MVP Definition Template for Product Strategy

As few as possible. Most successful MVPs have 3-5 core features. The goal is not to build a small product. It is to test your riskiest assumption with the least amount of effort. If you have more than 7 features in your MVP, you are probably including things that do not test a hypothesis. Go back to the cut/keep framework and be more aggressive. Use the [RICE Calculator](/tools/rice-calculator) to score and rank features if you are struggling to prioritize.

Two to six weeks for most software products. If your MVP takes longer than six weeks, the scope is too large. Either you are testing too many assumptions at once, or individual features are over-engineered. Remember: the MVP is a test, not a product launch. It should feel embarrassingly simple. The [founders hub](/for/founders) has additional guidance on early-stage product planning.

Then you have a feasibility problem, not a scope problem. If your riskiest assumption requires complex infrastructure to test, find a simpler proxy. Can you test the assumption with a Typeform survey, a Figma prototype, or a concierge version where you do the work manually? The best MVPs test assumptions without building the final product architecture.

Define success criteria before you build (Part 5 of this template). The most common mistake is launching an MVP without knowing what "validated" looks like. Set specific numeric targets for each assumption. If the numbers hit, continue building. If they miss, investigate why before adding more features. Sometimes the problem is the assumption. Sometimes the problem is execution. A failed metric does not automatically mean "pivot." Use [product-market fit](/glossary/product-market-fit) indicators to guide your interpretation.

Yes, whenever possible. Willingness to pay is the strongest signal of [product-market fit](/glossary/product-market-fit). Free users will say they love your product but that tells you nothing about whether they would open their wallet. Even if your pricing is not final, charge something. A $9/month MVP that gets 20 paying customers tells you more than a free MVP with 2,000 signups. ---