How many features should an MVP include?

As few as possible. Most successful MVPs ship with 3-7 Must-Have features. If your Must-Have list exceeds 10 items, challenge each one: "Does removing this prevent us from testing the hypothesis?" If the answer is no, move it to Should-Have.

How do I handle stakeholders who want more features in V1?

Point to the hypothesis slide. Every feature request gets evaluated against one question: does this help us test the hypothesis faster? The Won't-Have column is your best tool. It shows you considered and explicitly excluded features rather than ignoring them.

Should I include technical infrastructure in the MVP scope?

Yes, but only the infrastructure required to ship and measure the Must-Have features. Technical work that supports future scale but is not needed for V1 belongs in Phase 2 or the Should-Have column.

How does this differ from a product roadmap?

An MVP roadmap is a subset of your [product roadmap](/guides/how-to-build-a-product-roadmap). It covers only the initial launch scope and immediate follow-up. Once the MVP is validated, transition to a full roadmap that covers multiple quarters and strategic themes. ---

MVP Roadmap Template for PowerPoint

Quick Answer (TL;DR)

This free PowerPoint template helps you scope and sequence your minimum viable product by sorting features into Must-Have, Should-Have, Could-Have, and Won't-Have categories. Each phase maps to a delivery milestone so the team knows exactly what ships in V1 versus what waits. Download the .pptx, drop in your features, and use it to align engineering, design, and stakeholders on the smallest product that validates your core hypothesis.

What This Template Includes

Cover slide. Title slide with product name, target launch date, and team leads.
Problem and hypothesis slide. One-page framing of the user problem and the bet you are making with this MVP.
Feature triage slide. A four-column MoSCoW grid for sorting every candidate feature into Must-Have, Should-Have, Could-Have, and Won't-Have.
MVP scope slide. The final feature set with effort estimates, owners, and a phase timeline showing what ships in each release.
Success criteria slide. Key metrics that define whether the MVP validated the hypothesis, with targets and measurement methods.

Why PowerPoint for MVP Planning

MVP scoping is a cross-functional exercise. PowerPoint works because every stakeholder. From engineers to executives. Can open, comment on, and present from the same file without learning a new tool. The slide format also forces conciseness: if your MVP scope cannot fit on a single slide, you are probably building too much.

Template Structure

The template follows a narrative arc designed for stakeholder alignment meetings.

Slide 1. Problem Frame. State the user problem in one sentence and the hypothesis your MVP tests. This prevents scope creep by anchoring every feature decision to the original bet.

Slide 2. Feature Triage. The MoSCoW grid separates features by necessity. Must-Haves are the features without which the product cannot test the hypothesis. Should-Haves improve the experience but are not blocking. Could-Haves are nice additions. Won't-Haves are explicitly out of scope. Listing them prevents re-litigation later.

Slide 3. MVP Scope and Phases. The shortlisted Must-Have features organized into delivery phases. Phase 1 is the thinnest slice that can reach users. Phase 2 adds the Should-Haves based on Phase 1 feedback.

Slide 4. Success Criteria. Define two to four metrics that tell you whether the MVP worked. Link these to your north star metric so the team connects MVP outcomes to business goals.

How to Use This Template

1. Define the hypothesis

Write one sentence: "We believe [user segment] will [behavior] if we build [feature set], and we will know this is true when [metric] reaches [target]." This sentence drives every scoping decision that follows.

2. List all candidate features

Pull from your backlog, customer interviews, and discovery work. Include everything. The triage step handles prioritization. Aim for 15-30 candidates.

3. Run the MoSCoW triage

Score each feature against the hypothesis. If removing a feature means you cannot test the hypothesis, it is a Must-Have. Everything else sorts into the remaining columns. Use the RICE Calculator if you need numeric scoring to break ties.

Define metrics, targets, and a measurement timeline. Then walk stakeholders through the deck in a 30-minute review. The explicit Won't-Have list prevents the most common source of MVP scope creep: "Can we just add one more thing?"

When to Use This Template

MVP roadmaps are most useful at the start of a new product, a major new feature area, or a pivot. Use this template when:

You are launching a new product and need to ship the smallest version that tests your riskiest assumption
Scope keeps growing and the team needs a framework to say no to features that do not serve the core hypothesis
Stakeholders want a timeline but engineering capacity is limited. The phased structure shows what comes first and what waits
You need executive sign-off on a focused scope before committing engineering resources

For ongoing feature planning after your MVP ships, move to a now-next-later roadmap or a quarterly roadmap.

Key Takeaways

Every MVP feature must directly serve the core hypothesis. If it does not help you test the bet, it does not ship in V1.
The MoSCoW method gives you a repeatable framework for sorting features by necessity rather than preference.
An explicit Won't-Have list prevents scope creep by showing stakeholders that exclusions were deliberate, not accidental.
Define two to four success metrics before building so the team agrees on what "validated" means.
Phase your delivery: ship the thinnest slice first, then layer in Should-Haves based on real user feedback.
Compatible with Google Slides, Keynote, and LibreOffice Impress. Upload the .pptx to Google Drive to edit collaboratively in your browser.

MVP Roadmap Template for PowerPoint