🚀 Runbook: Startup MVP Build
Mode: NEXUS-Sprint | Duration: 4-6 weeks | Agents: 18-22
Scenario
You're building a startup MVP — a new product that needs to validate product-market fit quickly. Speed matters, but so does quality. You need to go from idea to live product with real users in 4-6 weeks.
Agent Roster
Core Team (Always Active)
| Agent |
Role |
| Agents Orchestrator |
Pipeline controller |
| Senior Project Manager |
Spec-to-task conversion |
| Sprint Prioritizer |
Backlog management |
| UX Architect |
Technical foundation |
| Frontend Developer |
UI implementation |
| Backend Architect |
API and database |
| DevOps Automator |
CI/CD and deployment |
| Evidence Collector |
QA for every task |
| Reality Checker |
Final quality gate |
Growth Team (Activated Week 3+)
| Agent |
Role |
| Growth Hacker |
Acquisition strategy |
| Content Creator |
Launch content |
| Social Media Strategist |
Social campaign |
Support Team (As Needed)
| Agent |
Role |
| Brand Guardian |
Brand identity |
| Analytics Reporter |
Metrics and dashboards |
| Rapid Prototyper |
Quick validation experiments |
| AI Engineer |
If product includes AI features |
| Performance Benchmarker |
Load testing before launch |
| Infrastructure Maintainer |
Production setup |
Week-by-Week Execution
Week 1: Discovery + Architecture (Phase 0 + Phase 1 compressed)
Day 1-2: Compressed Discovery
├── Trend Researcher → Quick competitive scan (1 day, not full report)
├── UX Architect → Wireframe key user flows
└── Senior Project Manager → Convert spec to task list
Day 3-4: Architecture
├── UX Architect → CSS design system + component architecture
├── Backend Architect → System architecture + database schema
├── Brand Guardian → Quick brand foundation (colors, typography, voice)
└── Sprint Prioritizer → RICE-scored backlog + sprint plan
Day 5: Foundation Setup
├── DevOps Automator → CI/CD pipeline + environments
├── Frontend Developer → Project scaffolding
├── Backend Architect → Database + API scaffold
└── Quality Gate: Architecture Package approved
Week 2-3: Core Build (Phase 2 + Phase 3)
Sprint 1 (Week 2):
├── Agents Orchestrator manages Dev↔QA loop
├── Frontend Developer → Core UI (auth, main views, navigation)
├── Backend Architect → Core API (auth, CRUD, business logic)
├── Evidence Collector → QA every completed task
├── AI Engineer → ML features if applicable
└── Sprint Review at end of week
Sprint 2 (Week 3):
├── Continue Dev↔QA loop for remaining features
├── Growth Hacker → Design viral mechanics + referral system
├── Content Creator → Begin launch content creation
├── Analytics Reporter → Set up tracking and dashboards
└── Sprint Review at end of week
Week 4: Polish + Hardening (Phase 4)
Day 1-2: Quality Sprint
├── Evidence Collector → Full screenshot suite
├── Performance Benchmarker → Load testing
├── Frontend Developer → Fix QA issues
├── Backend Architect → Fix API issues
└── Brand Guardian → Brand consistency audit
Day 3-4: Reality Check
├── Reality Checker → Final integration testing
├── Infrastructure Maintainer → Production readiness
└── DevOps Automator → Production deployment prep
Day 5: Gate Decision
├── Reality Checker verdict
├── IF NEEDS WORK: Quick fix cycle (2-3 days)
├── IF READY: Proceed to launch
└── Executive Summary Generator → Stakeholder briefing
Week 5-6: Launch + Growth (Phase 5)
Week 5: Launch
├── DevOps Automator → Production deployment
├── Growth Hacker → Activate acquisition channels
├── Content Creator → Publish launch content
├── Social Media Strategist → Cross-platform campaign
├── Analytics Reporter → Real-time monitoring
└── Support Responder → User support active
Week 6: Optimize
├── Growth Hacker → Analyze and optimize channels
├── Feedback Synthesizer → Collect early user feedback
├── Experiment Tracker → Launch A/B tests
├── Analytics Reporter → Week 1 analysis
└── Sprint Prioritizer → Plan iteration sprint
Key Decisions
| Decision Point |
When |
Who Decides |
| Go/No-Go on concept |
End of Day 2 |
Studio Producer |
| Architecture approval |
End of Day 4 |
Senior Project Manager |
| Feature scope for MVP |
Sprint planning |
Sprint Prioritizer |
| Production readiness |
Week 4 Day 5 |
Reality Checker |
| Launch timing |
After Reality Checker READY |
Studio Producer |
Success Criteria
| Metric |
Target |
| Time to live product |
≤ 6 weeks |
| Core features complete |
100% of MVP scope |
| First users onboarded |
Within 48 hours of launch |
| System uptime |
> 99% in first week |
| User feedback collected |
≥ 50 responses in first 2 weeks |
Common Pitfalls & Mitigations
| Pitfall |
Mitigation |
| Scope creep during build |
Sprint Prioritizer enforces MoSCoW — "Won't" means won't |
| Over-engineering for scale |
Rapid Prototyper mindset — validate first, scale later |
| Skipping QA for speed |
Evidence Collector runs on EVERY task — no exceptions |
| Launching without monitoring |
Infrastructure Maintainer sets up monitoring in Week 1 |
| No feedback mechanism |
Analytics + feedback collection built into Sprint 1 |