Shortly after the dawn of agile methodologies for software development, the Minimum Viable Product – MVP became the banner carried by the lean startup movement. The concept of the MVP was first introduced by Frank Robinson, CEO of SyncDev, in 2001. Robinson defined MVP as the unique product that maximizes return on risk for both the vendor and the customer. The idea was later popularized by Steve Blank and Eric Ries, particularly through Ries’s influential book The Lean Startup, published in 2011.
The core concept of the MVP is the cornerstone that allowed the explosion of software development and innovation to occur over the last couple decades. It emboldened Silicon Valley to “Move Fast and Break Things.” Very essentially, develop only what is needed fast, ship it, and get rapid feedback to do it again.
As I am working through my own projects, I realized that this concept is somewhat of a relic of what it has taken to develop software over time. However, very quickly the cost of developing software is moving closer and closer to zero every day. With AI development agents and assistants, we no longer need to protect scarce and expensive development resources from accidentally wasting their time building the wrong thing. In short, we can now afford to build beyond just “minimum.” Users no longer need to imagine what it would look like to use a fully fleshed-out product to solve their problem. Say the words, and it can happen, and quickly.
This certainly doesn’t mean building features for their own sake. We should absolutely still thoughtfully consider what is necessary in a product and strive to keep it simple. To temper this impulse, building and iterating in public is now the new methodology of choice for many modern product development teams. When a piece of software is released, it feels simple, complete, and usable. Building in public allows for valuable learning and feedback along the way and at speed. The lower development resource cost means you don’t have to be afraid of changes and pivots when they are needed. Bringing your user base along for the journey also builds loyalty and excitement up front.
So having said all of this…
“Do we still need Agile? Or can we just let people get to work?”
To be clear Agile <> MVP… but it was the necessary machinery that fueled its popularity. From my view, Agile, Scrum and all their related cousins essentially seek to make unstructured and often un-predictable knowledge work as close to traditional assembly-line manufacturing as possible. That’s what management wanted. They wanted nice charts and graphs that shows that work is happening and when stakeholders can expect to see products and features in their hands. But those nice slides to show off in meetings come with a significant overhead cost. Entire roles, departments, and hours every week from every person on a team spent on ceremony, “stories,” and “coaching” adds up, especially at enterprise scale. And if we are all being honest with ourselves (and we really should be)… How often did any of those charts and graphs that made mangers feel good actually parallel reality?
That’s not anybody’s fault… it’s just the nature of this type of work. Building software products comes with surprises and lots of trial-and-error. So… Teams and organizations have begun leaning into letting talented product-minded people partnered with these cutting edge AI development tools skip the ceremony and just get down to work. They are finding increased velocity, flow, and happier teams. This isn’t surprising, since the process wasn’t really ever for them. It was for the people who wanted and needed a quantified way to manage expectations.
In my opinion, with AI coding and product tools, we ironically have finally reached the point of being truly “agile” to its word. Things can happen and self-organize quickly, and with transparency and scalability in a way we were never able to do with stand-ups and burn-down charts. Of course, doing this successfully depends on having a high-powered team that thrives with autonomy and self-direction. Pair that with clear organizational goals and outcomes (something like OKRs) to keep everyone on the same page, and teams will be setup to deliver impactful products at speed and scale. Teams at Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, and countless startups have realized this and transitioned to a less ceremonious, modern way of working that prioritize outcomes.
The evolution of software development methodologies reflects our growing capacity to innovate rapidly, thanks to advances in AI and automation. As we move beyond the constraints of the MVP and traditional Agile frameworks, product teams are empowered to focus on delivering meaningful solutions rather than adhering to rigid processes. Embracing this shift allows organizations to cultivate creativity, agility, and genuine collaboration—ultimately driving better outcomes for users and businesses alike. The future belongs to those who are willing to adapt, iterate openly, and put trust in the talent behind the technology.
