6 Steps to Find the Best MVP Developers for Your Startup Idea

Clarify business idea

Before you tackle hiring an MVP developer, you need to be really clear on what you’re trying to build. Many entrepreneurs have an idea and move quickly into the staffing-up phase. While development teams can help you clarify your vision, it’ll be a lot more cost effective to be really clear on what you want before you contact developers.

And, in this stage we’re not even talking about detailing out specifics about your MVP. In this very first step you need to clarify your business or product idea. You can ask questions such as:

• What are you going to market with?
• What should your final product look like?
• What does your market research tell you about your target market?
• Do you understand your end user and what their needs are?

No matter how many skilled developers you hire, if you aren’t building the right thing, your product won’t last in a competitive market.

Define MVP requirements

You’re really clear on your business idea and product concept, now you’re ready to start defining your MVP requirements. When developing an MVP, you’re building a version of your end product - the minimum viable version of that end product. So during this stage it’s really critical to gain clarity on what will and will not be included in this version of the product. You’ll do this by first writing out all possible requirements, then we’ll score them.

Requirements typically break down into two categories: technical and functional. Anything you expect your users to be able to do or anything you expect your software to do should be defined as requirements. Assume nothing.

Example technical requirements:

• The software will have an average page load time of less than 2.2 seconds.
• The software will be down less than 1% of the time.
• The software will integrate into the existing technology stack.

Example functional requirements:

• Admins should be able to create new accounts manually.
• Users should be able to change the frequency of when reports are generated.
• Users should be able to select light or dark mode.

As you define your requirements, consider involving other stakeholders such as product managers, sales teams, and project managers. Having an array of inputs can be very helpful at this stage.

After you have a full list of possible requirements, it’s time to prioritize them. Remember that your MVP might not have all the features of your end product. It might have a subset of these features, and that is ok. This is where you need to make those calls about project scope and what will be most helpful to include in the MVP for your target audience.

Use your requirements list to mark each item with “priorities.” Many teams opt to use the standard M, S, C, W labels to help organize requirements. This can help you to come up with a final list of requirements that you’ll include in your MVP project. All others you can save for future development.

Identify potential MVP development partners

With all of your requirements and project scope identified, it’s time to start looking for experienced MVP development companies. There are many options available from general software developers to large companies with extensive software product development experience. Ideally you may want to focus on finding an experienced team with a track record how to build a minimum viable product.

Top tips for identifying potential MVP development partners:

• Look for experience: You'll want a partner that has experience delivering MVP development services, specifically. They should understand the lean startup methodology and how to build a product with a minimal feature set.

• Look for a development team that understands your vision: It's important that you partner with a team that understands your vision for the product. They should be able to provide input and feedback during development.

• Look for a development team that is responsive and communicative: During development, there will be a lot of back-and-forth communication. You'll want to partner with a team that is responsive and communicative, so that you can get your MVP built as quickly as possible.

• Get referrals: One of the best ways to find a leading mvp development company is to get referrals from other entrepreneurs who have developed MVPs. Ask them who they used and if they were happy with the results.

After you have a few options identified, reach out and request a development proposal. This will help you further evaluate your options and select one that is the best fit for your project.

Evaluate all development proposals

Now it’s time to evaluate the proposals you’ve received for your short list of MVP development companies. In general, a software development proposal should clearly and concisely contain the following information:

• Understanding of the problem to be solved - Look for how well the MVP development company understands the problem at hand.
• How they propose to achieve the solution - Look for specificity. A well-thought out proposal will provide at least some detail on the exact development services they will provide.
• Team members they would involve in the project - Evaluate how well their technical backgrounds align to the project at hand.
• Schedule - Look for how well this aligns with your expectations and deadlines.
• Budget - Look for how well this aligns with your expectations and internal budget for the project.

During this evaluation stage, consider how you would feel about a long-term partnership with the development partners. If you’re new to hiring out software development or don’t have a formal sourcing team on your side, it might be helpful to learn more about how to start a successful software development partnership.

Select an MVP development company

Weighing your options from the previous step, you should select an MVP development company that best fits your requirements. Make sure to survey all stakeholders before making a decision. After you decide on an MVP software development company, you need to negotiate and sign a contract.

When negotiating a contract with a software company, it is important to consider the terms of the agreement, the length of the contract, the price, and the delivery schedule.

The next step is to have a meeting with the software company to discuss the contract. During the meeting, it is important to be clear about your expectations and to ask questions about the company's products and services. Make sure you thoroughly understand the terms of the agreement. This is your chance to negotiate any changes you’d like made.

Finally, you will need to sign the software development contract. Once the contract is signed, you should make sure to keep a copy for your records.

Now you’re ready for kickoff!

Manage the MVP development process

The key to successfully developing an MVP is effective project management of the development process. Here are some tips on how to manage the development process:

• Hire a project manager. Whether on your team or on the development team, you should have at least one project manager to help with all aspects of project planning and implementation.
• Track progress. Use project management tools to track project development. This will help you identify any bottlenecks or issues that need to be addressed.
• Be crystal clear on the timeline. When do you want the MVP to be completed? Work backwards from that date to create milestones and deadlines for the project.