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Open-Source Toolbox
Your curated collection of battle-tested open-source tools for rapid MVP development:
Web Frontend
Next.js, SvelteKit, Vite
Styling:Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap
Components:shadcn/ui, MUI
Backend Services
FastAPI, Flask, Express, Fastify
Full-stack:Django (batteries-included)
Real-time:Socket.io, WebSockets
Data & Auth
Postgres, MongoDb
ORMs:Prisma, SQLAlchemy
Auth:Supabase (OSS), Ory
Headless & Admin
Directus, Strapi
Admin:AdminJS
Forms:React Hook Form
Internal Tools
Appsmith, Budibase
Dashboards:Grafana
Workflows:n8n
AI & Search
LangChain, vLLM, Ollama
Vector:Qdrant, Milvus
Search:Meilisearch
Data Pipelines
Orchestration: Prefect, Dagster
Processing: Apache Airflow
Streaming: Apache Kafka
Observability
Analytics: PostHog
A/B Testing: GrowthBook, Flagsmith
Errors: GlitchTip, OpenTelemetry
DevOps
Containers: Docker, Docker Compose
Proxy: Traefik
CI/CD: GitHub Actions
Strategic Slicing Patterns
Four proven patterns for breaking down your product vision into testable MVP slices:
Concierge/Wizard-of-Oz
Manual processes behind the scenes; automate successful workflows later based on real usage patterns.
Landing Page + Waitlist
Test message-market fit signals first before building complex functionality.
Single Workflow Focus
One job-to-be-done executed exceptionally well rather than multiple mediocre features.
API-First Approach
Provide core value via simple API; build user interface after validating backend logic.
Measuring the MVP
Define Success Before You Ship
Activation Metric
Must-have: First value delivered in ≤5 minutes. Measures how quickly users experience core product benefit.
North-Star Metric
Example: Weekly active workflows per user. Tracks sustained engagement and product-market fit signals.
Guardrail Metrics
Error rate, time-to-value, churn proxy. Ensures quality doesn't degrade while optimizing for growth.
Open-Source Instrumentation Stack
Product Analytics
PostHog: Events, funnels, feature flags, and user behavior tracking.
Umami: Lightweight web analytics for basic usage patterns.
Feature Flags & A/B Testing
GrowthBook: Statistical A/B testing platform.
Flagsmith: Feature flag management with targeting and rollout controls.
Error Monitoring
GlitchTip: Sentry-compatible error tracking and performance monitoring for identifying and fixing issues quickly.
Logging & Observability
OpenTelemetry: Standardized telemetry collection.
Loki/Grafana: Log aggregation and visualization dashboards.
Turning VPC into Testable Hypotheses
Hypothesis Card Framework:
• We believe [persona] needs [job-to-be-done] to achieve [gain] and avoid [pain]
• We will know this is true when [metric/behavior] improves by [X] within [timebox].
• We will test this by [MVP slice] delivered to [early adopters].
Prioritization Mini-Lab
MoSCoW Method
Must have / Should have / Could have / Won't have (for now). Quick categorization for initial feature triage.
RICE Scoring
Reach × Impact × Confidence ÷ Effort. Quantitative approach to compare features objectively using data-driven metrics.
Kano Analysis
Classify features as Delighters, Performers, or Basics through quick user pulse surveys and feedback.
Exercise 2 – Rapid Prioritization Process
01. Feature Brainstorm
List 8-12 candidate features or experiments that could be included in your MVP scope.
02. MoSCoW Tagging
Categorize each feature using the MoSCoW framework to establish basic priority levels.
03. RICE Scoring
Score Must/Should items using RICE methodology (1-5 scale works well for rapid assessment).
04. Kano Identification
Mark 1-2 features as Kano Delighters for compelling MVP storytelling and user engagement.
Ready to Build Your MVP?
Start with one strategic slice, measure what matters, and iterate based on real user feedback.