Do Less, Achieve More: The Power of a Minimum Viable Process (MVP)

In our quest for efficiency and scalability, we often build elaborate systems of rules, approvals, and documentation that end up strangling the very productivity they were meant to protect. There’s a better way: the Minimum Viable Process (MVP).

What is a Minimum Viable Process?

Just like a Minimum Viable Product in software, a Minimum Viable Process is the simplest set of steps, rules, or guidelines needed to achieve a specific outcome reliably. Think of it as guardrails on a highway, they keep you safe and on track without dictating your speed, lane, or radio station.

Why We Need MVP Thinking

Processes tend to grow like weeds. What starts as a simple checklist evolves into a multi-page protocol after every minor hiccup. We add steps “just in case,” creating:

• Meeting bloat where two people now need five

• Approval layers that slow decisions to a crawl

• Documentation requirements that become more important than the work itself

The result? Teams spend more time managing work than doing work. The Minimum Viable Process fights this creep by enforcing simplicity as a core principle.

A Practical Guide to Building a Minimum Viable Process

1. Start with the Core “Why”

   Before creating any step, ask: What specific problem are we trying to solve? Be brutally specific. “Improve quality” is vague. “Reduce customer-reported bugs by 25%” is actionable. Only add elements that directly address this core why.

   
   

2. Define the Bare Minimum Steps

   Map the simplest path from start to finish. For each step, ask: “What happens if we skip this?” If the answer is “Probably nothing” or “We’d notice later”—consider cutting it.

   
   

3. Implement with a Sunset Clause

   Introduce your MVP with this line: “We’ll try this for [time period] and then decide what to keep, change, or discard.” This creates psychological safety—it’s an experiment, not a decree.

   
   

4. Measure What Actually Matters

   Track metrics related to your core “why,” not process adherence. If your goal is faster delivery, measure cycle time, not how many checklist items were completed.

   
   

5. Add Weight Deliberately

   When something goes wrong, resist the knee-jerk “add a rule” response. Ask instead:

   - Was this a one-time anomaly or a pattern?

   - Would a simple guideline prevent this, or do we need a hard rule?

   - Can we solve this with a tool or template instead of a process?

The Hidden Benefit: Building Process Muscle

A Minimum Viable Process builds your team’s judgment muscle. When people aren’t following a detailed script, they learn to think critically about their work. They become problem-solvers, not just process-followers.