What the Lean MVP package includes, and leaves out
Each part of our Lean MVP package explained in plain words: why it is in, why the rest is out, and how to add something without surprises.
InvoSpec SoftwaresPublished 2 min read
A first version should prove one thing to real users. Our Lean MVP package, from from ₹15,000 in Indiafrom $2,500 outside India, is built around that idea. Its full range is ₹15,000 – ₹30,000 in India$2,500 – $5,000 outside India. Here is each part of it, and why it is there.
What is in it
One main workflow, done properly. Booking a slot, placing an order, logging a visit: whatever the one job is that your idea depends on. It works from start to finish, including the awkward cases, such as a wrong entry or a lost connection.
About 5 to 8 screens. That is usually enough for a sign-in, the main job, a list, a detail view and a settings or profile screen. If you count more, the idea is probably two ideas.
One type of user, with simple sign-in. Customers, or staff, but not both with different screens and rules. Each extra type of user needs its own screens and its own rules about what they may see.
Adding, viewing, changing and removing the main records. The everyday actions on the thing your app is about, such as bookings, orders or jobs.
A managed cloud backend, set up in your name. The part that signs people in and keeps the records, run by a cloud provider so there are no servers for you to look after. The account is yours from day one.
Basic testing on real phones. On iPhone and Android, including older and smaller phones, with poor signal.
Crash reporting. So we see problems before users have to tell you about them.
Preparation for the App Store and Google Play. Signing keys, release builds, privacy details and store listings, ready to submit.
A limited period for changes and support after launch. The exact length is written into the plan.
What is left out, and why
These are not included unless the plan says so:
- Payments. They need a payment provider account, extra screens, and careful testing for failed and refunded payments.
- Live tracking and other real-time features. These need a backend that keeps a constant connection open, and more testing.
- More than one type of user. See above: each one roughly doubles the rules and adds screens.
- Moving data from an old system. Old data is rarely clean. Cleaning and checking it is its own piece of work.
- Connections to other services. Each one depends on how well the other service is built, which nobody can promise in advance.
None of these are bad ideas. They are left out of the first version because most ideas can be tested without them. When one is essential, it goes into the plan with its price, before anything is built.
What you bring
Store accounts in your company's name, which we help you set up. One person who makes decisions and tries the previews. Your logo, words and any content the app needs.
Is it the right package?
It fits if you can describe the first version in one sentence, with one type of user. If your sentence needs two kinds of user, payments and an admin panel, look at the Business App.
For how to decide what goes in the first version at all, read what to build first in an MVP.
Common questions
- Can I add payments to a Lean MVP?
- Yes. It is written into the plan and priced before work starts. If you add several things from the not-included list, the Business App package may fit better, and we will say so.
- Is a Lean MVP a throwaway prototype?
- No. It is a real app, built with the same tools and care as a full one, and the next versions are built on top of it. It is small because it does one job, not because it is rough.
- What happens when the support period ends?
- You choose. We keep building the next version, you take the code to your own team, or a maintenance agreement keeps the app working while you decide. The code and the accounts are yours either way.
