Defining the Minimum Viable Product in Agile Web Development: A Personal Playbook

When I hear the term Minimum Viable Product (MVP), I think of the art of balance—a product that solves a real user problem with just enough functionality to delight, without overloading the team or blowing the budget. Over the years, defining an MVP has become both a science and an art for me, rooted in problem-solving, collaboration, and some hard choices. Here's my playbook for nailing it.

Start With Why (and Ask It Five Times)

Every great MVP begins with clarity. For me, that means truly understanding the user's problem and what they’re trying to accomplish. This is where the "5 Whys" technique comes in. Asking “why” repeatedly may seem repetitive (and sometimes feels like an interrogation), but it gets to the root of the problem. It’s not about surface symptoms—it’s about uncovering the core pain point the product is solving.

For example, at Rain for Rent, we were building SalesPro, a quoting application for the sales team. Sales leaders wanted a faster way to generate accurate quotes, but "faster" wasn’t enough. Why did speed matter? Because delays meant lost deals. Why were delays happening? Manual data entry. Why did data entry take so long? Disconnected systems. By the fifth "why," the team and I knew the true problem to solve: integrating systems to eliminate redundancies. This clarity shaped every decision moving forward.

Trimming the Feature Fat

Once the problem is clear, I start building a backlog of user stories. Here’s where the MVP magic happens—deciding what stays and what goes. I bring out the metaphorical scalpel and start trimming features. Each story must be absolutely essential to solving the core problem. Any fluff gets cut.

I’m a big fan of wireframes and process flows to visualize the functionality. These tools help the team—and stakeholders—see what’s being built and ensure we’re all on the same page. Then, I bring in one of my favorite exercises: weighted stakeholder voting. At Rain for Rent, this process became a game-changer. Stakeholders were given a fixed amount of "play money" to "fund" the features they wanted. Suddenly, features had to be sold—not just to me, but to their peers.

This exercise wasn’t just about priorities; it taught stakeholders to articulate the value of their ideas. Every feature needed a clear user story, KPIs, and success metrics. The added twist? They had to guarantee the financial objective tied to their choices. Stakeholders quickly learned to spend wisely, ensuring that the final MVP list was practical, impactful, and aligned with business goals.

Testing the MVP’s Value

Delivery isn’t the end—it’s the beginning of validation. The first question I ask once the MVP is built is: Does it solve the user’s problem? Beta testing, customer feedback, and user acceptance testing (UAT) are my guiding lights here. Tools that capture direct feedback are invaluable because they tell you not only if the product works but if it works for the user.

I also measure success through key metrics like:

• System response times (Is the product snappy and efficient?)
• Server load (Can the infrastructure handle real-world use?)
• Funnel analysis (Where are users dropping off?)
• Time to complete funnel (If it’s too slow, satisfaction plummets.)

One metric I’ve found especially telling is funnel completion time. The faster a user can accomplish their goal, the happier they are.?

I also insist that the QA team is looped in from day one, especially when writing acceptance criteria for user stories. Their involvement ensures that every feature not only meets its requirements but also works seamlessly.

Delivering With Speed and Quality

The agile mindset is all about iteration, and for me, that means delivering a functioning product at the end of every sprint. My sprints are designed to be mini-projects, each producing real, usable functionality that gets demoed to stakeholders. No placeholders, no "it’ll be done later" promises. If it’s not working, it’s not demoed and not considered delivered.

Involving QA early—right when the acceptance criteria are written—has been a game-changer. By the time we demo a feature, it’s been tested and verified. This proactive approach minimizes rework and ensures we maintain a rhythm of consistent quality.

Lessons Learned (With a Dash of Humor)

Defining an MVP is never smooth sailing. There’s always that one stakeholder who thinks their feature is the feature. (Pro tip: a friendly "play money" exercise works wonders here.) But over time, I’ve learned that an MVP isn’t about perfection—it’s about momentum. It’s a starting point that solves a real problem, delivers real value, and gives you the insights to iterate and improve.

In the end, defining an MVP is a lot like composing music (my other passion). You don’t start with a symphony—you start with a melody. Build it out, refine it, and before you know it, you have something truly powerful. And if it’s anything like SalesPro, maybe it’ll generate $800 million in quotes while you’re at it.

So, if you’re wrestling with your MVP, remember this: trim the fluff, involve your stakeholders, and deliver something functional every sprint. And if all else fails, ask “why” five more times.

Eric Schultheiss

Senior Technical Product Manager | Agile MVP Enthusiast | Music Composer