Lean startup and MVP movements only function if you have someone in control with a clear vision and understanding of what will / needs to be created, and who can defend what the MVP features need to be. If you don't understand the metrics and why they exist then you'll have no idea why your product didn't take off - and that seems too risky to spend your time, energy, money on - if you don't the strong understanding of what must be missing.

An MVP in this sense really is just a real product with a minimal set of features. :)