If you wanted to learn to run before even taking your first steps, you would be doomed to failure from the start.

The same goes for building a successful startup. You must first create a minimum viable product (MVP) before a fully functional product can emerge. But even in this case, you may encounter obstacles along the way - just like when learning to walk!

So what should you pay attention to and how can you avoid the most common mistakes when building an MVP?

We'll help you answer this question using our many years of experience and the expertise of the MuchMore team.

You're not conducting market research

Are you remembering to research and analyze your target group, their behaviors, preferences?

One critical oversight is failing to conduct thorough market research. It's imperative to understand not only your potential customers but also your competitors and the market landscape.

Above all, before you start working on your MVP, you must be sure there is demand for your product. It's also good to know what requirements you'll need to meet when entering the market. Such research also shows where the added value lies for customers. If you know there's a competitive product in the market, try to think about how to persuade customers to switch to your services.

Before you start any work on project development, double-check that you're acting in the interest of potential customers and creating a product that they actually need.

You're doing too much

Someone once said, "If you're not embarrassed by your first MVP, you've launched it too late" and we, at MuchMore, agree with that!

An MVP isn't the final product; it's a lean version aimed at validating your concept.

Some companies take the wrong approach by wanting to include too many functionalities and actually deviating from the MVP concept. This stems from the desire to present their product in the best possible light right from the start, offering potential customers a full range of functionalities. Such an approach can lead to failure, especially if the functionalities do not align with customer preferences.

You're not focusing on data

Without clear, predefined success metrics, evaluating the performance of your MVP becomes subjective and arbitrary. Defining what success looks like for your MVP allows you to measure progress, make informed decisions, and demonstrate value to stakeholders.

At MuchMore, we analyze key metrics using tools like Google Analytics 4, Hotjar, AppsFlyer, and Amplitude.

You're not thinking about future scalability

Many MVPs are built with a short-term focus, neglecting the technical foundations required for future scalability.

Ensuring that your MVP can handle increased loads and is easily upgradable is crucial for long-term success. To do this, do the following:

• Choose scalable technologies from the outset to facilitate growth and expansion.
• Design with flexibility in mind - focus on easily adding features as your product evolves.

Lack of project management knowledge

Lack of experience or skills in project management is not a reason to abandon your MVP.

Building an MVP poses many challenges for any team. To effectively meet them, it's essential to establish the right project management methodology or choose the right Project Manager who will support you throughout the project.

This will help manage the entire team effectively, assign roles, and positively impact communication.

Summary

Before you start building your MVP, you should analyze potential threats and manage the entire process in a way that leads to all set goals.

It's advisable to seek help from a team that already has experience in executing such projects.

It might even be necessary to reduce certain costs and minimize development time.

If you're ready to start your MVP journey, schedule a free consultation here: https://muchmore.pl/en/consultation