Sustainable Value Add

Product value determines your development cycle.

How can you build a human-centered business, if your business approach is still defined from a business perspective? It is time to replace your minimum viable product (MVP) with a minimum value add (MVA).

Interestingly, "Eric Ries, defined an MVP as that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort", which sounds a lot like Agile thinking (not suprising as this quote comes from the Agile Aliance website).

Yet, the definition and application of an MVP most of us are used to, says "A minimum viable product, or MVP, is a product with enough features to attract early-adopter customers and validate a product idea early in the product development cycle."

This approach keeps adding features until it "works" or it is "validated". So this approach isn't really sure about their value? It somehow believes that their "value" is achieved when an unknown numbers of features are built?

Features constitute their value, and therefore it is no wonder that their product's targets are set by features launched and hoping it pushes the needle on signups and usage. An increase in signups and usage should theoretically result in an increase of money flowing in and therefore validates the unknown "value".

This sounds a lot like investors' money that flow in (because they believe you have potential), until it suddenly stops.

How would a business and its processes look like if we put people (potential users/customers) at the center of the complete business' thinking? That would mean that not only should support put people's success as their marker for success, but also business, design, development, product & marketing.

Yes, you might have noticed that design (UI/UX) is still on the wrong side of the line. If you don't understand why, then you haven't realised point 7 yet. Look at all six realisations again and start with "There is Opportunity".

In context of the "problem" you are trying to solve, have you asked yourself "Why is this a problem?" Have you considered why do people want to solve this problem? What value they receive from solving this "problem" and does this "value" correlate with the "value they need"? But more importantly, "Is this value sustainable?" If it isn't, neither is your business.

Start with the value and ask yourself: "What is the minimum value I can add?" in order to test your startup's business hypothesis for product value.