeed?
- Define the minimum feature set — What's the smallest thing that tests the hypothesis?
- Set success criteria — How will you know if the MVP worked?
- Build and ship — Fast, focused, with quality where it matters
- Measure and learn — Collect data, talk to users
- Decide — Pivot, persevere, or kill
Feature prioritization for MVP
Ask for each feature:
- Is this essential for the core value proposition? → Must have
- Does this improve the experience but isn't critical? → V2
- Is this nice to have? → Backlog
MVP timeline
- Ideally: 2-6 weeks from idea to shipped MVP
- If it takes longer, the scope is probably too big
- Time-box aggressively — deadline drives focus
Common mistakes
- Building too much before getting user feedback
- Optimizing for scale before validating demand
- Skipping the "measure and learn" step
- Confusing internal stakeholder requests with user needs
- Perfectionism disguised as "quality standards"