Stop thinking MVP; start thinking MEP

Eric Ries created the most expensive bug in product management history.

Image created by the author, with the help of one of the biggest MEPs ever.

His Minimum Viable Product methodology solved the right problem — how to discover value when you have no idea what users want. But it mutated from a discovery framework into systematic under-investment orthodoxy that’s killing start ups and costs companys tons of money.

Every product manager now asks: “How can we build this with minimum effort?” The right question is: “How can we make this BIGGER?”

When you have conviction — proven demand, clear value creation, competitive advantage — MVP becomes the enemy of breakthrough success. You should be building Maximum Effort Products (MEPs) if you already have proven that the value is there.

Think about it this way: If you discover a large lever, you don’t look for medium-sized levers to pull gently. You put maximum force on the big lever. But Eric Ries taught us to diversify our force across multiple small levers instead of concentrating on the one that actually moves the world.

Let’s drill this in, because for whatever reason, conventional wisdom is so strong here: If you’re a finance manager and find one opportunity that delivers 5% ROI, while all others do 3%, you go nuts on the biggest one, with all the money you…