Welcome to Lean Startup 301
Aubrey SmithNovember 16, 2015
Sponsored by:
Agenda
1. Who is in the room?
2. How will this be valuable?
3. What will we cover?
4. How to participate?
5. What should I do next?
Who is in the room?• Founders• 1st Time Entrepreneurs• Serial Entrepreneurs• Intrapraneurs• Designers• Developers• Newbies• Book Readers
How will this be valuable?
This Session Is• Practical• Clear• Direct• Simple• Introductory• Wisdom sharing• Hands-on
This Session Is Not• Book review• Brainstorming
session• Full of jargon
How will this be valuable?
Addressing the Main Questions• What is it?• Why does it work?• How does it work?• Why does it matter?• How can I get started?• How can I apply this to my company?
What will we cover?
What we will cover today• Deep dive into MVPs, experiments• Discussion of Advanced Topics
• Live Case Studies• Exercise: Design an Experiment
Innovation Accounting Governance
Application in the
Enterprise
Regulated Markets
How to participate?
ExperimentExercise
Live Case Studies• Listen• Share• Please, ask questions!
• Need Volunteers • Group Participation• Sharing
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2
What is the Lean Startup?
Key Areas to Discuss
HistoryBasic Terminology / DefinitionsApplication / ApplicabilityAdvanced Topics
What is the Lean Startup?
History
• Robert Deming• Toyota Lean Manufacturing
• Agile Software Development• Lean Startup
• Steve Blank• Eric Ries
• Alexander Osterwalder• Lean Startup Community
What is the Lean Startup? A method to systematically address uncertainty through rapid iteration and market learning.
Core Principles
Entrepreneurs are everywhere
Entrepreneurship is management
Validated Learning
Build-Measure-Learn Loop
Innovation Accounting
What is the Lean Startup?
Common Purpose We share a vision for the kind of company we want to create:
A company that continuously creates new sources of growth.
The Lean Startup is…Everywhere.
Who’s accountable?
• Jack Stack: The Great Game of Business
Build a culture of ownership
• Key ParallelsLean Startup capability and accountability should be the job of everyone at the companyGovernance will varyCustomer learning trumps internal feedback loops and decisions about products/features
Case 1: Lean Startup at GE?What is FastWorks?
- Organizational change- Teams to Growth Boards- 500 projects, 500 coaches
What are GE Beliefs?- Customers Determine our Success- Stay Lean to Go Fast- Learn and Adapt to Win- Empower and Inspire Each other- Deliver Results in an Uncertain
World
Key Areas to Discuss
HistoryBasic Terminology / DefinitionsApplication / ApplicabilityAdvanced Topics
What is the Lean Startup?
What is The Lean Startup?
Terminology / Definitions• Entrepreneurs• Startups• Uncertainty • Vision• Assumptions• Hypotheses• Minimum Viable Product• Validated Learning• Pivots
Your Vision
What business do you want to create?And, why?
What will you not pursue?And, why?
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2
Now, get the facts...• Biggest mistake you can make is to not test
the underlying assumptions of your business plan
• Leap of Faith Assumptions:If you prove your Leap of Faith assumptions false, your business plan falls apart
Isolating critical assumptions
What is the riskiest element of your business plan?
Impact
Time horizon
OR
Will kill
Won’t kill
Customer Problem
Solution
Business Model
Scale / Growth
Types of Assumptions
• “If then” statements that help design tests for an assumptionPaypal - If people can easily transact across multiple
devices, they will be more frequent users of the service
• Clarifies your current understanding of what uncertainty you seek to resolve
Paypal - Specific action? Timing? Value/amount
Draft your Hypothesis
Minimum Viable Product• Experiment that helps you validate (or
invalidate) hypotheses about the value or growth potential for a new product
• An MVP helps you answer a specific question about one or a few of your critical assumptions
Case 2: Testing @ AirBnbTest:
• Photography Concierge MVP
• 20 Photographers in the field
Critical Hypothesis:
“Professional photographed listings get 2-3 times more business (and host don’t turn down free professional photography.” (SXSX, Airbnb)
Case 2: Testing @ AirBnb
MVP: Expert Tip
The MVP begins the process of validated learning…
• This is an experiment, not a product• No such thing as “an MVP” • The smallest possible product we can
imagine to achieve maximum learning about our hypothesis
Build, Measure, Learn Loop
Minimum Viable Product
Translate your critical assumptions into an experiment:
Validated Learning
1. Isolate critical assumptions for testing
2. Draft your hypothesis to be tested
3. Build an experiment4. Measure the results5. Collect the data and
learning in a systematic
1. What artifact will you use?
2. How will you use/test it?
3. Who will you test with (segments)
Minimum Viable Product
Translate your critical assumptions into an experiment:
Validated Learning
1. Isolate critical assumptions for testing
2. Draft your hypothesis to be tested
3. Build an experiment4. Measure the results5. Collect the data and
learning in a systematic
1. What artifact will you use?
2. How will you use/test it?
3. Who will you test with (segments)
Fears
• Change in direction without a change in vision
• OR
• Persevere: A team’s decision to test the next most important hypothesis
Pivot
Innovation Accounting
• The problem with Vanity Metrics• Quantitative vs. Qualitative Data• Leading vs. Lagging Indicators
Key Areas to Discuss
HistoryBasic Terminology / DefinitionsApplication / ApplicabilityAdvanced Topics
What is the Lean Startup?
Minimum Viable Product
Translate your critical assumptions into an experiment:
Validated Learning
1. Isolate critical assumptions for testing
2. Draft your hypothesis to be tested
3. Build an experiment4. Measure the results5. Collect the data and
learning in a systematic
1. Who will you test with (segments)
2. What artifact will you use?
3. How will you use/test it?
Culture of Testing1. Experiment design is important2. But, recording and evaluating the learning is
more important
1. Experiment design is important2. But, recording and evaluating the learning is
more important• Establish an organization that learns together
• Only step up to the sophistication of the experiment and innovation accounting when you are ready to do so as a team
• Team learning is the most important outcome
Culture of Testing
Discipline of Testing1. Focus the learning 2. Establish the baseline 3. Track MVPs on a dashboard4. Employ the right cadence of testing
1. Focus the learning 2. Establish the baseline 3. Track MVPs on a dashboard4. Employ the right cadence of testing
• Only as sophisticated as your organization is ready to handle
• Remember: A well-designed experiment will inform what your next experiment will be
• Parallel path testing should only be employed if you have available resources
Discipline of Testing
Minimum Viable Product
Translate your critical assumptions into an experiment:
Validated Learning
1. Isolate critical assumptions for testing
2. Draft your hypothesis to be tested
3. Build an experiment4. Measure the results5. Collect the data and
learning in a systematic
1. Who will you test with (segments)
2. What artifact will you use?
3. How will you use/test it?
• Customers do not always do what they say they will
• Avoid “Voice of Customer”• Measure conversion on the path to
purchase (ex. Funnel metrics)• “Purchase intent” may require a ‘new’ rung
in the funnel
Exchange of Value
Identify “Early Adopters”• What customers have this problem/need?• Who uses a ‘workaround’ today?• Who values this solution for a unique reason?• How would we classify segments?
• Innovations may cut across traditional segmentation
• Dig for segmentation variables (time, cost)
A. Build – What segments?
A. Build – What artifact?Begin with a low fidelity artifact
• Paper brochure• PowerPoint• Landing page• Website• Clickable Mobile App• 3d CAD Rendering• Video
A. Build – What test?Pick a test
• Interviews (Face-to-face, phone, video)• Digital Campaign• Google Adwords• U/X in-person Test• Email• Live Demonstration
Test Problem/Solution Fit• Bring bare bones “artifact”• Set Context• Focus on hypotheses to be tested
• Begin with direct statements (“We believe”)
• Allow customers to hint/point you to what pain / need they do have
• Seek an “exchange of value”
c
The Interview
A. BuildAdvanced Concepts
• Concierge MVP (“Man behind the curtain”)• A/B Split Test
A. BuildAdvanced Concepts
• Concierge MVP (“Man behind the curtain”)• A/B Split Test
• Helps you obtain statistically significant information about your potential offering
• Allows you to see what customers do with your product / service / site
• Gives you information to make decisions – such as, which features to cut / build
Experiment Example[software]
❶ MVP #1
Display non-working prototype at a showroom
❷ MVP #2
Build full-scale driving prototype to verify technology
Avg. down-payment
Pre-order rate
Prototype
• Driving prototype (MVP2) improved which indicates strategy effectiveness
• MVP #2 validated technical feasibility assumptions
Learning
↗
↗
• Purchase intent was validated by innovation metrics: Pre-order rate & avg. down payment
Case 3: Lit Motors Test
Exercise – Part I
Please see White Board
Live Case
Ursula Shekufendeh AppFolio
Live Case: AppFolioAbout AppFolio
• Web-based real estate property management software
• Property managers can market & manage property portfolio
Testable Hypothesis:“If we build a tenant screening service that landlords can subscribe to, then we can sell a service to 80% of RentApp users (and, quickly reach profitability).”
Exercise – Part II
Please see White Board
B. Measure Results• One metric that matters, OR• Simple Dashboard / Excel Spreadsheets, AND• “Exchange of Value”
• Customers say and do different things
• Avoid “Voice of Customer”
• Measure conversion on the path to purchase (ex. Funnel metrics)
• Create “proxy” in funnel, if needed
Sample Dashboard❷
✓
✓
✗
→
❸
• Pivot vs. Persevere• Continuous Deployment
Tips:• Pivoting is a team sport• Ground decisions entirely in the learning• Learning is cumulative• Good experiments should teach you what
experiment to do next
C. Commit to Learning
Key Areas to Discuss
HistoryBasic Terminology / DefinitionsApplication / ApplicabilityAdvanced Topics
What is the Lean Startup?
Innovation Accounting
• Actionable• Must demonstrate cause and effect
• Removes bias to report / overvalue “numbers that go up”
• Accessible• Simple, easy for the team to understand
• Should not require retraining team to read reports
• Auditable• Credible data reduces the ability to place blame
• The growth operating system requires new management principles
• No “one size fits all” Lean Startup Process
• Start small to get big
• Small, honest success cases will bring leaders into the fold
• Sophistication should be aligned with team capability and resources
Lean Startup in Enterprise
Live CaseChris BrownVodafone Global Enterprise
Questions?
Aubrey SmithSparked Advisory
(202) 907-3993
Heather McGoughCo-Founder, Lean Startup Company(415) [email protected]
Appendix
• Vision -> Strategy -> Team
• Strategy is leadership-led:
Governance
PortfolioTeam Company
Startup approach opens market opportunities
Important Themes:
• Dialogue is critical• Layering regulation improves impact
Regulated Markets
Prioritize Assumptions• Focuses you, your team• Draws a line in the sand • Introduces accountability• Saves time• Introduces culture of “learning”
Eric’s Point of View
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