Minimum Viable Process (MVP)

Set the floor for process, but explicitly encourage going higher

Eeke de Milliano
How to foster innovation and big thinking

Minimum Viable Process (MVP)

"If I give folks a template, I'm like, 'Look, use the template. But if you want to break out of it, please absolutely do.' And I've started writing this at the top of templates now. It's like, 'If this doesn't work for what you're trying to explain, don't use it. But just know that this is the minimum viable thing. We're setting the bar here, but go higher if you can, please.'" - Eeke de Milliano

What It Is

Minimum Viable Process is an approach to organizational process design that provides guardrails without constraining top performers. The insight is that process, by definition, reduces variance—it brings lower performers up to a standard, but simultaneously brings higher performers down to that same average.

The framework acknowledges that your highest performers and most creative thinkers often don't need process to do their best work. By framing templates and processes as floors rather than ceilings, you preserve space for exceptional work while still ensuring a baseline quality.

This is particularly important because excessive standardization can make human output more formulaic and less creative—ironically, more like what AI can produce rather than what makes human contribution unique.

How It Works

  1. Create the process or template - Design the minimum standard you need to maintain quality across the organization

  2. Label it explicitly - Add a note at the top of every template stating: "This is the minimum viable thing. If this doesn't work for what you're trying to explain, don't use it. Go higher if you can."

  3. Provide escape hatches - Make it clear that breaking out of the template is not just allowed but encouraged when someone has a better way

  4. Trust managers to identify exceptions - Rely on managers to detect high performers who don't need the process and give them air cover to operate differently

How to Apply It

  1. Audit your existing processes - For each template or process, ask: "Am I okay with bringing my best people down to this level?"

  2. Add explicit permission - Modify template headers to encourage creativity and deviation when appropriate

  3. Be really sure before adding process - Before introducing new process, weigh the cost: are you willing to sacrifice some high-end creative output for consistency?

  4. Question the necessity - Ask whether the variance you're trying to reduce actually needs reducing, or if it represents healthy diversity in approaches

When to Use It

  • When introducing any new template, checklist, or standardized process
  • When you notice high performers feeling constrained by existing processes
  • When balancing the need for consistency with the need for innovation
  • When scaling organizations need to maintain quality without killing creativity

Source

  • Guest: Eeke de Milliano
  • Episode: "How to foster innovation and big thinking"
  • Key Discussion: (00:42:26) - Introducing the concept of MVP for process
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube

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