This document provides an overview of designing a minimum viable product (MVP). It defines an MVP and explains why they are useful for reducing risk and getting faster feedback. An example is given of how Dropbox designed their MVP by identifying their riskiest assumption that people would try an easy to use file syncing product. Attendees will learn how to use a tool called the Javelin Board to develop their own MVP by turning assumptions into experiments. The agenda includes explaining problem statements, demonstrating the Javelin Board technique, having participants practice on the boards, and discussing next steps after ideating an MVP.

1. Build Measure Learn
Designing Your MVP
AgileDC 2015
October 26, 2015

2. •Managing Agile Consultant
@Lithespeed
•Experience: 9 years industry
• Specialties: Agile, Team,
Program & executive level
Coaching and training
•Practitioner, consultant,
trainer, author, speaker and
community organizer
•Agile Coach @eGlobaltech
•Alumni, General Assembly
Product Management
•Experience: 5 years Industry
Specialties: Product
Management, Enterprise
Coaching & Training
Practitioner, meetup
speaker/enthusiast
Beth Miller Jennifer Hinton

3. Today’s Outcomes
1. Design a Minimum Viable Product
1. Learn how to use a Lean-Startup tool called the Javelin
Board to identify customer segments, assumptions, and
experiments.
1. Understand what makes a good problem statement, or
hypothesis

5. The Lean Startup

6. Minimum Viable Product
“an MVP can be defined as the least amount of work we
can do to in/validate a hypothesis, or problem a solution is
designed to solve”
Small, earliest point
to gather feedback
Must have utility
(e.g. not only the
login feature)
Must be cohesive
(e.g. not a random
collection of
features)
Minimum Viable Product

7. Why?
1. Reduce risk
1. Maximize success (learning)
1. Faster feedback
1. Reduced overhead
1. Measurable progress
“Success is not delivering a feature;
success is learning how to solve the
customer’s problem.”
-Mark Cook, Former VP of Kodak

8. Problem: Syncing files across systems and
computers.
Customer: People who have multiple
systems, or computers.
Riskiest assumption: If we provide an
extremely easy to use product, people will
try it.
Experiment: Video demonstrating ease of
use and sign up page. CEO, Co-Founder - Drew Houston
Dropbox

9. Problem: Syncing files across systems and
computers.
Customer: People who have multiple
systems, or computers.
Riskiest assumption: If we provide an
extremely easy to use product, people will
try it.
Experiment: Video demonstrating ease of
use and sign up page. CEO, Co-Founder - Drew Houston
Dropbox

10. MVP Key Questions
1. What is your riskiest assumption?
1. How would you test that riskiest assumption with
minimal work & maximum learning?
1. What would you measure?

11. How to design an MVP
See how customers respond.
Pivot or persevere?
Define a problem statement; Turn
it into an experiment.

12. Types of MVPs
•VIDEOS
• LANDING PAGE
• WIZARD OF OZ
• CONCIERGE
• MOCK-UPS/WIREFRAMES

13. Start with a problem
statement!
Think about What, when, where, frequency &
gaps
Between August 1st & 15th on the company
webpage, the web analytics tool failed to track
clicks on the homepage. The goal is to receive
daily reporting
Courtesy of Jason Tanner

14. Design your MVP - fill in the
blanks!
– Review the problem statement and customer you
are solving for.
– List your riskiest assumptions you are making with
your problem statement.
– Design an MVP to test your riskiest assumption(s).
Activity

15. Let’s Share
Let’s share how you iterated through the
assumptions using experiments &
feedback.

16. What did we learn again?
● Designed an MVP(s)
● Turned your assumptions into a list of
possible experiments
● Learned important metrics for
understanding MVP success
● Collaborated with agilists who will help
you formulate your MVP concept and
experimentation ideas

17. Reference(s)
The Lean Startup - Eric Ries
How to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard
Startup Lessons Learned - MVP Guide
General Assembly - Product Management
Javelin Board - Lean Startup Machine

18. TODO Before
Create Javelin Board(s) Flip Charts (6). This will include problem statement
example
Gather supplies for the boards, sharpies, & sticky notes

19. Facilitation Guide
Step Time Activity Outcome Agenda Question Materials Owner
Power Start 2 Share our backgrounds & today’s outcomes for
the Build Measure Learn Session
WiiFM Why are we here today? Slide Jennif
er-
Beth
Define MVP & its
benefits
3 Share the love for Shark Tank; Tell a story about
Eric Ries and why the MVP approach works.
Why MVP’s help
teams/organizations rapidly
What is an MVP? Why
does it matter?
Slide Jennif
er
How-to design an
MVP
2 Outline the 5 steps in designing an MVP. How do I design an MVP? Slide Beth
Example of how it
works
3 Tell the story of DropBox and the its MVP
approach
Real world example of an
MVP and how the learning
validated their problem had
a market and customer fit
before building
How could this work ? Slide Jeenife
r
Example of Problem
Statement
5 Give an example of a good problem statement
and its mechanics.
Understand how to create a
problem statement
What makes a good
problem statement or
hypothesis?
Slide Beth
Javelin Board
Explanation &
Activity Instructions
5 Outline how to use a Javelin Board. Give
directions to form into groups at your tables. On
each table are supplies needed to use the
Understand a tool for
designing the MVP
What is a technique or
tool to use for defining
MVP?
Slide Beth
Exercise 20 Walk around tables to provide feedback on their
Javelin board.
Collaboration &
participation by the
participants; practice!
How can I use the Javelin
Board?
Sharpies,
Stickies,
Boards
Jennif
er-Bet
De-brief 5 Walkthrough an example of Get Out of the
Building for the problem statement
What would happen next
after starting the Javelin
board?
Slide Jennif
er-
Beth
Re-cap 1 Share references & what we learned today; What did we learn? Slide Jennif