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¶ MVP Definition
¶ What it is
The Minimum Viable Product definition tells us what scope and scale of the product we will have to build as the first release version that will find customers to use it (and ideally pay for it - hence: viable) and give us feedback to work with. It needs to be as small as possible (hence: minimum) so that we can market as quickly as possible yet with enough power to solve problems that some customers will already want to use.
¶ Why it is useful
Defining the MVP is critical to understanding for whom you are building the first version and what needs to be included to solve enough pains for them so they’ll want to use it.
¶ When to use it
It would be best if you defined an MVP before you built an even slightly more complex product with a longer roadmap.
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¶ How is it done
- Review your Finalised Concept Card and Persona Statements. Which Persona could be your beachhead market? Who has the highest pain or lowest barrier to switching to a new offering?
- For the Persona, re-run the Value Proposition Canvas exercise to map your concept's features that will solve enough pains and generate enough gains to appeal to that persona precisely.
- Check the outcome against your Product Vision to ensure they align.
- Write out the feature tree and specification for the things that need to be included to deliver that value proposition that you defined as sufficient for that beachhead market target persona.
¶ Do's & Don't
Do's
- Try to be minimal - prioritise features that address critical pains for one persona, which will be enough to make them use it.
- Review the viability by also thinking through the business model.
Don't
- Don’t try to define the MVP to appeal to all the potential target personas. It will end up being too large and too complex.
- Don’t forget about dependencies between features. Some things must go together to work.
¶ Tools needed
- Whiteboard (physical or virtual)
- Post-it notes (physical or virtual)
- Finalised Concept Card
- Persona Statements
- Value Proposition Canvas
- Product Vision
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¶ Example
