Validated learning about customers is the measure of progress in a Lean Startup – not lines of working code or achieving product development milestones. So lets take a look at where in the product development process do we do this type of learning: Where we learn about customers While some learning happens during the requirements [...]
Posts tagged lean-startup
March 14, 2010
Coming Soon: Getting Lean – the book
Based on encouragement from readers, I’ve decided to undertake writing a short book on applying bootstrapping, customer development, and lean startup techniques to web startups. The book will cover practical techniques for iterating a web application to product/market fit and (like my blog) will build on the works of Steve Blank, Eric Ries, Dave McClure, [...]
February 3, 2010
Building a Lean Startup (Austin Lean Startup Meetup, Feb 2010)
We had a great turnout for the first Austin Lean Startup Meetup. Eric Ries called in to kickoff the event and there was a lot of entrepreneurial energy and ideas for how we can take Lean Startup theory to practice. I presented a high-level overview on building a lean startup using CloudFire as a case [...]
January 18, 2010
Deploying Desktop-based Software Continuously
Of all the Lean Startup techniques, Continuous Deployment is by far the most controversial. Continuous Deployment is a process by which software is released several times throughout the day – in minutes versus days, weeks, or months. Continuous Flow Manufacturing is a Lean technique that boosts productivity by rearranging manufacturing processes so products are built [...]
December 8, 2009
Achieving Flow in a Lean Startup
Eliminating waste is the fundamental principle of lean thinking. As defined by Womak/Jones in their book “Lean Thinking” (a must-read): Waste is any human activity which absorbs resources but creates no value. Of all resources, there is no resource more valuable than time. Time is more valuable than money. While money can fluctuate up or [...]
December 2, 2009
A First Look at Some Metrics Numbers
Last time I shared my conversion dashboard and promised some numbers. I don’t have all the numbers yet. But enough to start identifying some actionable next steps. First some tools discussion is in order I had been using Mixpanel and evaluating KISSmetrics for my metrics data. While I still see lots of possibilities using Mixpanel [...]
November 3, 2009
From Minimum Viable Product to Landing Pages
A lot (okay a ton) has been written already on landing page design. A great starting point is Chance Barnett’s Landing Pages That Convert. One of the most important elements of a landing page is the unique value proposition (UVP). It’s a headline, image, or tagline that needs to engage the visitor in the first [...]
October 26, 2009
How I built my Minimum Viable Product
The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a key lean startup concept popularized by Eric Ries. The basic idea is to maximize validated learning for the least amount of effort. After all, why waste effort building out a product without first testing if it’s worth it. So for a new product idea or concept, what is [...]
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