In 30 seconds
- An MMF is small, but valuable enough to release and market.
- It helps sequence releases to deliver value early.
- Smaller than a release, bigger than a single user story.
What it is
An MMF is the smallest unit of functionality that customers would see as valuable on its own. The term comes from Mark Denne and Jane Cleland-Huang's 2003 book Software by Numbers, which argued for releasing value in such units to earn returns sooner.
Examples
- Password reset by email, rather than the whole account system
- Export to CSV, rather than a full reporting module
- Card payments only, before adding other payment methods
MMF vs MVP
An MVP is an experiment to learn whether to build something. An MMF assumes you're building it and asks for the smallest valuable slice. Several user stories often make up one MMF.
Myth vs reality
Myth · An MMF is a single user story.
Reality · It's often several stories that together create value.
Myth · Minimum means low quality.
Reality · It means small scope, released properly.
Myth · MMFs only matter for commercial products.
Reality · Internal products benefit just as much from early value.
FAQ
How do MMFs help planning?
Ordering MMFs by value and cost shows which to release first.
Is MMF the same as MBI?
Close; MBI is SAFe's portfolio-level version.
Who decides what an MMF is?
Product management, with input from customers and the team.