# Define the minimum viable version of a deliverable

Strips a project or deliverable down to the smallest version that still achieves its purpose, so you can deliver sooner.

- Topic: Productivity & Planning
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Analyze, Plan, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/define-the-minimum-viable-version-of-a-deliverable

## Prompt

```text
Help me define the minimum viable version of a piece of work.

**The deliverable:** [e.g. "new onboarding guide", "sales dashboard", "policy update", "client proposal"]
**Its purpose - the decision or outcome it must enable:** [DETAILS]
**Who will use it, and what they need from it:** [AUDIENCE]
**The full version I had in mind:** [PASTE SCOPE OR OUTLINE]
**Deadline and time available:** [DETAILS]
**Must-haves set by others:** [e.g. "legal review", "brand template"]

Steps:
1. Restate the purpose in one sentence.
2. Sort every element into: essential to the purpose / improves it / nice to have.
3. Define the minimum version: the essentials only, done to a standard that won't embarrass me or mislead anyone.
4. Plan what goes into version 2 if the first one proves useful.

Return:
1. The purpose statement.
2. Scope table: | Element | Essential / Improves / Nice to have | Reason |
3. The minimum viable version, as a short paragraph and a checklist.
4. Time saved vs. the full version (estimate).
5. Risks of delivering the smaller version, and how to handle them.
6. A one-line note to set expectations with the requester ("This is version 1; next we'll add ...").

Never cut accuracy, required approvals, or compliance steps to make it smaller.
```

## What to fill in

- DETAILS
- AUDIENCE
- PASTE SCOPE OR OUTLINE
- e.g. "legal review", "brand template"

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.