Hi everyone,
Here's a question that's been on my mind, and I'm curious how experienced PMs think about it.
In MVP development, the whole point is to test an idea quickly and cheaply with real users. Sometimes the result is great news: people love it, and the product moves forward. But sometimes the MVP does exactly what it was designed to do and proves that users don't want the product at all.
From a business point of view, that's a success. The team spent weeks instead of years, and the company avoided a much bigger loss.
From a project management point of view, it feels strange. The project was delivered on time and on budget, the MVP launched, and yet the final outcome is "we're shutting this down."
A few things I'd love to hear your views on:
1. Defining success in the project charter
Should an MVP project charter define success as "validated learning" rather than "product adopted"? If so, how do you write measurable success criteria for learning?
2. Setting stakeholder expectations early
How do you prepare sponsors and executives for the possibility that the best outcome might be stopping the product? In my experience, people say they accept this at the start, but it's much harder when the data actually arrives.
3. Kill criteria
Do you agree on specific stop or pivot thresholds before launch, such as a minimum number of active users or a conversion target? Or does that make teams too rigid?
4. Closing the project well
How do you run lessons learned and project closure when the product itself is being cancelled? How do you keep the team motivated for the next initiative?
5. Recognising the team
Has anyone found a good way to celebrate a team whose work led to a "no"? It seems important, but I rarely see it done well.
I'd really value your experiences, especially from anyone who has managed innovation or product discovery projects.
Thanks!
