MVP Workflow
Real users, real feedback. Core flows working with authentication and persistence. Polish is optional — learning is mandatory.
What you're proving
An MVP validates product-market fit with real users. You're no longer testing if the idea works — you're testing if people will use it. Core flows must work reliably, but polish comes later.
Overview
Who it's for
Early adopters and beta users willing to provide feedback. Not yet for paying customers.
Typical duration
2-4 weeks depending on scope complexity. With AI assistance, teams often ship MVP features 40-60% faster than traditional development.
Meeting cadence
Standup
15-min check-in on progress, blockers, and decisions needed.
Demo & feedback
Show progress to stakeholders. Capture feedback live.
User testing
Watch real users interact with the product. Note friction points.
Retrospective
Review what worked, what didn't. Adjust for next sprint.
Key activities
Add authentication and data persistence
Move from mock data to real persistence. Add Supabase (or your chosen backend) for auth and database. Real users need real accounts.
Implement core happy paths
Focus on the 2-3 flows that define your product. Everything else waits.
Deploy to staging environment
Get the app running somewhere users can access. Configure basic environment separation.
Onboard early users for feedback
Recruit 5-10 beta users. Watch them use the product. Gather qualitative feedback.
Iterate based on feedback
Prioritize fixes that unblock core flows. Document edge cases for later.
AI-assisted development patterns
AI handles boilerplate: Auth flows, CRUD operations, form validation — let AI generate the standard patterns.
Human focuses on UX decisions: Flow logic, error messages, edge case handling — these need human judgment.
Review velocity is high: AI can produce code faster than you can review. Batch reviews by feature, not by commit.
Quality bar
What "good enough" looks like at MVP stage:
Real data persistence (no more mock data)
User authentication working
Core happy paths tested
Basic error handling in place
Responsive design (works on mobile)
Security fundamentals (no SQL injection, XSS)
Boundaries
Allowed
- • Limited feature set (core flows only)
- • Basic analytics (page views, key events)
- • Manual operational tasks
- • Minimal documentation
- • Some rough edges in UI
Not Allowed
- • Known security vulnerabilities
- • Data loss scenarios
- • Missing core features
- • Broken authentication flows
- • No way to provide feedback
Anti-patterns to avoid
Feature creep beyond core
You can always add more later. Ship the minimum that validates your hypothesis.
Premature scaling
Optimizing for 10,000 users when you have 10 is waste. Focus on learning, not scaling.
Over-engineering solutions
Simple beats clever. Avoid complex architectures until you know what you're building.
Building admin before user features
Users come first. Admin panels can be manual or minimal until users are happy.
Promotion to MMP
Before moving to MMP stage, verify:
- Core features complete and working reliably
- Early user feedback positive (validated product-market fit)
- No critical bugs blocking main flows
- Data & Security audit passed at MVP level
- Stakeholder sign-off to proceed
Design at MVP
Apply the design system properly at MVP stage. Responsive design matters — users will access on mobile. Use consistent spacing, typography, and colors. Save the polish for MMP.
Explore the Design System