无论如何，“最小可行产品”实际上是什么意思？ (What does “Minimum Viable Product” actually mean, anyway?)

伊隆·马斯克(Elon Musk)提出一个令人困惑的想法 (Elon Musk on making sense of a confusing idea)

Even the experts are confused by what Minimum Viable Product actually means:

甚至专家也对最低可行产品的实际含义感到困惑：

Eric Ries: “One of the most important lean startup techniques is called the minimum viable product. Its power is matched only by the amount of confusion that it causes, because it’s actually quite hard to do. It certainly took me many years to make sense of it.” (Minimum Viable Product: a guide)
Eric Ries ：“最重要的精益启动技术之一就是最小可行的产品。它的功能仅与它引起的混乱程度相匹配，因为它实际上很难做到。我当然花了很多年才明白这一点。” ( 最低可行产品：指南 )
Marty Cagan: “One of the most important concepts in all of software is the notion of minimum viable product (often referred to as “MVP”.) But if you’ve been around software products for a while, you know that term is used in many different ways, and while the term intuitively resonates with people, there’s often a lot of confusion about what this really means in practice.” (Minimum Viable Product)
Marty Cagan ：“在所有软件中，最重要的概念之一就是最低限度可行产品的概念(通常称为“ MVP”。)但是，如果您使用软件产品已有一段时间，您就会知道使用了该术语。尽管有很多不同的方式，而且这个词在直觉上引起了人们的共鸣，但在实践中这实际上意味着什么常常引起很多困惑。 ( 最低可行产品 )
Steve Blank: “This minimum feature set (sometimes called the “minimum viable product”) causes lots of confusion. Founders act like the ‘minimum’ part is the goal. Or worse, that every potential customer should want it.” (Perfection by Subtraction — The Minimum Feature Set)
史蒂夫·布兰克 ( Steve Blank) ：“这个最小功能集(有时称为“最小可行产品”)引起了很多混乱。创始人的行为就像“最小”部分是目标。更糟糕的是，每个潜在客户都应该想要它。” ( 通过减法完善-最小特征集 )

There are two exceptional quotes that helped me understand and apply the often confusing principle of MVP effectively in my startup:

有两个特殊的报价可以帮助我在启动时有效地理解和应用MVP经常令人困惑的原理：

“You’re selling the vision and delivering the minimum feature set to visionaries not everyone.” — Steve Blank

“您正在出售愿景，并为愿景者而不是所有人提供最低限度的功能。” —史蒂夫·布兰克

“An MVP is a down payment on a larger vision.” — Johnny Holland

“ MVP是更大视野的首付。” 约翰尼·荷兰

简化的三步MVPCraft.io (A Simplified 3-Step MVP Process)

I’ve taken the complex Lean, Agile and Guerrilla methodologies and distilled the MVP process to 3 steps:

我采用了复杂的精益，敏捷和游击方法，并将MVP流程精简为3个步骤：

Start with a single, simple product solving a tiny sub-set of a Grand Problem;
从一个简单的产品开始，解决一个小问题的一个小问题。
Keep iterating, while constantly solving bigger, related problems en route to solving the Grand Problem;
不断迭代，同时不断解决更大的相关问题，以解决“大问题”；
Constantly communicate the vision of the Grand Problem that will be solved.
不断传达将要解决的重大问题的愿景。

Let’s use the evolution of light to illustrate how this works.

让我们用光的演化来说明它是如何工作的。

重大问题：人类在黑暗中需要廉价，有效的照明 (Grand Problem: Humanity needs cheap, effective lighting during darkness)

1st MVP: Fire. Humans witnessed how lightning from the skies could ignite forests and create fire. After experimenting by rubbing sticks together, they created their own fire. Problem solved. But fire isn’t particularly portable.

第一名MVP：射击。 人类目睹了天空的闪电如何点燃森林并引起火灾。通过将木棍摩擦在一起进行实验后，他们创造了自己的火力。问题解决了。但是火并不是特别容易携带。

2nd MVP: Oil Lamps, Candles & Gas Lights. Now humans could carry light with them as they moved about their business. Problem solved. But candles and gas lights aren’t particularly bright and the slightest breeze blows them out.

第二个MVP：油灯，蜡烛和煤气灯 。现在，人们在开展业务时可以随身携带光。问题解决了。但是蜡烛和煤气灯并不是特别明亮，微风将它们吹灭。

3rd MVP: Incandescent Light Bulbs. Early light bulbs were battery powered and were more reliable than a flickering candle. Problem solved. But as cities grew in size, the demand for more widespread lighting grew. The national grid had not yet been constructed.

第三名MVP：白炽灯泡 。早期的灯泡由电池供电，并且比闪烁的蜡烛更可靠。问题解决了。但是随着城市规模的扩大，对更广泛的照明的需求也在增长。国家网格尚未构建。

4th MVP: Widely Available Electricity. In order to transmit electricity over long distances, AC and transformers were developed. Thermal power stations were built to meet massive demand. Problem solved. But as the world’s electricity demand increases, alternatives are required.

第四届MVP：电力供应广泛 。为了长距离传输电力，开发了交流电和变压器。火力发电厂的建造是为了满足大量需求。问题解决了。但是，随着世界电力需求的增长，需要替代方案。

5th MVP: Solar Power. Lower wattage light bulbs replace the original incandescent light bulbs while solar panels become more efficient and cheaper to produce. Problem solved. But solar solutions are still relatively expensive and adoption too low to be able to turn off the national grid.

第五届MVP：太阳能 。瓦数较低的灯泡代替了原来的白炽灯泡，而太阳能电池板变得更加高效且生产成本更低。问题解决了。但是太阳能解决方案仍然相对昂贵，采用率太低，无法关闭国家电网。

6th MVP: A Planet Powered Solely by the Sun. Highly efficient batteries can be charged solely by cheap and ubiquitous solar panels. At this point it becomes possible to remove our dependence on fossil fuels. We’re not quite there yet.

第六届MVP：仅由太阳驱动的行星 。高效的电池只能通过廉价且普遍存在的太阳能电池板充电。在这一点上，有可能消除我们对化石燃料的依赖。我们还没到那儿。

As the founder of an early-stage company or product, you have a clear vision of the Grand Problem (MVP6) you are solving. But you’re way ahead of your market (or at least you should be).

作为早期公司或产品的创始人，您对要解决的大问题(MVP6)有清晰的认识。但是您要领先于市场(或者至少应该如此)。

To be successful, it is your responsibility to chunk up the journey from where the world is now to where you want us to be. How will you release feature sets that take us from what can be delivered today, while communicating the future truth of your vision?

为了获得成功，您有责任分担从当今世界到您希望我们成为的地方的旅程。您如何发布功能集，使我们从今天可以提供的功能中脱颖而出，同时传达您的愿景的未来真理？

Elon Musk is an entrepreneur who is exceptional at the 3-step MVP process.

伊隆·马斯克(Elon Musk)是一位企业家，在三步MVP流程中表现出色。

Start with a simple product solving a tiny problem. He launched an electric car, which — in less than 3 years — became the world’s best-selling plug-in electric car.
从解决一个小问题的简单产品开始。 他推出了一款电动汽车，在不到3年的时间内，它成为了世界上最畅销的插电式电动汽车。
Keep iterating, while constantly solving bigger problems. Battery life keeps improving so that cars drive further, performance improves: 60mph in 2.28 seconds, self-driving technology reduces accidents, Tesla Part 2 introduces electric busses and trucks, the Tesla merger with Solar City and the imminent completion of Gigafactory.
不断迭代，同时不断解决更大的问题。 电池寿命不断提高，从而使汽车进一步行驶，性能得到改善：2.28秒内达到60英里/小时，自动驾驶技术减少了事故发生，特斯拉第2部分引入了电动公共汽车和卡车，特斯拉与太阳能城的合并以及即将竣工的Gigafactory。
Constantly communicate the vision of the Grand Problem. Musk’s ultimate vision is a planet powered entirely by the sun and eventually multi-planet habitation. He is not the world’s best communicator. Many of his speeches are awkward (he is getting better with time). But he has captured the world’s attention because he constantly communicates his vision, while delivering MVPs along the journey.
不断传达大问题的愿景 。马斯克的终极愿景是完全由太阳驱动并最终由多行星居住的行星。他不是世界上最好的沟通者。他的许多演讲都很尴尬(随着时间的推移，他会越来越好)。但是他之所以引起全世界的关注，是因为他不断传达自己的愿景，同时在旅途中交付MVP。

Imagine if Musk had started solving his Grand Problem by building Gigafactory (bypassing Tesla and Solar City). He might have launched with an MVP that produces 1 battery per month. His idea would go nowhere, because he hasn’t taken us the journey from where we are now to where he can see we need to be. His MVP would not be viable.

想象一下，马斯克是否已通过建造Gigafactory(绕过特斯拉和太阳城) 开始解决他的“大问题”。他可能启动了一个MVP，该MVP每月可生产1个电池。他的想法无济于事，因为他没有带我们走过从我们现在到他可以看到的地方的旅程。他的MVP将不可行。

Entrepreneurs very often make the mistake of starting with the Grand Problem. They then deliver an MVP, but the market doesn’t respond because they haven’t taken us on the required journey. The result? An unviable MVP, which often results in a pivot.

企业家常常会犯从大问题开始的错误。然后，他们提供了MVP，但是市场没有回应，因为他们没有按照我们的要求行事。结果？最不可行的MVP，通常会导致数据透视。

实践中简化的三步MVP流程 (Simplified 3-Step MVP Process in Practice)

Let’s say that you have launched your product. A handful of customers have signed up for your initial release. Your analytics tell you that there are downloads. But you also notice that engagement sucks. Your financial projections far exceed the usage you anticipated.

假设您已经发布了产品。少数客户已经注册了您的初始版本。您的分析告诉您有下载。但您也注意到订婚很糟糕。您的财务预测远远超出了您的预期使用。

Contrary to popular belief, this is usually not a disaster.

与普遍的看法相反，这通常不是灾难。

The good news is that people will sign up based on some portion of your vision. That’s the first step in validating your market. It’s at this point that the product strategist must get out of the office, talk to customers, and understand the situation:

好消息是，人们将根据您的愿景的一部分进行注册。这是验证您的市场的第一步。此时，产品策略师必须离开办公室，与客户交谈并了解情况：

Exactly what part of your vision initially captured their attention?
您最初的视野中哪一部分吸引了他们的注意力？
What exactly makes your product difficult to use in getting towards the vision?
究竟是什么使您的产品难以使用？
Is there someone else who is doing this better than you are? How are they doing it differently?
还有其他人比你做得更好吗？他们的做法有何不同？
Is the problem that customers want to solve different to the problem you’re solving?
客户要解决的问题是否与您要解决的问题不同？

This is a systematic meaning and sense-making process. It is a scientific process which relies on data and well-defined metrics. But the process is guided by the vision of the artist who imagines a better and more fulfilling future. Not only can the artist see the future, but they can see the path down which we need to travel to get to that future. And they know which MVPs to deliver as stepping stones to move us from here to there.

这是一个系统的意义和感觉过程。这是一个依靠数据和定义明确的指标的科学过程。但是这个过程是由艺术家的愿景指导的，他的愿景是想象一个更好，更充实的未来。艺术家不仅可以看到未来，而且可以看到我们走向那个未来需要走的路。他们知道哪些MVP可以作为垫脚石，将我们从这里带到那里。

That is my understanding of what makes a Viable Minimum Viable Product.

这就是我对什么是可行的最低可行产品的理解。

Ravi Vadrevu is the CEO & Founder of Kriya— the messaging platform where you instantly hire product contractors that work by the sprint.

Ravi Vadrevu是Kriya (该消息传递平台)的首席执行官兼创始人。在该平台中，您可以立即雇用按冲刺工作的产品承包商。