What is Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the smallest version of a product that can be released to real users to test core assumptions and start the learning loop. Popularized by Eric Ries in The Lean Startup, the MVP's purpose is validated learning — discovering whether a problem is real and a solution resonates — with minimal investment.
The emphasis is on "viable": an MVP must still deliver real value and a coherent experience, not a broken fragment. The art is choosing the smallest scope that genuinely tests the riskiest assumption. Done well, an MVP prevents teams from spending months building something nobody wants.
PMs use MVPs to de-risk new bets, get to market faster, and let evidence guide the roadmap. Related concepts include the prototype (for early validation) and the "minimum lovable product" (a reminder that even small releases should delight). A common pitfall is shipping something so minimal it tests nothing.
Examples
- A team validates demand with a single landing page and a manual back end before building software.
- A PM scopes an MVP to the one workflow that tests whether users will pay, deferring everything else.
Where PMs use this
Related terms
Product-Market Fit
The point at which a product satisfies strong market demand — the prerequisite for scalable growth.
Product Discovery
The work of deciding what to build — validating that a solution is valuable, usable, feasible, and viable.
Feature Flag
A switch that turns functionality on or off in production without deploying new code.
Agile
An iterative approach to building products that delivers value in small, frequent increments instead of one large release.