Minimum version and breaking it down

This lesson is still being tested: it improves with learners' feedback. If something is unclear, it is the lesson that needs fixing, not you.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to

choose the minimum version of your project, and tell it apart from the full version;
break down a project into one-session steps, each with a result you can show;
order the steps: what unblocks things, and what is uncertain, first;
count the sessions, and scale down if the plan doesn’t fit.

Why it matters to you

A project that is too big is easy to spot: you move forward a little at each session without ever finishing anything, then you drop it. Breaking it down fixes that. Each session produces a visible result, and at any moment you know how many are left. The AI is a very good partner for breaking things down: it suggests, you decide.

Before you start


You need	Your assistant, free account, or Claude Code; your project sheet from lesson 1
Cost	€0 with a free account; Claude Code, if you use it, requires a subscription
Duration	40 minutes
Reminder	Nothing sensitive in the sheet: it will be reread at every session

Understand it in 3 minutes

Minimum version and full version. The minimum version is the smallest version that is already useful. The full version adds what would be nice to have. You finish the minimum one first, you use it, then you decide whether going further is worth it.

A good step has three qualities:

Quality	Bad example	Good example
It fits in one session (30 to 60 minutes)	“Do the guide”	“Write the outline of the guide”
It produces a result you can show: a file, a list, a decision	“Think about the guide”	“A list of 5 essential pieces of information”
It can be checked	“Make it good”	“Reviewed by someone from the association”

Order matters. Start with what unblocks the other steps, then with what is uncertain: a piece of information to obtain, a person to convince, a part you don’t know how to do. If it gets stuck, you find out at the start, not at the end.

The reality check: number of steps × one session, compared with the sessions you really have (for example, 2 per week for 3 weeks = 6 sessions). If it doesn’t fit, you scale down.

Do it together

The example project is made up: a one-page welcome guide for the new volunteers of a neighborhood association.

1Step 1: Separate minimum and full

My project: a welcome guide for the new volunteers of my neighborhood association (made-up example). Suggest a useful minimum version, then the full version. For the minimum one, tell me why it is already useful.

A good answer: for the minimum version, one page with the essential information (what the association does, what to do in the first week, who to contact, a few rules); for the full version, a floor plan of the premises, a list of frequently asked questions, photos.

Watch out for made-up details. In our test, the AI wrote the minimum page with an address, opening hours, first names and a phone number that were plausible, but made up. In a real project, these are blanks that only you can fill in: it is often the first step.

2Step 2: Break down the minimum version

Break the minimum version down into steps. Each step must fit in one 45-minute session, produce a result I can show, and say how I will check that it is done. Present them in a table.

3Step 3: Put them in order

Which step is the most uncertain, or blocks the others? Suggest a new order, putting that one first, and explain why.

Example of an uncertain step: getting the exact opening hours from the association’s office. If nobody answers, the guide can’t be finished: better to know right away.

4Step 4: Count, and scale down if needed

I have 2 sessions per week for 3 weeks. Does the plan fit? If not, suggest what we remove or what we move to the full version.

Write your decision in the project sheet, with its reason.

Your turn

Your project from lesson 1:

write its minimum version and its full version;
break the minimum one down into 3 to 6 steps, each with its result you can show and its check;
put the most uncertain or blocking step first;
count your sessions, scale down if needed, and write the decision in the sheet.

Check your work

It worked if:

your sheet tells the minimum version apart from the full version;
each step fits in one session, produces a result you can show and says how to check it;
the first step is the most uncertain or the most blocking;
the number of sessions fits in your calendar, or the scaling down is written with its reason.

Common mistakes:

catch-all steps (“do the content”) that take five sessions;
keeping the hardest part for the end;
taking the AI’s breakdown as it is: it knows neither your time nor your constraints;
confusing scaling down with giving up.

Keep it and pick it up later

Tick off each step in the sheet when it has been checked, not when it is “almost” done.
Keep the breakdown request in your library (module 2): it will serve for every project.

Going further

optional

For a project with a lot of files, Claude Code can keep the breakdown in your project sheet and tick off the steps after you say yes (module 5, lesson 3).

New words

4 words explained

Word	What it means
Full version	The version that adds what would be nice to have, after the minimum version
Step	A piece of the project that fits in one session, with a result you can show
Result you can show	What you can show at the end of a step: a file, a list, a decision
Reality check	The number of steps compared with the sessions you really have