MVP vs. POC
The Neonvil Guide to Building the Right Thing at the Right Time
We need to clear the air. In the heat of a sprint, we often use terms like "MVP" and "POC" interchangeably. A stakeholder asks for a POC, we build an MVP. A client asks for an MVP, and we hand them a POC.
Mixing these up isn't just a vocabulary problem; it's an expensive problem. It leads to over-engineering simple tests or under-delivering on actual products. To keep our development lean and effective, every engineer at Neonvil needs to spot the difference immediately.
The Two Different Questions
The easiest way to distinguish them is to look at what question you are trying to answer.
The POC asks:
"Is this idea technically possible?"
If you are writing code to prove that a specific library can handle 10,000 concurrent requests, you are building a Proof of Concept (POC). You don't care if it looks pretty, you care if it breaks.
The MVP asks:
"Is this idea commercially valuable?"
If you are wrapping that library in a user interface to see if customers will actually pay for that speed, you are building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Now, the interface does matter, because you are testing human behavior, not just server load.
The Comparison: At a Glance
Proof of Concept
Minimum Viable Product
Verify technical feasibility
Verify market demand
Internal stakeholders / Investors
Real, paying users
Short-term (throwaway code)
Long-term (foundation for v2.0)
"Wire and Duct Tape"
Functional and Usable
Why it
matters
When we treat a POC like a product, we waste time polishing code that might get thrown away. When we treat an MVP like a POC, we release buggy software that scares off users.
Getting this right is the single biggest factor in how make software development cheaper. By defining the goal early, we avoid burning budget on UI design for a feature that isn't even technically possible yet. Conversely, we avoid spending months optimizing backend architecture for a product that users might hate.
The Neonvil Workflow
To maintain a healthy understanding across our teams, here is how we should approach new ideas:
1. Start with the risk
If the risk is technical (e.g., "Can we parse this data format?"), start with a What is a POC. Keep it rough, prove it works, then stop.
2. Move to value
Once the tech is proven, shift to What is a MVP. Package that tech into a solution that solves a user's problem.
3. Iterate
Use the feedback from the MVP to guide the full-scale build.