Agile, Lean & You · The Lean Startup • Typical market research and management methods don’t...
Transcript of Agile, Lean & You · The Lean Startup • Typical market research and management methods don’t...
Agile, Lean & You…and me, not a Lean expert
What’s up Doc?• Brief recap of Agile and an intro to Lean
• Share my experience applying Lean
• Preview how Lean is being incorporated into our Product Kanban process
• Discuss the problems we see with our development process
• Identify if/how Lean can help solve those problems
Agile Values
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
+12 Agile Principles
from Agile Manifesto 2001
Agile Values
= A better way to develop
the right software
Lean Principles
• Optimize the Whole
• Focus on Customers
• Energize Workers
• Eliminate Waste
• Learn First
• Deliver Fast
• Build Quality In
• Keep Getting Better
by Tom & Mary Poppendieck in 2003
Lean Principles
= A better, faster way
to develop the right software
KanbanKanban [kahn-bahn] (noun) A visual process management system that tells what to produce, when to produce it, and how much to produce.
6 Core Practices of Kanban
by David J Anderson in 2003
• Visualize Workflow
• Limit WIP
• Manage Flow
• Make Policies Explicit
• Implement Feedback Loops
• Improve Collaboratively, Evolve Experimentally
Kanban
= A better, faster process to develop the right software
The Lean Startup
• Typical market research and management methods don’t work with startups, there’s too much uncertainty
• Founders take the “just do it” approach and make decisions based on intuition and gut feelings
• Founders get too product-focused and just assume that people will buy their product
by Eric Ries in 2011
Why do startups fail?
The Lean Startup
= A better, faster way to
make startups successful
Lean Startup Principles1. Entrepreneurs are everywhere
2. Entrepreneurship is management
3. Validated learning
4. Build - Measure - Learn
5. Innovation accounting
Lean Startup & You1. Entrepreneurs are everywhere
2. Entrepreneurship is management
3. Validated learning
4. Build - Measure - Learn
5. Innovation accounting
Validated LearningApply the Scientific Method to business by conducting Experiments
1. Formulate a falsifiable Hypothesis
2. Test your hypothesis via Build - Measure - Learn
3. Analyze the results with Innovation Accounting
Build - Measure - Learn
What is a Minimum Viable Product?
• Enables learning as quickly as possible
• Least amount of effort and development time to validate your hypothesis
• Not necessarily the smallest product imaginableMVP
Let them eat cakeWhat the heck is minimum viable?
Let them eat cake
Not Minimum
minimum viable^
Let them eat cake
Not Viable
minimum viable^
Let them eat cake
Minimum & Viable
minimum viable^
Let them eat cake
Minimum & Viable
Innovation AccountingSets the following learning milestones
1. Establish a Baseline - Test riskiest assumptions first
2. Tune the Engine - Measure and tune what matters
3. Pivot or Persevere - Evaluate your level of success
Innovation AccountingMeasure progress with metrics that are
• Actionable
• Accessible
• Auditable
• but are not “Vanity Metrics”
Note: also not just Pirate Metrics (AARRR)
Running Lean
Practice trumps theory.
by Ash Maurya in 2011
Customers don’t care about your solution. They care about their problems.
Running Lean
= A better, faster process to make startups successful
Running Lean Meta-Principles1. Document your Plan A
2. Identify the riskiest parts of your plan
3. Systematically test your plan
Principles guide what you do. Tactics show you how.
Document Your Plan
Product Market
Identify Risk• Stage 1 :: Getting the Product Right :: Product Risk
• Stage 2 :: Building a Path to Customers :: Customer Risk
• Stage 3 :: Building a Viable Business :: Market Risk
Startup Stages
Focus on Validated Learning Focus on Growth
Experiment then Pivot Experiment then Optimize
ScaleProblem/Solution Fit Product/Market Fit
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
Do I have a problem worth solving?
Have I built something people want?
How do I accelerate growth?
Product Risk Customer Risk Market Risk
Understand Problem
Define Solution
Validate Qualitatively
Verify Quantitatively
Run Experiments
The Loop of Many Names
• Validated Learning Loop
• Customer Feedback Loop
• An Experiment
BuildLearn
Measure
and Test Your PlanUnderstand
ProblemDefine
SolutionValidate
QualitativelyVerify
Quantitatively
BL
M BL
M
BL
M BL
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BL
M BL
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BL
M BL
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Understand Problem
Define Solution
Validate Qualitatively
Verify Quantitatively
• Find Prospects • Problem Interview
• Build Demo • Solution Interview • Build MVP
• Build Dashboard • MVP Interview • Realize UVP • Validate Lifecycle
• Constrain Features • Measure Progress • Achieve Early Traction • Identify Engine of Growth • Scale
Problem/Solution Fit Product/Market Fit
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
12 Agile Principles continuous delivery of valuable software welcome changing requirements deliver working software frequently business and developers must work together motivated individuals face-to-face conversation Working software is the primary measure of progress. sustainable development continuous attention excellence Simplicity is essential self-organizing teams tune and adjusts team behavior
Layer Cake of Lean
Optimize the Whole Focus on Customers Eliminate Waste Energize Workers
Learn First Deliver Fast Build Quality In Keep Getting Better
Lean Principles
Validated Learning Build - Measure - Learn Innovation Accounting
Minimum Viable Product Pivot or Persevere Actionable Metrics Falsifiable Hypothesis
Lean Startup Experiment
Lean Canvas Problem/Solution Fit Product/Market FitRunning Lean Scale
Understand Problem Define Solution Validate Qualitatively Verify Quantitatively
Kanban Core Practices
Visualize WorkflowManage Flow
Make Policies ExplicitImplement Feedback Loops
Improve collaboratively, evolve experimentally Limit WIP
How can we leverage Lean to improve our process
and our products?
Feature Initiative Analysis Design Implementation Launch
Current* Process* This was the process as of January 2014, however it is currently in flux.
Problems I observed
1. Features/Products launched aren’t actually used by customers
2. Changes in priority and focus happen frequently without adequate explanation Product feels like they’re either too far ahead or behind development
3. Dev teams are often given the solution without an opportunity to explore other possibilities, stifling innovation and creativity
4. Teams find it difficult to adjust to new information once a project is in development
Lean & Me
BuildLearn
Measure
Ideas
ProductData
Learn - Build - Measure
Who’s On First?
What’s on Second!
One Process to Rule Them All
Pivot or Persevere
I Know’s on Third (Don’t)
^
Gotta Love Gannt
Live the loop
Menagerie of Products
Squirrel!
Squirrel!
Squirrel!
Wolf?
Cry Wolf
Pivot on a Dog
Quackery
Oh duck!
Fowl Play
Great Cats
Menagerie of Products
So What?1. Customer focus from problem exploration to solution
design = Useful, Usable and Desirable Products
2. Focus on validated learning and measuring success = Make prioritization decisions informed by data
3. Engineering involved earlier, before the solution is designed = Greater latitude to innovate
4. Smaller MVPs, less waste, faster cycle time = Adapt to change more quickly
Discovery Definition Develop Launch Learn
New* Process* This process is currently in flux.
Enterprise Kanban Product Development Phases
Understand Problem
Define Solution
Validate Qualitatively
Verify Quantitatively
Build Solution
Market to Customers
Validate Success
SelectIdeas
Verify Solution
So… How can we leverage Lean to
improve our development process?
Understand Problem
Define Solution
Validate Qualitatively
Verify Quantitatively