DEFINE THE MVP THE RIGHT WAY

MVP = the smallest version that proves (or disproves) a key assumption. Start by writing: - Target user - Their painful job-to-be-done - The moment your product becomes valuable (“aha”) - The one metric that proves it Then cut everything that doesn’t push users to that aha moment.

SCOPE WITH CONSTRAINTS

Constraints speed up decisions: - Platform: pick one (web or mobile) - Use cases: pick 1–2 core scenarios - Integrations: ship none or one - Roles: one role first A useful trick: write a “Not in MVP” list and publish it internally. It prevents scope creep.

DESIGN FOR WHAT YOU CAN BUILD

Design time explodes when you design every edge case upfront. Instead: - Design the happy path end-to-end - Add only the 2–3 most common errors - Use existing UI patterns (avoid custom components) - Keep visual polish consistent, not perfect This keeps engineering aligned and reduces rewrites.

SHIP IN WEEKLY LOOPS

Pick a cadence: - Week 1: prototype + 5 interviews - Week 2: first build + instrumentation - Week 3: onboarding and activation fixes - Week 4: pricing/payments or retention loop Every loop ends with a decision: double down, pivot, or kill the idea.