Product & MVP

MVP versus prototype versus proof of concept, prioritisation frameworks and when each one applies, roadmaps, technical debt, build versus buy, and what product-market fit actually feels like.

Build the smallest useful thing

Lessons

• What an MVP actually is — Minimum refers to scope, not quality. A broken product does not test your hypothesis — it tests whether people tolerate bugs. (10 min)
• Cutting scope without cutting value — How to decide what goes in v1, and the three questions that resolve most arguments about it. (12 min)
• Prioritisation frameworks, and when each applies — RICE, ICE, MoSCoW and Kano. Not a dump of frameworks — a guide to which one to reach for and when none of them help. (12 min)
• What product-market fit actually is — Not a score and not a moment. Retention, unprompted return and how hard people fight to keep using it. (12 min)
• Build, buy, or do not do it at all — The most valuable engineering decision is usually not writing the code. Three questions that settle it. (10 min)

All Founder Academy subjects