Service
Product Discovery & MVP Development
Structured discovery that turns a business idea into a validated scope, a costed plan and a first version real customers can use.
- Who it is for
- Founders and business leaders with an idea or a mandate, before significant capital is committed to building it.
- Engagement shape
- Fixed-scope discovery sprint, optional build to follow
- Typical duration
- 2 to 4 weeks discovery, 8 to 16 weeks to first release
- Starts with
- A session on the commercial outcome and the constraint behind it
Problems this addresses
Situations that lead here
If one of these is a statement you could make about your own business, this is the relevant service.
- “We have an idea but no technical roadmap.”
- “We do not know what the first version should include.”
- “We need a credible cost and timeline before raising or approving budget.”
- “We are not sure the problem is worth solving with software.”
What it includes
The work, in order
Each part produces something reviewable rather than ending in a document nobody reads.
Problem and outcome definition
The commercial outcome, the user it depends on, and the measure that says it worked — stated before scope is discussed.
Scope and sequencing
The shortest path to a version real customers can use, with everything else explicitly deferred and recorded.
Prototype and validation
A working prototype put in front of real users early enough that changing direction is cheap.
Costed delivery plan
Phases with effort, cost and dependencies attached, in a form that stands up to board and investor scrutiny.
What you keep
Deliverables
Everything below remains yours and is usable by another team if the engagement ends.
- Problem statement, target user and success measures
- Prioritised scope with explicit exclusions
- Clickable or working prototype
- Costed, phased delivery plan
- Architecture outline and technology recommendation
Questions
Answered directly
What if discovery concludes we should not build?
That is a legitimate result and by far the cheapest one available. You get the reasoning and the evidence.
Do you build the MVP as well?
Often, but discovery is deliberately separable so you keep the option to take the plan elsewhere.
How small is an MVP?
Small enough to reach real users quickly, complete enough that their reaction means something. Anything that does not test the core assumption is deferred.
Considering product discovery & mvp development?
A session on the commercial outcome and the constraint behind it. Send the business context and the constraint behind it, and I will reply with a direct read on the approach I would take.