Why I Won’t Launch a Minimum Viable Product

A lot of people, including me, talk about when to launch an MVP. Let’s talk about when we shouldn’t.

I know startup is mostly about moving fast and breaking stuff. The drive to make quick decisions and take big risks is what allows companies to grow in leaps and bounds instead of just incrementally.

But I don’t have to tell you that when you move too fast or break too much stuff, the cops show up. Metaphorically. Chain reactions from one big mistake can take down great ideas, strong teams, and solid companies.

Now, a minimum viable product (MVP) is the moving-fastest and stuff-breaking-est version of a product that a company can ship to market. We should always be a little bit fearful when launching an MVP. But in some cases, that fear means we need to pull the plug and take a big step back.

I’ve got a ton of experience launching MVPs. I own my share of failures, frustrations, and stupid mistakes. So here are the top warning signs that send me back to the drawing board before I embarrass myself and everyone around me, listed in order of earliest to latest in the MVP process.

The process isn’t defined

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Oh, and stop your MVP launch if I’m describing yours.