What is a minimum viable project (MVP)?

If you’ve worked on projects in the corporate world (especially in tech), you’re probably familiar with the idea of a minimum viable product as popularised by Eric Ries’ Lean Startup book. 

But have you ever heard of a minimum viable project?

A minimum viable project (MVP) is the simplest, most streamlined version of your project that can achieve your primary goal. It’s about focusing on what’s essential and cutting out the unnecessary frills that can bog you down. 

It’s way too easy to get lost in the sauce of endless planning, trying to perfect every detail before you start. But here’s the secret: you don’t need to have everything figured out to get moving.

Think of it like building a sturdy foundation for a house. Once it’s in place, you can always change the layout to add more rooms and decorate to your heart’s content.

Why start with an MVP?

Starting with an MVP means you can test your ideas in the real world without the pressure of perfection. It frees you from the umm-ing and ahh-ing, enabling you to tweak things based on feedback rather than getting lost in the planning phase. 

Basically, the faster you start, the sooner you can test your ideas and gather feedback. 

Your MVP doesn’t have to be perfect – it just needs to be functional enough to act as scaffolding for your project goal. Once you have that solid foundation, you can expand and refine your project based on your progress.

With an MVP, you learn what works and what doesn’t early on. This feedback loop lets you make informed adjustments and improvements without having wasted excessive resources on unproven ideas – if something is just too difficult or expensive to implement, then you can bin it quickly.

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Focusing on the essentials

When you embrace the idea of an MVP, you’re setting yourself up for success by focusing on the essentials. By adopting this approach, you can keep a clear vision of your goals without getting overwhelmed by the specifics. And this clarity will help you confidently navigate the journey ahead.

Rather than trying to tackle every possible direction all at once, you’re forced to break your project down into its most crucial elements, which simplifies the beginning phase (which is usually the hardest) and keeps your attention on what matters most. 

You can always build on your MVP later

Remember, the beauty of an MVP is its flexibility. Once you’ve launched your initial version, it’s a good idea to keep revisiting it and making enhancements based on what you’ve learned – this iterative approach lets you develop your project naturally, ensuring each step is intentional. 

A minimum viable project, or MVP, is your ticket out of analysis paralysis and into action. By focusing on the bare minimum needed to achieve your goal, you create a solid foundation that can be built upon as you grow.

Remember, perfection isn’t the goal — progress is.

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Melody Sadé

I'm the Engineer of Calm® - a writer, consultant and educator, currently living in London. Click here to get in touch with me.

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Melody, aka the Engineer of Calm®, is a London-based commercial writer.

Bringing extensive experience from various prominent organisations, she offers a human-centred approach to writing for a modern audience.