StartupENGINEERING
The map

The Five Loops

A startup is not one project plan. It is five evidence loops. Five north stars, earned in order — because each one is meaningless until the one before it holds.

0ProblemSolutionProductMarketFit1
Loop 1
The Problem Loop
Open the Problem Loop
At hand
Idea
North star
“The problem is real and worth money.”
Engineering bar
Manual Delivery
3 decisions in this loop
  1. 1. Problem — Idea
  2. 2. Solution — Prototype
  3. 3. Product — MVP
  4. 4. Market — Traction
  5. 5. Fit — Retention
LoopAt handNorth starEngineering bar
1. ProblemIdea“The problem is real and worth money.”Manual Delivery
2. SolutionPrototype“This solution creates the value.”Disposable Prototype
3. ProductMVP“The value can be delivered reliably, end to end, to a stranger, without you.”Launchable MVP
4. MarketTraction“A market exists — customers arrive.”Observable Product
5. FitRetention“The business repeats without founder heroics.”Repeatable System
The schedule

The Engineering Ladder

  1. 1 · Problem LoopManual Delivery
  2. 2 · Solution LoopDisposable Prototype
  3. 3 · Product LoopLaunchable MVP
  4. 4 · Market LoopObservable Product
  5. 5 · Fit LoopRepeatable System
The engineering bar rises only when the evidence earns it.Beyond 1: Scalable Platform — off this ladder, by design.
In daily use

Four questions

Everything in the framework collapses, in daily use, to four questions. When the machinery feels heavy, drop back to the four.

  1. 1Which loop am I in?
  2. 2What must I prove to exit?
  3. 3What engineering bar has this loop earned?
  4. 4What may I defer?