Minimum Viable Scope

I was talking to a founder embarking on a national customer engagement project for a client.

He mentioned that the scope was too big and that he was under-resourced.

This project launch would consume all of his time and resources, preventing him from sourcing other clients and working on other projects.

The client would also need to make a large payment at once to launch the project.

I suggested that he start small.

What is the minimum viable scope?

What is the best and smallest group of people that he can start with, to achieve the project objectives?

This would allow him to pace the rollout, and would allow the client to sparse out payments, and have wins to share with the leadership team.

If you're doing a customer nurture program, start with your best customers.

The ones who are raving fans.

The ones who will give you real and honest feedback to help you improve.

Reward them for their time and generosity.

They should get the VIP treatment (whatever that looks like for you and your business).

Capture the feedback, apply what you’ve learned, and expand the scope.

But start small.