MVP software development
A useful MVP proves the right thing without leaving you with software you have to throw away when it works. We help businesses turn an idea into a focused first version, built well enough that success is not immediately followed by a rebuild.
Our MVP work is for businesses that need a focused first version quickly without treating the engineering as disposable.
- Scope driven by the riskiest assumption, not the longest wish list
- Real engineering underneath, so version two builds on version one
- Senior-led throughout
- Honest advice when an MVP is not what you need
How we decide what belongs in an MVP
MVP scopes often grow too large because every stakeholder has one feature they consider essential, and the result can prove very little at considerable expense. A better first version answers the question you are least certain about and leaves everything else until you know more.
The way to get there is to decide what would actually change your mind. If the risk is that nobody will pay, the MVP needs a genuine payment journey and little else. If the risk is that the workflow will not fit how people work, it needs the workflow and can simplify the surrounding features. Working out which uncertainty matters is the useful part of the conversation.
- Features that only matter once you have thousands of users
- Admin screens a person can handle manually at this volume
- Settings and configuration nobody has asked for yet
- Integrations that can wait until the idea is proven
- Clear separation between one customer’s data and another’s
- A data model designed for the likely next steps
- Backups with a tested restore process
- Core accessibility, because retrofitting it costs more
- Enough documentation that somebody else could continue
Questions we get asked
What is the difference between an MVP and a prototype?
A prototype exists to answer a question, often internally, and can be thrown away once it has. An MVP goes in front of real users and has to behave like real software, which means it carries obligations a prototype does not. We have written about where the line sits.
Should we build the MVP with AI tools first?
Often that is a sensible way to explore the idea, and it is genuinely fast. The question is what happens next. If it works and people start relying on it, our prototype to production service covers that next stage.
How long does an MVP take?
A focused MVP is usually three to four weeks. Scope is the lever on both time and cost, which is why the conversation about what to leave out is worth having properly.
On budget, we quote a fixed cost once the scope is agreed because functionality is the main variable. Our guide to custom software development costs explains the current starting points and what moves the number. Timelines are agreed in advance too, and where a deadline is fixed we can phase the work around it.
Discuss your MVP
Tell us what the first version needs to prove, who will use it and which assumptions carry the most risk.