---
name: runbook-startup-mvp
description: Startup MVP build runbook — idea to live product in 4-6 weeks with validated product-market fit. Adapted from msitarzewski/agency-agents.
---

## Triggers

- startup MVP
- MVP build
- minimum viable product
- rapid product build
- startup launch
- product-market fit
- quick launch
- lean startup
- fast build
- 4-week build
- 6-week build
- idea to product
- validate idea
- startup sprint
- rapid development
- MVP validation

## Instructions

This runbook covers building a startup MVP — a new product that needs to validate product-market fit quickly. Speed matters, but so does quality. Go from idea to live product with real users in 4-6 weeks.

### Agent Roster

**Core Team (Always Active)** — use `organization_spawn`:
- Agents Orchestrator: Pipeline controller
- Senior Project Manager: Spec-to-task conversion
- Sprint Prioritizer: Backlog management
- UX Architect: Technical foundation
- Frontend Developer: UI implementation
- Backend Architect: API and database
- DevOps Automator: CI/CD and deployment
- Evidence Collector: QA for every task
- Reality Checker: Final quality gate

**Growth Team (Activated Week 3+)**:
- Growth Hacker: Acquisition strategy
- Content Creator: Launch content
- Social Media Strategist: Social campaign

**Support Team (As Needed)**:
- Brand Guardian: Brand identity
- Analytics Reporter: Metrics and dashboards
- Rapid Prototyper: Quick validation experiments
- AI Engineer: If product includes AI features
- Performance Benchmarker: Load testing before launch
- Infrastructure Maintainer: Production setup

### Week 1: Discovery + Architecture (Compressed Phase 0 + 1)

**Day 1-2 — Compressed Discovery**:
- Trend Researcher: Quick competitive scan (1 day, not full report)
- UX Architect: Wireframe key user flows
- Senior Project Manager: Convert spec to task list

**Day 3-4 — Architecture**:
- UX Architect: CSS design system + component architecture
- Backend Architect: System architecture + database schema
- Brand Guardian: Quick brand foundation (colors, typography, voice)
- Sprint Prioritizer: RICE-scored backlog + sprint plan

**Day 5 — Foundation Setup**:
- DevOps Automator: CI/CD pipeline + environments
- Frontend Developer: Project scaffolding
- Backend Architect: Database + API scaffold
- Quality Gate: Architecture Package approved

### Week 2-3: Core Build (Compressed Phase 2 + 3)

**Sprint 1 (Week 2)** — use `agency-phase-3-build` skill mechanics:
- Agents Orchestrator manages Dev-QA loop
- Frontend Developer: Core UI (auth, main views, navigation)
- Backend Architect: Core API (auth, CRUD, business logic)
- Evidence Collector: QA every completed task
- AI Engineer: ML features if applicable
- Sprint Review at end of week

**Sprint 2 (Week 3)**:
- Continue Dev-QA loop for remaining features
- Growth Hacker: Design viral mechanics + referral system
- Content Creator: Begin launch content creation
- Analytics Reporter: Set up tracking and dashboards
- Sprint Review at end of week

### Week 4: Polish + Hardening (Compressed Phase 4)

**Day 1-2 — Quality Sprint**:
- Evidence Collector: Full screenshot suite
- Performance Benchmarker: Load testing
- Frontend Developer: Fix QA issues
- Backend Architect: Fix API issues
- Brand Guardian: Brand consistency audit

**Day 3-4 — Reality Check**:
- Reality Checker: Final integration testing
- Infrastructure Maintainer: Production readiness
- DevOps Automator: Production deployment prep

**Day 5 — Gate Decision**:
- Reality Checker verdict
- IF NEEDS WORK: Quick fix cycle (2-3 days)
- IF READY: Proceed to launch
- Executive Summary Generator: Stakeholder briefing

### Week 5-6: Launch + Growth (Phase 5)

**Week 5 — Launch**:
- DevOps Automator: Production deployment
- Growth Hacker: Activate acquisition channels
- Content Creator: Publish launch content
- Social Media Strategist: Cross-platform campaign
- Analytics Reporter: Real-time monitoring
- Support Responder: User support active

**Week 6 — Optimize**:
- Growth Hacker: Analyze and optimize channels
- Feedback Synthesizer: Collect early user feedback
- Experiment Tracker: Launch A/B tests
- Analytics Reporter: Week 1 analysis
- Sprint Prioritizer: Plan iteration sprint

### Key Decisions

| Decision Point | When | Who Decides |
|---------------|------|-------------|
| Go/No-Go on concept | End of Day 2 | Studio Producer |
| Architecture approval | End of Day 4 | Senior Project Manager |
| Feature scope for MVP | Sprint planning | Sprint Prioritizer |
| Production readiness | Week 4 Day 5 | Reality Checker |
| Launch timing | After READY verdict | Studio Producer |

### Common Pitfalls & Mitigations

- **Scope creep**: Sprint Prioritizer enforces MoSCoW — "Won't" means won't
- **Over-engineering**: Rapid Prototyper mindset — validate first, scale later
- **Skipping QA**: Evidence Collector runs on EVERY task — no exceptions
- **No monitoring**: Infrastructure Maintainer sets up monitoring in Week 1
- **No feedback mechanism**: Analytics + feedback built into Sprint 1

Use `knowledge_write` to persist architecture decisions, sprint results, and launch metrics.

## Deliverables

- [ ] Competitive scan and validated concept
- [ ] Architecture Package (compressed)
- [ ] Working CI/CD pipeline
- [ ] Core features implemented and QA'd
- [ ] Reality Checker READY verdict
- [ ] Production deployment
- [ ] Active acquisition channels
- [ ] Week 1 analytics report
- [ ] User feedback collection active

## Success Metrics

| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| Time to live product | <= 6 weeks |
| Core features complete | 100% of MVP scope |
| First users onboarded | Within 48 hours of launch |
| System uptime | > 99% in first week |
| User feedback collected | >= 50 responses in first 2 weeks |

## Verify

- The deploy command was actually run and the build/log output (or deploy URL) is captured
- The deployed URL was opened and returned a 2xx; key routes were sampled, not just the index
- Environment variables required by the app are present in the target environment; missing-var failures were ruled out
- A rollback plan (previous deployment ID, git SHA, or one-line revert command) is documented before promoting to production
- Health/observability check (logs, error tracker, status page) was inspected post-deploy; baseline error rate is recorded
- DNS / domain / SSL configuration was confirmed, not assumed to carry over from previous deploys
