MVP Development Process: From Idea to Launch in 4 Weeks

You have an idea. You want it live. But what actually happens between "I should build this" and "users are signing up"?

Most founders either dive straight into code (and build the wrong thing) or get stuck in endless planning (and never ship). The sweet spot is a structured MVP development process that moves fast but doesn't skip critical steps.

Here's the exact 4-week framework we use at t3c.ai to take ideas from napkin sketch to live product.

Before You Start: The Pre-Work

Before the clock starts on your 4 weeks, you need clarity on three things:

1. Your Core Hypothesis

Complete this sentence: "We believe [specific users] will [specific action] because [specific reason]."

This isn't a mission statement. It's a testable prediction. Everything in your MVP exists to test this one hypothesis.

Bad: "We believe people will love our productivity app."
Good: "We believe remote freelancers will pay $15/month for automated time tracking because manual tracking wastes 3+ hours weekly."

2. Your Must-Have Features

List every feature you think you need. Then cut 50%. Then cut another 25%. What remains are your must-haves.

A real MVP typically has 3-5 core features, not 15. If it doesn't directly test your hypothesis, it doesn't belong in v1.

3. Your Success Criteria

How will you know if the MVP worked? Define this before building:

• "50 users sign up in the first week"
• "20% of users return within 7 days"
• "5 users convert to paid"
• "Users complete the core action without support"

Without clear success criteria, you'll finish the MVP and still not know if it validated anything.

Week 1: Discovery & Planning

The first week is about alignment and architecture. No code yet—but critical decisions that affect everything after.

Days 1-2: Requirements Deep Dive

What happens:

• Detailed walkthrough of user stories
• Edge case identification
• Integration requirements scoping
• Technical constraints discussion

Key output: A requirements document that developers can actually build from. Not vague descriptions—specific acceptance criteria for each feature.

Example: Instead of "users can sign up," define: "Users can create an account using email/password or Google OAuth. Email verification required. Password must be 8+ characters with one number."

Days 3-4: Technical Architecture

What happens:

• Tech stack selection
• Database schema design
• API structure planning
• Third-party service selection
• Hosting and deployment strategy

Key output: Architecture diagram and technical decisions document. This prevents mid-project pivots that blow up timelines.

Key decisions:

• Frontend framework (React, Next.js, Vue)
• Backend approach (Node, Python, serverless)
• Database (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Supabase)
• Authentication (Auth0, Clerk, custom)
• Hosting (Vercel, AWS, Railway)

Day 5: Sprint Planning

What happens:

• Break features into development tasks
• Estimate effort for each task
• Assign work across the team
• Set up project tracking

Key output: A sprint board with all tasks, priorities, and assignments. Everyone knows exactly what they're building and when.

Week 2: Design & Foundation

Week 2 runs design and development in parallel. While designers finalize screens, developers build the foundation.

Design Track (Days 1-4)

What happens:

• Wireframes for all core screens
• UI design using component library or custom design
• Interactive prototype for key flows
• Design review and iteration

Key output: Figma files with all screens, a clickable prototype, and design specs for developers.

MVP design principle: Use existing component libraries (Shadcn, Tailwind UI, Material) for 80% of the UI. Custom design only where it matters for your value proposition. This cuts design time in half.

Development Track (Days 1-5)

What happens:

• Project scaffolding and repo setup
• Development environment configuration
• Database setup and initial schema
• Authentication implementation
• Core API endpoints
• CI/CD pipeline setup

Key output: A working development environment with authentication, database, and deployment pipeline. The "boring" infrastructure that makes Week 3 possible.

Why this matters: Teams that skip proper setup in Week 2 spend Week 3 fighting infrastructure instead of building features.

Week 3: Core Development

This is where the product takes shape. All the planning pays off as features get built.

Days 1-3: Primary Features

What happens:

• Build the core feature (the main thing your MVP does)
• Implement primary user flows
• Connect frontend to backend
• Basic error handling

Focus: The 2-3 features that directly test your hypothesis. If you're building an invoicing tool, this is where invoicing gets built. Not reports. Not integrations. The core action.

Days 4-5: Secondary Features & Polish

What happens:

• Supporting features (settings, profile, etc.)
• Third-party integrations (payments, email)
• UI polish and responsiveness
• Loading states and error messages

The 80/20 rule: Get features to 80% polish, not 100%. That last 20% takes 80% of the time. Ship at 80%, iterate based on real feedback.

Daily Standups

During Week 3, daily check-ins are essential:

• What did you complete?
• What are you working on?
• What's blocking you?

This catches issues early. A blocker identified Monday gets solved Monday—not discovered Friday when it's too late.

Week 4: Testing & Launch

The final push. Quality assurance, bug fixes, and getting live.

Days 1-2: Testing

What happens:

• Functional testing of all features
• Cross-browser testing
• Mobile responsiveness check
• Edge case testing
• Security review

Key output: Bug list prioritized by severity. Critical bugs get fixed. Minor bugs get documented for post-launch.

Testing priority:

1. Core user flow works end-to-end
2. Payment processing (if applicable)
3. Authentication flows
4. Data integrity
5. Everything else

Days 3-4: Bug Fixes & Optimization

What happens:

• Fix critical and major bugs
• Performance optimization
• Final UI polish
• Content and copy review

What doesn't happen: Adding new features. This is fix-only mode. Feature requests go to the post-launch backlog.

Day 5: Launch

What happens:

• Final deployment to production
• DNS and SSL verification
• Monitoring setup (error tracking, analytics)
• Smoke testing on production
• Go live!

Launch day checklist:

• Production environment working
• Domain configured correctly
• SSL certificate active
• Analytics tracking
• Error monitoring (Sentry, etc.)
• Backup system in place
• Support email ready

What Happens After Launch?

Launching is the beginning, not the end. The real work of validation starts now.

Week 5+: Learn & Iterate

• Days 1-3: Monitor for critical issues, fix urgent bugs
• Days 4-7: Collect user feedback (interviews, surveys, analytics)
• Week 6+: Analyze results against success criteria

Key questions:

• Are users completing the core action?
• Where do they drop off?
• What are they asking for?
• Does the data support our hypothesis?

This feedback drives your next iteration. Maybe you double down on what's working. Maybe you pivot like the famous startups did. Either way, you're making decisions based on data, not assumptions.

Common Process Mistakes

Mistake 1: Skipping Week 1

"Let's just start building" feels fast but creates chaos. Teams that skip proper planning spend Week 3 in meetings clarifying requirements instead of coding.

Mistake 2: Sequential Design-Then-Develop

Waiting for design to be 100% complete before starting development adds 2+ weeks. Run them in parallel—developers can build infrastructure and core logic while design is finalized.

Mistake 3: Scope Creep Mid-Sprint

"While we're at it, let's also add..." is how 4-week MVPs become 4-month projects. New ideas go to the backlog, not the current sprint.

Mistake 4: Skimping on Testing

Launching a buggy MVP doesn't validate your hypothesis—it validates that users hate bugs. Dedicate proper time to testing. It's cheaper to find bugs before users do.

Mistake 5: No Decision-Maker

When every decision requires a meeting, progress stalls. Designate one person who can make calls quickly. Decision speed directly impacts timeline.

Adjusting the Timeline

4 weeks is the sweet spot for most MVPs, but your timeline might vary:

Simpler MVP (2-3 weeks):

• 3-4 features
• Template-based design
• No complex integrations
• Single platform (web only)

Complex MVP (6-8 weeks):

• GenAI/ML components
• Multiple user types
• Complex integrations
• Compliance requirements

The process stays the same—just compressed or expanded. Discovery, Design, Build, Launch. Don't skip steps; adjust their duration.

Tools That Accelerate the Process

The right tools can cut days off your timeline:

Project Management: Linear, Notion, or Jira for tracking tasks

Design: Figma with component libraries (Shadcn, Tailwind UI)

Development:

• Vercel/Railway for instant deployments
• Supabase/Firebase for backend shortcuts
• Clerk/Auth0 for authentication
• Stripe for payments

Testing: Playwright or Cypress for automated testing

GenAI Acceleration: AI coding assistants for faster development—this is how t3c.ai delivers MVPs 5× faster

Your MVP Development Checklist

Use this to track your own MVP process:

Pre-Work:

• Core hypothesis defined
• Feature list finalized (and cut)
• Success criteria documented

Week 1:

• Requirements documented
• Tech stack selected
• Architecture planned
• Sprint planned

Week 2:

• Designs complete
• Development environment ready
• Authentication working
• Database set up

Week 3:

• Core features built
• Integrations connected
• UI implemented

Week 4:

• Testing complete
• Critical bugs fixed
• Production deployed
• Monitoring active
• LAUNCHED!

Ready to Start Your MVP?

The process is clear. The question is: do you want to run it yourself or have experts handle it?

t3c.ai builds MVPs in 2-4 weeks using this exact process, accelerated by GenAI. We've shipped dozens of MVPs across HR tech, logistics, enterprise AI, and more.

We handle Discovery through Launch so you can focus on your business.

Let's plan your MVP →