Startup MVP Spec

Product / working name: [Name] Author: [Your name] Date: [Date] Target launch: [Date]

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1. Problem and hypothesis

[State the problem in one or two sentences, then the core hypothesis as a falsifiable statement: "We believe that [specific user] has [specific problem] painful enough that they will [specific action] when offered [specific solution]." This single sentence is what the whole MVP exists to test.]

2. Target user

[Describe the one user segment this MVP is for. Be narrow — a sharp niche gives a clearer signal than a broad audience. Note where you will find them to test.]

• Who: [Role / segment]
• Context: [When and why the problem bites]
• Where to reach them: [Channel, community, or list]

3. Core user flow

[Map the single path from arriving to completing the action you are measuring. Keep it to one flow. Anything not on this path is a candidate for the out-of-scope list.]

1. [Step 1 — e.g., user arrives and signs up]
2. [Step 2 — e.g., user provides the input]
3. [Step 3 — e.g., user receives the value]
4. [Step 4 — the action you measure as success]

4. Scope

In scope (must-have to test the hypothesis)	Out of scope (explicitly deferred)
[Feature on the core flow]	[Feature you are NOT building yet]
[Feature on the core flow]	[Feature you are NOT building yet]
[Feature on the core flow]	[Feature you are NOT building yet]

[A feature is in scope only if removing it would stop a real user completing the core action. Everything else goes right.]

5. Success metrics and kill criteria

• Primary metric: [The one number tied to the hypothesis — e.g., percentage who complete the core action]
• Success threshold: [The number that means "keep going"]
• Kill criteria: [The number or condition that means "pivot or stop"]
• Measurement window: [How long you will run the test before deciding]

6. Non-functional notes

[Only what is genuinely required for the experiment to run. Keep this short.]

• Platform: [Web, mobile, manual concierge, etc.]
• Scale to support: [How many users the test needs — usually small]
• Manual vs automated: [What you can do by hand behind the scenes to avoid building]
• Privacy / data: [Minimum required to run safely and lawfully]

7. Timeline

Milestone	Work	When
1	[Build the core flow]	[Week 1]
2	[Put it in front of real users]	[Week 2]
3	[Collect data]	[Weeks 2–3]
4	[Decision: continue, pivot, or stop]	[End of window]

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Notes

• [Anything you are deliberately faking or doing manually for this version.]
• [The first thing you will build after a successful test — parked here, not built now.]