“Building Smart: A Checklist to Define Your True MVP”

When prioritizing product features for launch, the term Minimum Viable Product (MVP) often comes up—but it’s frequently misunderstood or misused. I’ve seen MVPs balloon from three essential features to eight, diluting the concept entirely. The key question to ask is: Is this feature truly something your customer cannot live without?

If you’re working on a product and find yourself continuously adding features because you believe they provide value, it’s time to take a step back.

Here’s a simple checklist I use to help evaluate whether something is truly MVP—helping you minimize cost, time, and resource waste.

MVP Validation Checklist:

1. What problem is the product solving?
   Be clear and specific about the core pain point.

2. What are the must-have features to solve this problem?
   For each feature, go deep—identify use cases, user journeys, edge cases, and validation points.

3. Do you have data to back it up?
   Are these features supported by market research or user feedback, or are they assumptions made by stakeholders?

4. Push back with purpose.
   Stakeholders often have great intentions and deep customer insight. Listen to them, make them feel heard, but don’t be afraid to pause and validate their requests through research. A feature can be valuable without being MVP-worthy.

5. Align across teams.
   Conduct a collaborative review involving technical leads, business teams, UX, marketing, and other stakeholders to agree on the final MVP scope. This alignment helps set a shared vision before diving into detailed requirements.

6. Control scope creep.
   Define a clear process for change requests post-MVP definition, ensuring all key stakeholders are informed and aligned.

Remember, the goal of an MVP is to launch quickly with just enough value to satisfy early adopters and gather feedback—not to deliver a full-featured product. Stay focused, be data-driven, and keep your customers’ core needs at the center.