MVP Development
What Features Should an MVP Have?
How to identify the core workflow, prioritize features and avoid overbuilding your first product.
September 2026 10 min read Aurimas @ Advansis LT
Start With the Core Outcome, Not a Feature List
One of the hardest decisions when building an MVP isn't how to develop it.
It's deciding what not to build.
Founders usually don't struggle to come up with features. They struggle to remove them.
User accounts. Dashboards. AI assistants. Reports. Integrations. Notifications. Team permissions. Mobile apps. Analytics.
Individually, every feature can sound reasonable.
Together, they can turn a focused MVP into a six-month software project before a single real customer has used it.
In 2026, this problem is becoming even more important.
AI-assisted development makes software faster to create. But faster development doesn't automatically mean that more features should go into your first release.
A good MVP should contain the smallest set of capabilities required to test whether your product creates real value for its intended users.
That is very different from simply building the smallest possible application.
The MVP Isn't About Having the Fewest Features
“Minimum” is probably the most misunderstood word in Minimum Viable Product.
An MVP doesn't mean:
It means:
For one company, that could be a single workflow.
For another, it could require authentication, payments and an external integration.
And for a B2B SaaS product, it might require several user roles because the interaction between those users is the product.
The right feature set therefore depends on what you're trying to prove.
Start With the Core Outcome, Not a Feature List
Before writing a backlog, complete this sentence:
Scheduling SaaS
A customer needs to find an available time and book an appointment.
Expense Management
An employee needs to submit an expense and have it approved.
Document Automation
A user needs to upload a document and receive structured information from it.
B2B Marketplace
A buyer needs to find a relevant supplier and initiate a transaction.
Those aren't features.
They're outcomes.
Now ask:
“What is the shortest complete journey that allows the user to reach that outcome?”
That journey becomes the foundation of your MVP.
Think in Workflows, Not Features
This is one of the most useful changes founders can make when defining an MVP.
Instead of writing:
Login • Dashboard • AI • Notifications • Payments • Reports
Map the actual user journey.
- CREATE ACCOUNT
- UPLOAD RECEIPT
- SYSTEM EXTRACTS INFORMATION
- MANAGER REVIEWS
- APPROVE / REJECT
- EMPLOYEE SEES RESULT
Now you can evaluate every proposed feature against that workflow.
Do employees need custom profile photos?
Probably not.
Do you need receipt upload?
Absolutely.
Do you need a manager role?
Yes — because without it, the approval workflow can't be tested.
Do you need advanced expense analytics?
Probably not yet.
The Four Layers of a Good MVP
Instead of asking how many features an MVP should have, divide the product into four layers.
01
CORE VALUE
This is the reason the product exists.
- Create an invoice
- Book an appointment
- Reconcile a transaction
- Analyze a document
- Approve a request
- Generate a proposal
Always include it.
02
REQUIRED INFRASTRUCTURE
These capabilities may not create value themselves, but can be necessary for the core workflow.
- Authentication
- Database
- File storage
- Basic security
- User permissions
- Payments
- Basic administration
- Audit history
Build only what the workflow requires.
03
VALIDATION FEATURES
Your MVP needs enough visibility to tell you whether the experiment is working.
- Basic product analytics
- Event tracking
- Error monitoring
- Feedback collection
- Usage measurement
- Payment conversion
An MVP that generates no learning isn't doing its job.
04
GROWTH & OPTIMIZATION
This is where unnecessary MVP scope often appears.
- Advanced reporting
- Multiple subscription tiers
- Sophisticated dashboards
- Extensive customization
- Referral programs
- Social features
- Advanced search
- Dozens of integrations
- Native mobile applications
- Extensive automation
If it isn't required to validate the product now, it probably belongs in V2.
A Better Way to Decide: The Four MVP Tests
01
VALUE TEST
Can users experience the product's main value without this?
If yes, consider removing it. If no, keep it.
02
WORKFLOW TEST
Does removing this break the core user journey?
This is especially important for B2B software.
Minimum necessary roles — not automatically one role.
03
WORKAROUND TEST
Could we temporarily do this manually?
If a manual process doesn't change the customer's experience or invalidate the experiment, automation may be able to wait.
Don't use a manual workaround for the core innovation you are trying to validate.
04
EVIDENCE TEST
What will we learn by building this now?
Prioritize features that help validate important assumptions about usage, value or willingness to pay.
What Should Usually Be in an MVP?
There isn't a universal checklist, but most digital products need some combination of the following.
| AREA | USUALLY NEEDED? | WHY |
|---|---|---|
| Core workflow | Yes | Delivers the product's primary value |
| Authentication | Often | Lets users return and retain data |
| Data storage | Usually | Preserves product state |
| Basic UX/UI | Yes | Makes the workflow usable |
| Payments | If monetization is being tested | Validates willingness to pay |
| Essential roles | If workflow requires them | Enables the real business process |
| Basic analytics | Recommended | Shows whether users reach core value |
| Error monitoring | Recommended | Helps identify product failures |
| Integrations | Only if essential | May be necessary for the value proposition |
| Admin functionality | Minimum necessary | Supports early operations |
- AREA
- Core workflow
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- Yes
- WHY
- Delivers the product's primary value
- AREA
- Authentication
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- Often
- WHY
- Lets users return and retain data
- AREA
- Data storage
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- Usually
- WHY
- Preserves product state
- AREA
- Basic UX/UI
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- Yes
- WHY
- Makes the workflow usable
- AREA
- Payments
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- If monetization is being tested
- WHY
- Validates willingness to pay
- AREA
- Essential roles
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- If workflow requires them
- WHY
- Enables the real business process
- AREA
- Basic analytics
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- Recommended
- WHY
- Shows whether users reach core value
- AREA
- Error monitoring
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- Recommended
- WHY
- Helps identify product failures
- AREA
- Integrations
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- Only if essential
- WHY
- May be necessary for the value proposition
- AREA
- Admin functionality
- USUALLY NEEDED?
- Minimum necessary
- WHY
- Supports early operations
The goal isn't to check every box.
The goal is to identify the minimum complete system.
What Should Usually Wait?
Advanced Analytics
Track what you need internally, but avoid elaborate customer reporting unless reporting itself is part of the value proposition.
Multiple Pricing Plans
One offer is often enough to learn whether customers will pay.
Extensive Customization
Themes, layouts, configurable dashboards and dozens of preferences can usually wait.
Large Integration Libraries
Start with the integration necessary for your initial customers. Build additional integrations based on evidence.
Native Mobile Applications
If responsive web can validate the experience, it can significantly reduce initial scope. Mobile may still be essential for some products.
Advanced AI
Don't add AI simply because modern software is expected to have AI. Include it when it materially improves or enables the core workflow.
But What About AI? Doesn't It Make Extra Features Cheap?
AI & PRODUCT OWNERSHIP
Faster implementation does not remove product responsibility.
AI-assisted development has made many implementation tasks faster. Developers can use AI to accelerate code generation, testing, debugging, documentation, refactoring and repetitive implementation work.
- Every feature must be understood
- Every feature must be integrated
- Every feature must be tested
- Every feature must be secured
- Every feature must be maintained
- Every feature must be supported
- Every feature must be monitored
- Every feature will change later
Every feature creates permanent surface area in your product.
The correct question isn't:
“How quickly can we build this?”
It is:
“Is this worth owning?”
Feature Prioritization: Use Now / Next / Later
You don't need to delete every idea. Move it.
01
NOW
MVP
- Core workflow
- Required roles
- Essential integration
- Basic payments
- Basic measurement
02
NEXT
AFTER VALIDATION
- Requested improvements
- Additional integration
- Better onboarding
- Additional payment options
- User-requested reports
03
LATER
SCALE
- Advanced analytics
- Mobile apps
- Extensive automation
- Enterprise features
- Deep customization
This is psychologically easier than saying:
“We're not building that.”
Instead:
“We're not building that yet.”
How Many Features Should an MVP Have?
There is no meaningful universal number.
A simple consumer application may genuinely need only a few capabilities.
A B2B SaaS MVP might require twelve technical capabilities to make one business workflow function.
A stronger target is:
A Simple MVP Feature Scorecard
Before approving a feature for V1, score it.
Is it required to deliver the core value?
Is it required to complete the main workflow?
Does it test an important business assumption?
Would removing it make the MVP unusable?
Is there no reasonable manual workaround?
The more “yes” answers, the stronger the argument for including the feature.
If a feature receives one or zero, move it to Next or Later.
Example: Turning 20 Ideas Into One MVP
Imagine you're creating an AI proposal-generation SaaS.
The original feature list includes:
AI proposal generation • CRM integration • templates • team accounts • analytics • comments • notifications • version history • Stripe • PDF export • custom branding • mobile app • AI chat • approval workflow • multilingual support
- CREATE ACCOUNT
- ENTER CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS
- AI GENERATES PROPOSAL
- REVIEW & EDIT
- EXPORT OR SEND
- MEASURE REPEAT USAGE
That's a product you can test.
Everything else can wait until customers tell you what matters.
Your MVP Should Be Small — But Complete
There's an important difference between a small product and an incomplete product.
Removing unnecessary features is good.
Removing a critical step from the user journey just to launch faster isn't.
Start With the Workflow
THE ADVANSIS LT APPROACH
Before development begins, define five things.
01
USER
Who experiences the problem?
02
PROBLEM
What are they trying to solve?
03
OUTCOME
What result should the product create?
04
CORE WORKFLOW
What is the shortest path from problem to outcome?
05
EVIDENCE
What will prove that the idea deserves further investment?
- Idea
- Problem
- Core Workflow
- MVP Scope
- UX/UI
- Development
- Testing
- Launch
- Learn
Before You Build, Ask These 7 Questions
01
Does it directly support the core outcome?
02
Does the primary workflow break without it?
03
What business assumption will it test?
04
Can we handle it manually for the first users?
05
Have actual users requested it — or are we assuming they will?
06
Does it introduce significant technical complexity?
07
If we remove it, can we launch earlier without compromising the experiment?
If you can't explain why a feature belongs in V1, it probably doesn't.
Frequently asked questions
How many features should an MVP have?+
There is no universal number. A better target is one primary problem, one core outcome and one complete workflow. A B2B SaaS product may require several supporting capabilities to make that workflow usable.
Should an MVP have multiple user roles?+
Yes, if the core workflow requires them. If your product depends on an employee submitting something and a manager approving it, both roles belong in the MVP. Don't add roles that aren't required to validate the workflow.
Should an MVP include integrations?+
Only when the integration is essential to the value proposition or the workflow you're testing. Other integrations can usually be added after users demonstrate demand.
Should an MVP include AI?+
Only if AI meaningfully improves or enables the core outcome. Adding AI simply for marketing purposes creates additional complexity without necessarily creating additional customer value.
Should an MVP include an admin panel?+
Sometimes. Early administrative work can often be handled manually, but an admin interface should be included when it is necessary to operate the product safely or efficiently during validation.
Should an MVP include payments?+
If willingness to pay is one of the assumptions you're testing, yes. A functioning payment flow gives much stronger evidence than asking users whether they would pay.
What comes after the MVP?+
Use actual behavior and customer feedback to decide what enters the next release. Move features from Later → Next → Now because evidence justifies them — not because they were part of the original idea.
MVP DEVELOPMENT
From Idea to Working MVP
You don't need a 50-feature specification to start building a software product. You need a clear problem, a defined user and a core workflow worth testing. Advansis LT helps founders and businesses turn initial requirements into focused, production-ready digital products.
The objective isn't to build everything. It's to build the right first version.
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