Startup engineering
Startup MVP engineering: what to decide before building
An MVP is not a smaller copy of a finished product. It is the smallest dependable experience that can test an important customer or business assumption.
Choose the assumption to test
Clarify whether the risk is demand, workflow fit, willingness to pay or operational delivery. The product should be designed to learn about that risk, not to include every planned feature.
Keep the architecture proportionate
Use maintainable foundations and avoid shortcuts that make the next iteration impossible. At the same time, do not pay for scale or sophistication that the first users have not earned.
Plan the feedback loop
Instrument the key actions, talk to users and define the decision that the first release should inform. Shipping without a feedback plan makes an MVP much less useful.