The MVP, short for Minimum Viable Product, is a management practice that allows a product or service to be launched with the least possible features, solving a real problem, so that it can be tested by customers and validate the problem hypothesis it aims to solve.
It’s about creating a minimal version of the product or service, including only the basic elements needed for it to function as intended.
This approach has been widely adopted by innovation and software companies as it serves as a testbed for adjustments before making a significant investment in the project.
With the MVP, it’s possible to test not only its functionality but also its market acceptance, competition, usability, among other aspects.
After this stage, it returns to be further developed and improved based on the feedback gathered from customers.
This brings more confidence to project investors since, when launched after testing, it has a more secure margin of acceptability and success in the market.
Explaining the MVP
A good analogy for explaining MVP, which I heard from a great mentor, is: the ultimate product for mowing grass may be a sophisticated lawnmower, but the MVP can be a pair of grass shears.
The shears might not be the best tool for mowing a large field, but they provide the user experience to solve their pain: mowing grass.
However, now we face something a bit more complex. Everyone knows the meaning, advocates for the meaning, but when it comes time to make their MVP, the real concept simply disappears; it’s common to hear something like:
“I need to deliver the best in the market”; “Without this, my solution won’t gain traction”; “No one will see value in delivering a platform like this”; “My company has a reputation to uphold”.
These are arguments heard both in entrepreneurial actions throughout Brazil and in our work with UBISTART.
This happens because people still believe that only projects with a high investment value can win the preference of their target audience. However, what they are looking for are products that meet their real needs, that actually work, and that are different from what already exists in the market, and this is the role of the MVP.
Avoiding the “maximum” viable product
When we talk about UBISTART, think about our daily challenge of explaining to our clients that we are going beyond just an MVP. We’ve discussed delays in another post, citing what affects the delivery schedule of software projects. And one of the factors contributing to this is precisely the MVP.
That’s why we have a phase before software development to map out project functionalities (the consulting/pre-project phase). And yes, we encounter many projects that should be minimum viable products in the closing discourse, but when we start working with the client, they turn into maximum viable products.
Our challenge is always to work with these three pillars (communication, transparency, and processes) to clearly show the client that the 2-month solution was turning into an almost 8-month project.
By combining these three areas, we can demonstrate in every interaction during this consulting phase that the solution is deviating from the initial curve, and we raise the yellow flag to the client, working to return to the initial focus.
“Our challenge is to build a backlog (project scope) that meets the client’s demand as needed, without more or less.”
Extra Tip
We know it’s hard to hold back when discussing what we want to deliver to the market. We always want more and more and to deliver a polished diamond. However, relying on an external actor to evaluate the progress of your project can indeed be very helpful.
For startups in their business validation phases, they can rely on mentors and a variety of initiatives.
Convincing companies to work with the MVP can be a significant challenge initially. However, as they become familiar with how this working mechanism operates and yields good results, doors begin to open, positively changing the entire reality of a project.
The concept of MVP is increasingly being embraced by technology companies and startups. This is because this method delivers promising results and provides an innovative way to make a successful project viable in the market, considering that investments made tend to be more secure after implementing the MVP. If you’re interested in software projects, be sure to read the article “How to bring your software project to life“.
