--- title: "The dependencies that shape an MVP timeline — Orvun Labs" description: "A delivery date depends on decisions and access as well as development effort." canonical: "https://orvunlabs.com/en/journal/mvp-timeline-dependencies" language: "en" last_modified: "2026-09-13" --- # The dependencies that shape an MVP timeline A delivery date depends on decisions and access as well as development effort. ![The dependencies that shape an MVP timeline](https://orvunlabs.com/images/blog/mvp.svg) - Published: 2026-09-13T09:00:00.000Z - [MVP & validation](https://orvunlabs.com/en/journal/topic/mvp.md) ## The decision A delivery date depends on decisions and access as well as development effort. Estimate the work, then place it in an order that reflects what must be known first. Ten person-days of effort do not necessarily fit into ten calendar days when approvals sit between tasks. ## A worked example Imagine an MVP that verifies business customers through an external service. The team can design forms while access is pending, but cannot claim the integration works until credentials, test cases and the expected response contract are available. Put that dependency on the schedule with an owner and a required date. ## Build a dependency register beside the schedule For each dependency, record what is needed, who supplies it, when it must arrive and what evidence counts as ready. “API access” may mean a login, permission to use a test organisation, approved network access and sample error cases. Avoid treating the first email containing credentials as completion of all four. Assign the dependency to a person who can obtain it, not merely the developer waiting for it. Review changes to the register with the forecast so delays become visible before a date is missed. This is particularly important when a founder is coordinating vendors for the first time. ## Forecast using a narrow end-to-end rehearsal Before filling the timeline with parallel tasks, complete a thin path that touches the critical dependencies. In the verification example, send one permitted test request, handle one failed response and show the resulting status to the user. The rehearsal exposes response differences, approval steps and missing environments while the scope is still easy to adjust. A mock remains useful for ongoing interface work, but label what it proves and what it leaves untested. Keep the discovery result, integration verification and release approval as separate milestones so one does not silently stand in for another. ## Communicate changes as choices with consequences When a dependency slips, explain the affected outcome and the available choices: continue independent work, change the launch scope, use a temporary manual process or revise the date. State the limitations of any temporary process and who will run it. Avoid consuming the entire verification period to preserve the appearance of an unchanged schedule. The revised forecast should show what is now known, what remains uncertain and the next event that could change it again. A good plan is not the one whose date never moves; it is the one whose movement can be explained early enough for the business to act. ## Alternatives worth weighing Parallel work helps when tasks are genuinely independent. A mock service allows interface development but does not verify the real provider. A smaller launch scope can reduce dependencies; more developers will not accelerate an approval controlled by another organisation. ## Where the plan breaks Avoid a single optimistic date without assumptions. Separate a technical completion date from customer acceptance and launch readiness. List holidays, content delivery, data cleanup, vendor approvals and the people authorised to answer product questions. ## Before you commission the work Which unresolved dependency lies on the longest required path? What happens if it slips? Which work can continue independently? An MVP planning conversation should produce those answers and a clear reason to revise the forecast when evidence changes. ## MVP development A first product with a clear reason to exist. - [Discuss this service](https://orvunlabs.com/en/services/mvp-development.md) ## Related reading - [Prototype, proof of concept or MVP: choose the evidence you need](https://orvunlabs.com/en/journal/prototype-poc-or-mvp.md) - [Writing product requirements without a technical background](https://orvunlabs.com/en/journal/product-requirements-for-founders.md) ## Let's make something useful. A first product, a difficult workflow or software that needs a fresh start. 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