Technical jargon: What does "MVP" mean?

Acronyms have something in common: there are different meanings for the same letters depending on the industry, culture or language area. MVP is one such acronym - and the discrepancy between the formulations of the three letters could not be greater. Among other things, MVP stands for both "Most Valuable Player" and "Minimum Viable Product." The former has long been familiar to sports fans among our readers, while the latter has only really become popular in our industry since digitalization. It is interesting to note that both interpretations have an inner relationship despite their contrast: While one stands for the most valuable player on a team, chosen by teammates, spectators or journalists, the other stands for the minimum viable result, defined by the manufacturers themselves.

Taking responsibility vs. making excuses

Agility, technical knowledge and ambition are important attitudes for success in the digitalized world, and a good mix of these is what makes a "Most Valuable Player" as well as a sought-after and valuable employee. However, these are currently extremely rare in the digital sector. And where there is great demand in the market, there is all the more room and opportunities for the incompetent to offer their services for sale and, for lack of anything better, to sell them well. Which brings us to the "minimum viable product": MVP is currently THE buzzword among developers and project managers of digital projects and actually means: that's all we have. In detail, this means that budgets have long since been used up, timelines cannot be adhered to and what is delivered to the client is not the finished product ordered, but the minimum viable product. The definition of viable then becomes a matter of dispute: is a website that does not run smoothly on all browsers and devices viable? Or is it new software, an update or an application that can only do a fraction of what was formulated in the service description or business plan? No, say the investors and clients. Yes, say the developers and programmers. But you can only become an MVP if you take responsibility and deliver results that are not only viable, but also successful. *Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He created the section "Vom Fach" in the NZZ FOLIO and was in charge of it for years. He presents and decodes words and terms that can be used either for small talk, being important, getting excited, playing Scrabble or simply for fun.