No, contrary to countless articles in every language, I believe that the concepts of MVP and Agile are not identical. Here is why.
MVP
Created by Frank Robinson in 2001, the "Minimum Viable Product" concept was later popularized by Lean Startup. The idea is to develop a complex final product through successive steps: the MVPs.
Through iterations, each MVP is not a sketch, a mockup or a PoC but a usable and functional product with the minimum features needed to convince a client or user.
A classic illustration of MVP development shows that building a car would first go through developing a functional skateboard, then a scooter... each MVP being usable and functional (or even commercializable in some publications).
Agile
Based on iterative incremental development, Agility also proposes developing through successive steps, but this time a sketch, a mockup, a PoC or any other demonstration of progression generating feedback is "allowed".
To develop a complex product, you won't necessarily go through viable or commercializable things. The Boston Dynamics video is a great example of iterative incremental development as practiced in Agile.
Identical?
When introducing Agility to industrial companies or managers, we often hear "Ah yes, iterative incremental is like MVP!" just like "Lean is actually Agile".
Based on their knowledge and experience, those who say this are right, so it is difficult to contradict them without looking like a snob, a Guru or a pedant. That doesn't stop me though ;).
Dare to explain the main difference?
The Boston Dynamics video does not show viable or commercializable steps: it is not MVP. However, it meets the criteria of iterative incremental development: PoCs of simple 1D displacement, then 2D, then complex 1D then 2D before 3D...
In Agile, at the end of a Sprint or Release, the deliverable is testable but often far from commercializable. To develop a robot that runs and jumps, you don't start with a robot vacuum. To develop a car, it is strange to first learn skateboard design (confirmed by automotive manufacturers who use Agile).
It is the degree of finish at each step that mainly differs, and this is not a minor difference because it is the very definition of MVP.
To go further, discover the Agile Methods for Physical R&D training, visit agilitehardware.fr and also read our article Agility in an R&D project, without post-its.
