OASIS Product Management Mantras, Chapter 3

Ensure that a minimum value product has been defined … and stick to that vision, especially at first.

Following on the heels of the last topic, another concept introduced to me by Softletter is closely related. When creating a new product or feature set, always focus on defining what the minimum value product (MVP, according to Softletter) is. This set of decisions related to “what is mission critical” ensures that you work to define the stories which must be developed first to make an initial release successful—and it also drives a clear rank and prioritization for those tasks. This step cannot be overemphasized because when reflecting on a true minimum for your product offering, you are simultaneously focusing on items with critical value, avoiding feature bloat, allowing real-life usability to shape future iterations, and adhering to the “less is more” philosophy without even trying. Keeping software simple at first also allows usability to be more malleable. In the case of developing for a wide array of users and platforms, testing and improving upon an initially focused feature set is far easier than a bloated application. Additionally, it is entirely possible to redefine a minimum value product at each stage of development, thereby reaping the same benefits across iterations.