# The Data-Driven Product Development Process Part III

From MVP to Iteration

An MVP (minimum viable product) is a product that has the minimum set of features and functionality needed to satisfy end users, and to provide a basis for learning and future development.

I like to use the MVP concept to describe what the end user should expect out of the gate. It is tempting to think that every KPI and visualization a user could want is on their dashboard out of the box but as we all know, there is some assembly required.

If we’ve already created an IT Service Blueprint for one of the organization’s services, we can begin to ask our personas questions about what KPIs are going to be most meaningful and important off the bat. This could be a measurement of capacity or speed. The bare bones of a dashboard are assembled to create the MVP for this persona and over the next months or quarters, it will be up to the ACE to solicit and collect feedback from the end user community.

Planning for Ask Me Anything sessions or Office Hours can be a good way to make the ACE a welcoming place.

As end users come to these office hours and talk to one another as well as the ACE, they can begin to share their lessons learned and experiences with one another. This helps build and foster community and trust which ultimately creates culture.

Let’s summarize some typical steps when launching an MVP:

• Define the problem that the persona is trying to solve and determine the applicable KPIs or insights to include in the MVP.
• Define the persona and user group.
• Identify key features like filtering or the ability to select from a dropdown list.
• Design and develop the dashboard or schedule reports.
• Create a prototype.
• Testing and validation of the MVP.
• Launch the MVP! Make it available to users and begin gathering data and feedback to inform future development.
• Finally, iterate and evolve. Use the data and feedback gathered from the MVP to refine and improve the product, and to add new features and functionality over time. Don’t forget to communicate with your user community along the way!

The goal of launching an MVP is to quickly and efficiently test and validate a product concept, and to gather insights and feedback that can inform future development.