Minimum Marketable Feature
The concept was introduced by Mark Denne and Jane Cleland-Huang in their book Software by Numbers: Low-Risk, High-Return Development (2003), as a tool for identifying which parts of a system can be delivered to the market autonomously before the system is fully built.
Difference from the MVP
The MMF and the MVP are related but distinct concepts:
- The MVP (minimum viable product) is the product with just enough features to be launched and to learn from the market. Its main goal is hypothesis validation.
- The MMF is the smallest unit of functionality that can be released to the market independently and generate revenue. Its main goal is incremental funding and the reduction of financial risk.
In practice, the MMF can be a specific feature within a larger product, while the MVP is usually an initial version of the complete product.
Relationship with the backlog
The MMF is a key criterion for breaking the system down into subsystems and for setting development priorities. In incremental funding models, the team is funded iteratively as each MMF generates revenue, which allows early revenue to be reinvested in subsequent development.
Common mistake
Confusing an MMF with a Scrum increment. A Scrum increment is the part of the product completed in a sprint; it may include features that are not independently marketable. An MMF is a subset of features that can be sold on their own, regardless of how the development cycle is organized.
References
- Denne, Mark; Cleland-Huang, Jane. (2003). Software by Numbers: Low-Risk, High-Return Development. Prentice Hall.
See also
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