06: MVP Roadmap & Feature Prioritization
MVP Definition
One-Sentence MVP:
A web app that integrates with Google Calendar to automatically calculate and display the real-time cost of meetings for teams, surfacing total spend and optimization opportunities.
A web app that integrates with Google Calendar to automatically calculate and display the real-time cost of meetings for teams, surfacing total spend and optimization opportunities.
Core Problem Solved:
Lack of visibility into meeting costs, leading to unchecked productivity waste averaging $400+ per unnecessary hour.
Lack of visibility into meeting costs, leading to unchecked productivity waste averaging $400+ per unnecessary hour.
Must-Have Features (5 Core):
- Google Calendar integration
- Role-based cost calculation
- Basic analytics dashboard
- Per-meeting cost display
- Team aggregate views
NOT in MVP:
- Outlook/Zoom integrations
- AI nudges or suggestions
- SSO or enterprise features
- Mobile app
- Custom salary imports
MVP Success Criteria
User Success: Users connect calendar, see accurate meeting costs, and identify top 5 expensive meetings in <5 min.
Business Success: 100 beta teams (500 users), 40% D30 retention, $2K MRR from 25 paying teams ($4/user/mo).
Validation Goals: Test if cost visibility drives 20%+ meeting time reduction; 70% users report value in surveys.
Feature Inventory (32 Features)
Categorized by priority; scored on User/Biz Value (H/M/L), Effort (H/M/L).
Core MVP (6)
- Google Calendar connect (H/H/L/None)
- Role-based cost calc (H/H/M/None)
- Basic dashboard (H/H/M/Cal connect)
- Per-meeting cost badge (H/M/L/Dashboard)
- Team aggregate spend (H/H/M/Dashboard)
- User auth & teams (H/H/L/None)
Quick Wins (7)
- Weekly spend reports (H/M/L/Dashboard)
- Top meetings list (H/M/L/Aggregate)
- Email summaries (M/H/L/Reports)
- Industry benchmarks (M/M/L/None)
- Export CSV (M/M/L/Dashboard)
- Basic permissions (H/M/L/Teams)
- Waitlist signup (M/M/L/None)
Major Initiatives (9)
- Outlook integration (H/H/H/Google)
- Zoom attendee detect (H/M/H/Outlook)
- Optimization insights (H/H/H/Analytics)
- Pre-meeting nudges (H/H/M/Insights)
- Recurring meeting ID (M/H/M/Cal)
- Trend charts (H/M/H/Dashboard)
- Meeting-free blocks (M/H/M/Nudges)
- Custom salary import (M/H/H/Cost calc)
- Department views (H/H/H/Teams)
Nice-to-Haves (10)
- Mobile app (M/L/H/All)
- SSO (L/H/H/Teams)
- API access (L/H/H/Analytics)
- Slack nudges (M/M/M/Email)
- Async suggestions (M/M/H/Insights)
- ROI calculator (M/M/L/Landing)
- White-label (L/H/H/Enterprise)
- BI integrations (L/H/H/API)
- Meeting audits (M/M/H/Team tools)
- Intl localization (L/L/M/All)
Value vs. Effort Matrix
Google Cal
Cost Badge
User Auth
Weekly Reports
Top Meetings
Benchmarks
Outlook Int
Insights
Nudges
Trends
CSV Export
Waitlist
Mobile
SSO
API
Low Effort ↑
High Value ↑
High Effort
Strategy: Build Top-Left first (MVP), then Top-Right (Phases 2-3). Avoid Bottom-Right.
Prioritization Scoring
Score = (User Value × 0.4) + (Biz Value × 0.3) + (Ease × 0.3); User/Biz/Ease: 1-10.
| Rank | Feature | User | Biz | Ease | Score | Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Calendar Connect | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9.4 | MVP |
| 2 | Role Cost Calc | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8.8 | MVP |
| 3 | Basic Dashboard | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8.6 | MVP |
| 4 | User Auth/Teams | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8.7 | MVP |
| 5 | Per-Meeting Badge | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8.5 | MVP |
| 6 | Team Aggregates | 9 | 9 | 6 | 8.1 | MVP |
| 7 | Weekly Reports | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8.3 | Phase 2 |
| 8 | Top Meetings | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8.0 | Phase 2 |
| 9 | Outlook Int | 9 | 9 | 4 | 7.5 | Phase 3 |
| 10 | Optimization Insights | 9 | 9 | 5 | 7.8 | Phase 3 |
Rules: >7.5=P0 (MVP), 6-7.5=P1 (Phase 2-3).
Phased Development Roadmap
Phase 1: Core MVP (Weeks 1-8)
Objective: Launch beta with Google Calendar integration, cost engine, and dashboard to validate cost visibility drives engagement. Unlocks immediate user value: see $ spend in minutes. Targets 100 teams.
| Feature | Priority | Effort | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| User Auth & Teams | P0 | 3d | 1 |
| Google Cal Connect | P0 | 5d | 2-3 |
| Role Cost Calc | P0 | 4d | 3-4 |
| Basic Dashboard | P0 | 7d | 4-6 |
| Per-Meeting Badge | P0 | 3d | 6 |
| Team Aggregates | P0 | 5d | 7 |
Phase 2: PMF (Weeks 9-16)
Objective: Add quick wins for retention/monetization; validate 35% D30 retention and first $2K MRR via Stripe. Test if reports drive sharing.
| Feature | Priority | Effort | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stripe Payments | P0 | 4d | 9-10 |
| Weekly Reports | P1 | 3d | 11 |
| Top Meetings | P1 | 4d | 12 |
| Email Summaries | P1 | 3d | 13 |
| Benchmarks | P1 | 3d | 14 |
Phase 3: Growth (Weeks 17-24)
Objective: Scale with integrations/insights; hit $5K MRR, viral coeff>0.3 via shares. Aligns with Month 6 milestone.
| Feature | Priority | Effort | Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlook Integration | P0 | 7d | 17-18 |
| Optimization Insights | P0 | 10d | 19-21 |
| Pre-Meeting Nudges | P1 | 5d | 22 |
| Trend Charts | P1 | 6d | 23-24 |
Phase 4: Expansion (Months 7-12)
Objective: Enterprise features for $15K+ MRR; API, SSO for scale.
Key Features: Zoom, SSO, API, Dept views. Success: 5K users, $15K MRR, enterprise pilots.Technical Implementation
AI/ML Components:
| Feature | AI Approach | Tools | Cost/User |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insights | Prompt patterns | OpenAI GPT-4o-mini | $0.05/mo |
| Nudges | Rule + LLM | Claude 3 Haiku | $0.02/mo |
Low-Code Savings (16-24 days):
Hosting $20 | DB $30 | AI $120 | Auth $25 | Email $15 | Stripe $40.
- Auth: Clerk (5d save)
- DB: Supabase (6d)
- Payments: Stripe (4d)
- Email: Resend (3d)
- Hosting: Vercel (3d)
Hosting $20 | DB $30 | AI $120 | Auth $25 | Email $15 | Stripe $40.
Strategy: Next.js + Supabase + Google API. Week 1: Low-code setup. MVP in 6 weeks.
Development Timeline
Milestones
M1: Foundation (Wk2) [ ] Auth/DB [ ] Cal API [ ] CI/CD
M2: Core (Wk4) [ ] Cost engine [ ] Dashboard [ ] E2E flow
M3: Beta (Wk6) [ ] Testing [ ] 20 testers [ ] Analytics
M4: Launch (Wk8) [ ] 100 users [ ] Feedback [ ] Bugs fixed
M5: PMF (Wk16) [ ] 250 users [ ] Retention>35% [ ] $2K MRR
M6: Scale (Wk24) [ ] 1K users [ ] $5K MRR [ ] Viral>0.3
Resources
| Phase | Team | FTE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (1-8w) | Founder Dev + Designer PT | 1.25 |
| 2-3 (9-24w) | + Full-stack #2 + Designer | 2.5 |
Skills: React/Next (core), Supabase, Google API. Outsource design/DevOps.
Risks & Mitigations
🟡 Scope Creep: Lock MVP; parking lot ideas. Contingency: Cut P2.
🔴 API Reliability: Cache data; fallback estimates. Contingency: Manual sync.
🔴 Privacy Pushback: Role estimates default; opt-in. Contingency: Anon mode.
🟡 Low Adoption: Waitlist + PH launch. Contingency: Free tier pivot.
🔴 Burnout: 30% buffer; outsource. Contingency: Hire early.
Launch Plan
Pre-Launch (Wk6-7): [ ] Landing + 500 waitlist [ ] Demo video [ ] PH prep
Beta (Wk8): [ ] 100 staged users [ ] Surveys [ ] 24h support
Public (Wk10): [ ] PH #1-5 [ ] Reddit/HN [ ] $500 ads
Post (Wk13+): [ ] Cohorts [ ] Interviews [ ] Iterate
Success Metrics by Phase
| Phase | Key Metrics | Target |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Wk8) | Beta users / Onboarding / Bugs | 100 / >70% / 0 |
| 2 (Wk16) | Users / Retention / MRR / NPS | 250 / 35% / $2K / >30 |
| 3 (Wk24) | Users / MRR / Viral / Churn | 1K / $5K / >0.3 / <7% |
Post-MVP Vision
Months 4-9: PMF refine; mobile, nudges; 2.5K users, $10K MRR.
Months 10-15: Enterprise; API/SSO; 10K users, $50K MRR, Series A.
18-24mo: Ecosystem w/ HR tools; intl; adjacencies like async collab.