Minimum viable product is just that. It’s the least acceptable point to go to market. Launching a product or service at this level will not give user satisfaction, it will just about be good enough. Getting to MVP isn’t easy, in tech development, the implementation may have had to go through several stages (or sprints).

Stakeholders should decide what the minimum acceptable launch criteria should be. They should also have a clear view on what the quality target is. This target dictates the overall approach of the implementation because cost, speed and quality are always at odds with each other (see the adjacent diagram. Remember:

1. MVP gets you over the line. It doesn’t get you ‘good’
2. Support after launch – relationships can get a bit tense
3. Quality needs to match customer expectations
4. There is a journey in getting from MVP to acceptance
5. Agile is about continuous improvement and customer centricity – use it for that
6. Recognise the benefit in extra cycles of development or sprints

If a project team follows these ten secrets, then they are well placed to deliver a successful implementation at their client.