Wocktail #14: The Minimal Flyable Planeamo (MFP) 🍸
✈️ “Build and flying the plane” is one of the most cited slogans in modern transformation but for many, it sparks concern rather than inspiration. Leaders picture fragmented teams, unclear ownership, and unstable outcomes.
A few weeks ago, the Wocktails community was asked why concurrency is so often misunderstood. The answers were revealing: it is seen as risky, hard to coordinate, and prone to cutting corners before value appears. These concerns are valid but the hesitation is rarely about ambition; it’s about exposure. Chaos is not inherent to concurrency; it’s a symptom of poor execution.
When pursued without proper sequencing, clear guardrails, and intentional planning, concurrency can create instability. But when approached deliberately, it becomes a powerful mechanism to accelerate value while maintaining control. Appreciating this distinction is fundamental.
So the real question becomes: what does doing it right actually look like? The key principle is powerful: the plane must be flyable at first takeoff, that is the minimal flyable plane (MFP) aka minimal viable product. Core systems deliver value, while additional capabilities are built in parallel and staged for later deployment.
Here are the component pieces:
- Strategy defines the destination ensuring the market is ready, timing is right, and the risks are acceptable relative to the value.
- Planning sequences work and aligns resources while identifying additional capabilities for later.
- Building the MFP in a controlled environment allows it to be built and tested. It must be fully operational before launch, while new modules are prepared in parallel but never interfere with its core.
- The runway serves as the final checkpoint: safety, readiness, and alignment are validated before takeoff.
- Once airborne, the plane delivers value immediately, while feedback informs next iterations and new capabilities continue to evolve safely in parallel.
💡 Key insight: you can build and fly at the same time, but only when the sequence is right. Ambition without structure invites risk; structure without ambition limits impact. The MFP bridges that gap.
This is Part 1 of a two-part series, focusing on concurrency at the initiative level. Part 2 will explore it at the organizational level: introducing new strategies while others are already in flight.