The Startup MVP Checklist: 15 Things to Check Before Building

You're about to build your MVP. Exciting. Terrifying. Expensive if you get it wrong.

Before you write code, design screens, or hire developers—stop. Run through this checklist. Every item you skip is a landmine waiting to blow up your timeline, budget, or entire product.

This isn't busywork. It's the difference between building something users want and building something that collects dust.

Before You Build: The 15-Point MVP Checklist

1. Problem Validation

Check: Have you confirmed the problem exists through customer conversations (not just assumptions)?

Talking to 10-20 potential users about their problems isn't optional—it's foundational. You need to hear them describe the pain in their own words, explain their current workarounds, and express frustration with existing solutions.

Red flag: You've only talked to friends and family, or you've talked to people but only about your solution (not their problem).

Action: Complete at least 10 problem interviews before proceeding.

2. Target User Definition

Check: Can you describe your first users in one specific sentence?

Not "small business owners." Not "professionals who want to save time." Be specific: "Freelance graphic designers in the US who bill hourly and spend 3+ hours weekly on invoicing."

Red flag: Your target user description could apply to millions of different people.

Action: Narrow until you can name 10 specific people who fit your description. If you can't name them, you don't know your user well enough.

3. Core Hypothesis Statement

Check: Can you complete this sentence: "We believe [specific users] will [specific action] because [specific reason]"?

This is your MVP's purpose. Everything you build should test this one hypothesis. If a feature doesn't help test it, the feature doesn't belong.

Red flag: Your hypothesis is vague ("people will love it") or you have multiple competing hypotheses.

Action: Write one clear hypothesis and post it where your team sees it daily.

4. Success Metrics Defined

Check: Have you defined what success looks like BEFORE building?

Decide now: What numbers prove your hypothesis right? 50 signups? 20% return rate? 5 paying customers? Without predefined metrics, you'll rationalize any result as "good enough."

Red flag: You're planning to "see how it goes" and decide later.

Action: Write down 2-3 specific metrics and the thresholds that would validate your hypothesis.

5. Feature Prioritization Complete

Check: Have you ruthlessly cut features using a framework like MoSCoW prioritization?

Your Must Have list should have 3-7 features, not 20. Every feature beyond the core adds time, cost, and risk. Cut until it hurts, then cut more.

Red flag: Everything feels essential, or you have 15+ "Must Have" features.

Action: Force-rank features. If you can only build 5, which 5? That's your MVP.

6. Competition Researched

Check: Do you know who your competitors are and why users would choose you instead?

"No competition" is almost never true—it usually means you haven't looked hard enough. Users are solving this problem somehow, even if it's with spreadsheets and email.

Red flag: You think you have no competitors, or you can't articulate your differentiation.

Action: List 5 alternatives (direct competitors, indirect solutions, or manual workarounds). Define what makes you different.

7. Budget Determined

Check: Do you know how much your MVP will cost and do you have the funds?

A focused MVP typically costs $15,000-$75,000 depending on complexity. Running out of money mid-build is worse than not starting. Know your number and have a buffer.

Red flag: You're hoping it costs less than you have, or you haven't gotten real quotes.

Action: Get 3 quotes from developers/agencies. Add 20% buffer for unexpected costs.

8. Timeline Realistic

Check: Is your expected timeline grounded in reality?

A focused MVP takes 2-8 weeks depending on complexity. If you're planning for 6 months, you're not building an MVP—you're building v1.0 of a full product.

Red flag: Your timeline is based on hopes rather than estimates from people who'll actually build it.

Action: Get timeline estimates from your development team. If it's more than 8 weeks, cut scope.

9. Tech Stack Selected

Check: Have you decided on your technology choices, or will this be figured out during development?

Tech stack decisions made mid-project cause delays. Decide upfront: What language? What framework? What database? What hosting?

Red flag: You're planning to "see what the developer recommends" with no input.

Action: If you're non-technical, work with your development partner to finalize the stack before development starts.

10. First Users Identified

Check: Do you know who your first 10-50 users will be?

Not "people from the waitlist" or "we'll market to them." Actual names. People you can email on launch day who are ready to try your product.

Red flag: Your launch plan is "post on social media and see who signs up."

Action: Build a list of 50 specific people who've expressed interest. If you can't find 50, you haven't validated demand.

11. Decision-Maker Assigned

Check: Is there one person who can make final decisions quickly?

Design by committee kills MVPs. Every decision that requires a meeting adds days. Designate one person with authority to make calls.

Red flag: Every decision needs approval from multiple stakeholders or investors.

Action: Agree upfront: one person owns product decisions during the MVP build.

12. Scope Lock Agreement

Check: Have all stakeholders agreed that scope is locked during development?

New ideas during development are scope creep. They derail timelines, blow budgets, and delay learning. Agree upfront: no new features until after launch.

Red flag: Stakeholders expect to "add things as we go" or "stay flexible."

Action: Create a "v2 Ideas" doc. All new feature requests go there, not into the current build.

13. Design Approach Chosen

Check: Have you decided on template-based, custom, or no-design approach?

Custom design adds 2-3 weeks and $10,000+. For most MVPs, using an existing component library (Tailwind, Shadcn, Material) is enough. Beautiful design can come in v2.

Red flag: You want "polished" design but haven't budgeted for it.

Action: Decide: Template (fast/cheap), Light Custom (balanced), or Full Custom (slow/expensive). Match to your budget and timeline.

14. Development Partner Chosen

Check: Do you know who's building this—freelancer, agency, or in-house team?

Each option has trade-offs. The worst choice is no choice—drifting through development with unclear ownership leads to missed deadlines and finger-pointing.

Red flag: You're "still interviewing" or "figuring out the team" while trying to start building.

Action: Finalize your development partner before starting.

15. Launch Plan Exists

Check: Do you know what happens the day after launch?

Building is the easy part. Distribution is hard. How will users find you? How will you collect feedback? How will you measure success? Plan this before you build, not after.

Red flag: Your launch plan is "ship it and see what happens."

Action: Write a simple launch plan: Day 1 activities, Week 1 goals, how you'll collect feedback, and when you'll evaluate success metrics.

The Checklist Scoring System

Score yourself honestly:

• 15/15: You're ready. Start building.
• 12-14: Almost ready. Fix the gaps in 1-2 weeks, then start.
• 8-11: Not ready. Rushing now will cost you later. Address the gaps.
• Below 8: You're not building an MVP—you're guessing. Go back to validation.

Most founders score themselves 12+ but actually score 8-10 when assessed honestly. Be brutally honest—it's cheaper to fix gaps now than to discover them mid-build.

The Most Commonly Skipped Items

Based on dozens of MVP projects, these are the items founders skip most often—and regret:

Problem Validation (#1)

Founders fall in love with solutions and skip validating the problem. They build based on their own pain or assumptions about others' pain. Successful MVPs always start with deep problem understanding.

Success Metrics (#4)

Without predefined metrics, founders rationalize any result. "We didn't get signups, but we got great feedback!" becomes the excuse for continuing to build the wrong thing.

Scope Lock (#12)

"Just one more feature" is how 4-week MVPs become 4-month projects. Scope creep is the #1 killer of MVP timelines. Lock scope like your timeline depends on it—because it does.

First Users Identified (#10)

Building without knowing who'll use it is building in the dark. If you can't list 50 people who want this, you don't have product-market fit—you have a hypothesis.

Printable Checklist

Save this for your pre-build review:

Validation

• Problem validated through customer conversations
• Target user defined specifically
• Core hypothesis written
• Success metrics defined

Scope

• Features prioritized (MoSCoW or similar)
• Competition researched
• Scope lock agreed by stakeholders

Resources

• Budget determined and funded
• Timeline realistic (2-8 weeks)
• Development partner chosen
• Decision-maker assigned

Technical

• Tech stack selected
• Design approach chosen

Launch

• First 50 users identified
• Launch plan exists