Have you ever finished a project and realized that much of what you did didn’t need to be done? You can avoid this situation by learning to find your minimum viable result. Today we will look at this software development concept and how it can save you time and energy on all of your projects.
Getting Caught Up In the Details
This weekend my brain was going a million miles a minute. I have a very full week coming up, and five personal projects due in the next two weeks. I was starting to panic, looking at all of the things that need to be done. And then I realized that not all of them really need to be done.
This came to my attention with the Sunday church service I am involved with in two weeks. I told myself that I still need to find the opening words and meditations, finish writing my part of the service, line up speakers, replace the musician called out of town suddenly, and rehearse the music. But the thing is, most of these items may not be needed, and I won’t know until I talk to the minister. I won’t know how much I will have to provide until I know what has already been done. I won’t know what needs to be done with the music until I find out from the minister how they are handling copyrighted works during the simultaneous Zoom.
Of the fifteen things on my list, there are only two that really need to be done at the moment: finishing my part of the service and talking to the minister. Doing anything else will result in work that was not needed.
Minimum Viable Result
In software development, a minimum viable result provide just enough to be useable.
Approaching development in this way allows for feedback from the users. They can course correct and give feedback that will flow into the next phase of development.
Minimum viable result also allows developers to avoid unnecessary work. Often developers will add many features that the users never requested and end up never using.
Minimum Viable Result in Personal Projects
It is possible to find the minimum viable result in your personal projects.
For personal projects, minimum viable result is enough of the task to be done so that you can evaluated if or how you want to proceed on the project.
Minimum Viable Result in Reading
Instead of forcing yourself to finish any book you start, evaluate the book after the first couple of chapters. Is it teaching you anything? Entertaining you? Providing any return on the value of your time spent reading? If not, why continue reading the book?
There have been many books that I have tossed aside after the first few chapters, fiction and non-fiction. I recently put aside a murder mystery after realizing that not only did I not care whodunnit, I was also down for the entire cast of characters to be offed!
Minimum Viable Result in Cleaning
I ‘ve never seen of cleaning things that are not dirty. I know some household gurus would have people clean the areas frequently just so the dirt doesn’t build up. However, less used rooms need less cleaning.
Our formal dining room, which is hardly ever used, doesn’t get the same level of clean that the kitchen does. I will go in before we expect to use the room and do a dusting, vacuum and such. But why would I do those things every month, especially if the room won’t be used at all in the next month?
Minimum Viable Result in a New Hobby
It’s fun to try new things. But why invest in an expensive hobby if you are not sure you really want to do it long term? Setting up with high-level equipment is costly, and can actually keep you from having a good experience.
I taught a beginner crochet course at a summer camp for adults, and specified the type of hook and yarn that were needed. Both were the cheapest possible: an aluminum hook and 100% cotton yarn. The reason is both because of the minimal cost (less than $10), and because cotton “grabs” onto itself, making it an ideal starting yarn. I had a lady show up at class, showing off her purchase of hand-carved crochet hooks and pure silk yarn. The hooks were not suited to her as she had mild arthritis and needed something ergonomic; the silk slid all over the place and made it impossible for her produce stitches. She decided she hated crocheting, and complained loudly that she had just wasted almost $400.
Identifying A Minimum Viable Result
When you approach any personal project, take a moment to think about the minimum viable result. Here are some questions to get you started:
- What is the smallest result that you can produce without adding any extra work? Remember, you can add more effort later.
- When is a good point to pause to evaluate your efforts?
- On what criterial will you evaluate your efforts?
- What is essential versus nice to have?
By looking at minimum viable result, you can eliminate a lot of wasted effort and expense, and course-correct as you are doing the work.
Having trouble figuring out what done is? See my article What Is Done?
