Answer
A first scope is not a collection of half-finished features. It should enable a real user group to complete a coherent task from input to a visible result. This includes the required data, permissions, the most important exceptions and an operational release route. Convenience features that are not needed, or further departments, can follow later.
The term MVP is often misunderstood as a “cheap prototype”. For an internal test, a prototype may deliberately lose data or include manual steps; it must then not go into production unnoticed. A productive first scope, by contrast, must reliably fulfil its limited task. Acceptance criteria therefore describe the workflow and specific sample data, not just the presence of buttons.
As of 3 September 2026
Further reading
Related topic: Our approach