Mark Geene 
CEO & Co-Founder 
Cloud Elements 
@mgeene @cloudelements
LEAN 
PRODUCT 
DEVELOPMENT 101 
@mgeene
WHAT IS LEAN? 
@mgeene
MAXIMUM VALUE, 
FEWEST RESOURCES. 
@mgeene
5 PRINCIPLES 1. Quick, fast experiments lead to answers 
2. Determine Problem/Solution Fit with MVP 
3. Iterate your way to a Product/Market Fit 
4. Measure Results ... Adjust 
5. Only put more $ at what works 
@mgeene
@mgeene
GETTING STARTED 
@mgeene
Is this a 
problem worth 
solving? 
@mgeene
WORTH SOLVING IF: 
1. MUST-HAVE 
2. 
3. 
is it something customers need? 
VIABLE 
Will they pay for it? 
FEASIBLE 
Can it be solved with available 
resources? 
@mgeene
THE M.V.P. 
MINIMAL VIABLE PRODUCT 
@mgeene
5 STEP PROCESS TO 
CREATE AN MVP 
@mgeene
@mgeene
STEP 1 
DEFINE THE PROBLEM 
Help people who live in a noisy 
area, sleep better. 
@mgeene
STEP 2 
DEVELOP HYPOTHESIS 
Customers would rather use their iPhone than 
dedicated sleep machine or alarm clocks.
STEP 3 
DEFINE/BUILD AN MVP 
FEATURES 
➔ 90+ sounds 
➔ Mix your own tracks 
➔ Beautiful digital clock 
➔ Alarm with fav songs 
➔ Captures sleep data & analytics 
@mgeene
STEP 3 
DEFINE/BUILD AN MVP 
FEATURES 
➔ 90+ sounds 
➔ Mix your own tracks 
➔ Beautiful digital clock 
➔ Alarm with fav songs 
➔ Captures sleep data & analytics 
SUPPORT 
HYPOTHESIS? 
MUST-HAVE? 
FIT IN 2-MONTH 
TIMEFRAME? 
@mgeene
STEP 3 
DEFINE/BUILD AN MVP 
FEATURES 
➔ One White Noise 
➔ 90+ sounds 
➔ Mix your own tracks 
➔ Beautiful digital clock 
➔ Alarm with fav songs 
➔ Captures sleep data & analytics 
@mgeene
STEP 4 
MEASURE RESULTS 
Did people sleep just as well with iPhone 
white noise as alternative? Y/N 
@mgeene
STEP 5 
CAPTURE LEARNINGS 
What else will they need or want to buy? 
@mgeene
HOW WE DID IT 
@mgeene
STEP 1 DEFINE A PROBLEM 
Developers spend too much time integrating cloud services into their apps. 
500+ hours per application 
@mgeene 
70 hrs 
per integration
STEP 2 
DEVELOP HYPOTHESIS 
@mgeene 
Developers would prefer to go to one 
place to select and integrate all the 
APIs they need.
STEP 3 
DEFINE/BUILD AN MVP 
@mgeene 
Goal: 3X faster to integrate cloud services
STEP 4 
RESULTS & LEARNINGS 
RESULTS: 
→ MINIMAL TIME SAVED INTEGRATING SINGLE SERVICE 
→ 2X FASTER TO INTEGRATE MULTIPLE 
@mgeene 
LEARNINGS: 
→ DISCOVERED “EXTERNAL” INTEGRATION USE CASE 
→ INTEGRATING MANY SERVICES/CATEGORY 
→ 3+ DOCUMENT SERVICES ROUTINELY INTEGRATED
STEP 5 
ITERATE OR PIVOT 
@mgeene
WEBINAR 
CONFERENCE APP 
@mgeene
@mgeene 
STEP 5 
ITERATE OR PIVOT
MEASUREMENTS 
@mgeene
STARTUP 
METRICS 
for pirates* - AARRR 
*David McClure - 500 Startups @mgeene
STARTUP METRIC #1 
CUSTOMER ACQUISITION 
@mgeene
STARTUP METRIC #2 
CUSTOMER ACTIVATION 
@mgeene
STARTUP METRIC #3 
CUSTOMER 
RETENTION 
@mgeene
STARTUP METRIC #4 
CUSTOMER 
REFERRALS 
@mgeene
STARTUP METRIC #5 
REVENUE 
@mgeene
AGILE 
MVP PLANNING 
@mgeene
AGILE MVP PLANNING 
5. Define User Stories 
4. Prioritize Epics 
3. Establish MVP 
Hypothesis 
2. Identify 
Epics 
1. Define 
Personas
10. Iterate or Pivot AGILE MVP PLANNING 
9. Sprint Review/Demo 
8. Two-Week Sprints 
7. Estimate 
Points 
6. MVP 
Test
AGILE MVP PLANNING 
REPEAT 
RELEASE GET FEEDBACK 
Confidential & 
Proprietary
5 TAKEWAYS 
1. Recognize you don’t have the answers 
2. Find the quickest path to “Experience” 
3. Don’t over-engineer; get to MVP in 2 
months of less 
4. Don’t get lost in features/stories - 
Prioritize at the Epic level 
5. Your priorities and plan WILL change… 
Embrace it. 
@mgeene
FINAL THOUGHT ... 
Small Mistakes are Experiments, 
Big Mistakes are Failures 
@mgeene
THANKS! 
SLIDES AVAILABLE AT WWW.CLOUD-ELEMENTS.COM/RESOURCES 
@mgeene
QUESTIONS? 
@mgeene

Lean Product Development 101

  • 1.
    Mark Geene CEO& Co-Founder Cloud Elements @mgeene @cloudelements
  • 2.
  • 3.
    WHAT IS LEAN? @mgeene
  • 4.
    MAXIMUM VALUE, FEWESTRESOURCES. @mgeene
  • 5.
    5 PRINCIPLES 1.Quick, fast experiments lead to answers 2. Determine Problem/Solution Fit with MVP 3. Iterate your way to a Product/Market Fit 4. Measure Results ... Adjust 5. Only put more $ at what works @mgeene
  • 6.
  • 7.
  • 8.
    Is this a problem worth solving? @mgeene
  • 9.
    WORTH SOLVING IF: 1. MUST-HAVE 2. 3. is it something customers need? VIABLE Will they pay for it? FEASIBLE Can it be solved with available resources? @mgeene
  • 10.
    THE M.V.P. MINIMALVIABLE PRODUCT @mgeene
  • 11.
    5 STEP PROCESSTO CREATE AN MVP @mgeene
  • 12.
  • 13.
    STEP 1 DEFINETHE PROBLEM Help people who live in a noisy area, sleep better. @mgeene
  • 14.
    STEP 2 DEVELOPHYPOTHESIS Customers would rather use their iPhone than dedicated sleep machine or alarm clocks.
  • 15.
    STEP 3 DEFINE/BUILDAN MVP FEATURES ➔ 90+ sounds ➔ Mix your own tracks ➔ Beautiful digital clock ➔ Alarm with fav songs ➔ Captures sleep data & analytics @mgeene
  • 16.
    STEP 3 DEFINE/BUILDAN MVP FEATURES ➔ 90+ sounds ➔ Mix your own tracks ➔ Beautiful digital clock ➔ Alarm with fav songs ➔ Captures sleep data & analytics SUPPORT HYPOTHESIS? MUST-HAVE? FIT IN 2-MONTH TIMEFRAME? @mgeene
  • 17.
    STEP 3 DEFINE/BUILDAN MVP FEATURES ➔ One White Noise ➔ 90+ sounds ➔ Mix your own tracks ➔ Beautiful digital clock ➔ Alarm with fav songs ➔ Captures sleep data & analytics @mgeene
  • 18.
    STEP 4 MEASURERESULTS Did people sleep just as well with iPhone white noise as alternative? Y/N @mgeene
  • 19.
    STEP 5 CAPTURELEARNINGS What else will they need or want to buy? @mgeene
  • 20.
    HOW WE DIDIT @mgeene
  • 21.
    STEP 1 DEFINEA PROBLEM Developers spend too much time integrating cloud services into their apps. 500+ hours per application @mgeene 70 hrs per integration
  • 22.
    STEP 2 DEVELOPHYPOTHESIS @mgeene Developers would prefer to go to one place to select and integrate all the APIs they need.
  • 23.
    STEP 3 DEFINE/BUILDAN MVP @mgeene Goal: 3X faster to integrate cloud services
  • 24.
    STEP 4 RESULTS& LEARNINGS RESULTS: → MINIMAL TIME SAVED INTEGRATING SINGLE SERVICE → 2X FASTER TO INTEGRATE MULTIPLE @mgeene LEARNINGS: → DISCOVERED “EXTERNAL” INTEGRATION USE CASE → INTEGRATING MANY SERVICES/CATEGORY → 3+ DOCUMENT SERVICES ROUTINELY INTEGRATED
  • 25.
    STEP 5 ITERATEOR PIVOT @mgeene
  • 26.
  • 27.
    @mgeene STEP 5 ITERATE OR PIVOT
  • 28.
  • 29.
    STARTUP METRICS forpirates* - AARRR *David McClure - 500 Startups @mgeene
  • 30.
    STARTUP METRIC #1 CUSTOMER ACQUISITION @mgeene
  • 31.
    STARTUP METRIC #2 CUSTOMER ACTIVATION @mgeene
  • 32.
    STARTUP METRIC #3 CUSTOMER RETENTION @mgeene
  • 33.
    STARTUP METRIC #4 CUSTOMER REFERRALS @mgeene
  • 34.
    STARTUP METRIC #5 REVENUE @mgeene
  • 35.
  • 36.
    AGILE MVP PLANNING 5. Define User Stories 4. Prioritize Epics 3. Establish MVP Hypothesis 2. Identify Epics 1. Define Personas
  • 37.
    10. Iterate orPivot AGILE MVP PLANNING 9. Sprint Review/Demo 8. Two-Week Sprints 7. Estimate Points 6. MVP Test
  • 38.
    AGILE MVP PLANNING REPEAT RELEASE GET FEEDBACK Confidential & Proprietary
  • 39.
    5 TAKEWAYS 1.Recognize you don’t have the answers 2. Find the quickest path to “Experience” 3. Don’t over-engineer; get to MVP in 2 months of less 4. Don’t get lost in features/stories - Prioritize at the Epic level 5. Your priorities and plan WILL change… Embrace it. @mgeene
  • 40.
    FINAL THOUGHT ... Small Mistakes are Experiments, Big Mistakes are Failures @mgeene
  • 41.
    THANKS! SLIDES AVAILABLEAT WWW.CLOUD-ELEMENTS.COM/RESOURCES @mgeene
  • 42.