MVP Scope Guard
Purpose
Prevents scope creep during MVP development by rigorously evaluating every feature against MVP goals. Features that don't serve the core learning objective are deferred.
When to Use
- •MVP definition phase
- •Feature discussions
- •When stakeholders request additions
- •During planning reviews
Instructions
1. Validate Feature Against MVP Goals
markdown
## Feature Evaluation: Social Login **MVP Goal:** Validate core authentication flow **Questions:** - Does this help us learn? ❌ No - nice-to-have - Is this required for core flow? ❌ No - email login sufficient - Does this block user testing? ❌ No **Decision:** DEFER to Phase 2
2. Reject Non-Essential Features
| Feature | Essential? | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Email login | ✅ Yes | INCLUDE |
| Password reset | ✅ Yes | INCLUDE |
| Social login | ❌ No | DEFER |
| Admin dashboard | ⚠️ Maybe | SIMPLIFY |
3. Tag Deferred Ideas Explicitly
markdown
## Deferred Features (Post-MVP) | Feature | Reason | Phase | |---------|--------|-------| | Social login | Not essential for validation | 2 | | MFA | Adds complexity | 2 | | Audit logging | Nice-to-have | 3 |
4. Preserve Delivery Speed
code
MVP exists to learn, not to impress. Ship → Learn → Iterate
Scope Decision Matrix
| Criterion | INCLUDE | SIMPLIFY | DEFER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core to learning goal | ✅ | - | - |
| Blocks user testing | ✅ | - | - |
| Nice-to-have | - | - | ✅ |
| Adds significant complexity | - | ✅ | ✅ |
| Stakeholder "want" | - | - | ✅ |
Integration
- •Precedes:
spec-driven-planning - •Follows:
project-vision-normalizer - •Validates: Feature requests during development
Constraints
- •MVP is about learning, not feature completeness
- •Default to DEFER when uncertain
- •Every inclusion must justify its value
Ship fast, learn faster.