How to scope a SaaS MVP you can ship in eight weeks

Most MVPs are late because they are actually version two with an optimistic name. An eight week build is possible, but only if the scope answers one question for one type of user.

Find the single workflow

Write down the moment a user gets value. Everything that is not on the path to that moment is version two: settings pages, admin dashboards, integrations nobody has asked for, five roles when you need two.

Questions that cut scope fast

• If this feature were missing on launch day, would a user refuse to pay?
• Can a person do this manually behind the scenes for the first fifty customers?
• Does this exist only because a competitor has it?
• Is this a real requirement or an assumption we can test with a form?

What still has to be right

Authentication, billing, data model and the ability to see what users actually do. Shortcuts there become rewrites. Shortcuts in polish become a to-do list.

Launch the narrow product that proves value. Breadth is cheap to add once someone is paying for depth.