How to Brief a Developer on Your MVP

The biggest cause of MVP failure isn't bad developers—it's bad communication. Here's how to brief properly.

What Developers Need to Know

• •The problem you're solving (and for whom)
• •What success looks like for this MVP
• •The core user journey, step by step
• •What's in scope and what's explicitly out
• •Any hard constraints (budget, deadline, tech)
• •How you'll make decisions during the build

Good Brief Format

• •1-page overview: problem, solution, goals
• •User stories: As a [user], I want to [action], so that [benefit]
• •Wireframes or sketches: rough is fine, clarity is key
• •Priority list: must-have vs nice-to-have
• •Examples: apps or sites that do something similar

Common Miscommunication Traps

• •"Make it like Uber" (which part? Be specific)
• •"Simple login system" (email? OAuth? Magic links?)
• •"Good design" (show examples of what you mean)
• •"Standard features" (nothing is standard, spell it out)
• •"You know what I mean" (they don't)

The Briefing Meeting

• •Walk through the user journey end-to-end
• •Ask them to repeat back their understanding
• •Discuss assumptions and clarify immediately
• •Agree on how you'll communicate during the build
• •Set expectations for questions (they should ask lots)

After the Brief

• •Get a written summary from them
• •Review their project breakdown
• •Agree on check-in schedule
• •Define what a "done" feature looks like