A systematic mapping study and practitioner insights on the use of software engineering practices to develop MVPs

Background: Many startup environments and even traditional software companies have embraced the use of MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) to allow quickly experimenting solution options. The MVP concept has influenced the way in which development teams apply Software Engineering (SE) practices. However, the overall understanding of this influence of MVPs on SE practices is still poor.Objective: Our goal is to characterize the publication landscape on practices that have been used in the context of software MVPs and to gather practitioner insights on the identified practices.Method: We conducted a systematic mapping study using a hybrid search strategy that consists of a database search and parallel forward and backward snowballing. Thereafter, we discussed the mapping study results in two focus groups sessions involving twelve industry practitioners that extensively use MVPs in their projects to capture their perceptions on the findings of the mapping study. Results: We identified 33 papers published between 2013 and 2020. We observed some trends related to MVP ideation (or MVP conception) and evaluation practices. For instance, regarding ideation, we found six different approaches (e.g., Design Thinking, Lean Inception) and mainly informal end-user involvement practices (e.g., workshops, interviews). Regarding evaluation, there is an emphasis on end-user validations based on practices such as usability tests, A/B testing, and usage data analysis. However, there is still limited research related to MVP technical feasibility assessment and effort estimation. Practitioners of the focus group sessions reinforced the confidence in our results regarding ideation and evaluation practices, being aware of most of the identified practices. They also reported how they deal with the technical feasibility assessments (involving developers during the ideation and conducting informal experiments) and effort estimation in practice (based on expert opinion and using practices common to agile methodologies, such as Planning Poker).Conclusion: Our analysis suggests that there are opportunities for solution proposals and evaluation studies to address literature gaps concerning technical feasibility assessment and effort estimation. Overall, more effort needs to be invested into empirically evaluating the existing MVP-related practices.