How MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) Blend Agility and Scale to Unlock Opportunities

Are you willing to test an innovation before it's fully perfected? A Minimum Viable Product (MVP)—a product that isn’t yet fully perfected but that is good enough to test—helps you quickly validate ideas, resulting in better insights and big cost savings. Startups embrace MVP thinking by default, but large-scale production often overlooks the small-batch, iterative MVP approach that entrepreneurs rely on.  

An MVP is basically a product that’s good enough to test in stores, even if it’s not fully ready for mass production. For example, if your R&D team can whip up something close to the final version in the lab, but hasn’t figured out how to scale it yet, that’s an ideal MVP. The main goal is to show off the concept and test it with consumers to see if it’s worth pursuing further. 

I see over and over how the MVP approach gives our clients a big advantage. For example, we recently worked with a client that wanted to test a new concept in Europe. Their internal team was planning to vet four manufacturers over 18 months to two years—a timeline that delayed the project considerably. Instead, Mission Field proposed producing the MVP and we managed to deliver test products within just six months. While the idea wasn’t worth pursuing in the end, the rapid approach saved considerable time and resources. 

Another client had a layered bar product for which the design team insisted on a thicker flow wrap for better aesthetics and quality feel. However, during production, the thicker material kept jamming the machines and misaligning the labels. Ultimately, we scaled back to the original material, and the product still performed well. Testing the product with consumers in market we discovered that, while packaging texture was a “nice-to-have,” it wasn’t essential to the product’s success. 

Defining what’s must-have, nice-to-have, and optional early in the process is critical when developing an MVP. Without these distinctions, every element can become a “must-have,” leading to unnecessary complexity. In the bar example, the food presentation and consumer experience were the true must-haves. Secondary elements, like the packaging thickness, could be refined later. 

MVPs truly don’t need to be perfect. Early consumer tests often reveal that minor imperfections go unnoticed. For instance, we once tested a product for Campbell’s in a plain white box with no labels on the sides. Surprisingly, not a single consumer mentioned the missing details. The focus was on the product itself—proving that polish can come later. 

The Mission Field team and I help our clients blend big-CPG and entrepreneurial mindsets, producing MVP test products at smaller scale while maintaining high standards in quality and performance—all at cost savings. (Consider that working with a small-scale co-manufacturer can reduce daily production costs from $200,000 to $10,000 and enable quicker pivots.)  

Will you need to compromise on quality or safety standards? Absolutely not. The key is recognizing which aspects of a product need to be prioritized now versus what can be refined later. Focus on what’s crucial (safety and quality) and be willing to compromise or delay non-critical elements. Testing an MVP with consumers in an actual retail environment will tell you if you’re on the right track and what needs finessing before a full-scale launch.  

Curious about how to manufacture and test an MVP with consumers? Reach out to us at hello@mission-field.com.