Lean is a scientific, data-driven, and customer-centric process for building the right product through continuous learning and reducing uncertainty. It involves systematically testing assumptions by writing hypotheses, running experiments like minimum viable products (MVPs), and measuring outcomes with actual customers to learn about market fit and customer needs before fully building a product. The goal is to avoid wasting time building the wrong thing and instead inform development through customer feedback.

1. What Is Lean?
Jonathan Irwin
Managing Director & Advisor
Neo San Francisco
jonathan.irwin@neo.com
@jonathanirwin
Thursday, January 30, 14

2. is 83 people.
43 engineers.
15 designers.
10 product leaders (like me).
and some overhead.
We advise.
And we build products.
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3. So, what is Lean?
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4. stematically
the se s, and sy
write hypo
ssumptions
te st our a
scientific
data-driven
customer-centric
process for finding product/market fit.
for reducing uncertainty.
for continuous learning.
for building the right thing.
Lean is a
measure ever y thing
talk to our customers
aste time
you don’t w g thing
so
the wron
building
ed by
nform omer
ays i cust
e a l w t he
we’r
so
because building things people
don’t want or use sucks!
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products
customers
ill adopt &
w
pay for

5. Le ad with v ision.
But te st assumptions ruthle ssly.
Lean is not
but it’s ok ay to take on
debt in order to le arn
not che ap. ef f icient
it’s actually
ver y dif f icult
Agile
ild it the
If you bu
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Waterfall
will come
y
a replacement for vision.
permission to make crap.
cheap.
easy.
the only way to make stuff.

6. Examples.
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7. Price Test Landing Page
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8. Price Test Landing Page
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9. Price Test Landing Page
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10. Wizard of Oz
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11. Demo Video
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12. Concierge
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13. Pre-Sales
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14. Pre-Sales
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limited time!

15. for le arning
The MVP is not only a product, it’s a process.
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16. In all these cases, the product teams learned
market size
about
adoption
...from actual customers. pricing
scope
better ideas they didn’t
...BEFORE building the whole have themselves.
thing.
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17. The question is NOT, “Can you build it?”
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18. The question is, “Should you build it?”
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19. Where do we start?
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20. Lean Principles
1. Solve real, painful problems that exist in a reachable market.
2. Enable & measure progress around outcomes vs. outputs.
3. Value making over analysis.
4. Create an environment of continuous learning.
5. Encourage failing fast.
6. Work on cross-functional, dedicated teams.
7. Increase shared understanding by externalizing your work.
8. Remove waste from deliverables and process.
9. When uncertainty is high, reduce complexity.
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21. Thursday, January 30, 14

22. How do we do it?
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23. Tactics
1.Declare your assumptions.
2.Identify the riskiest assumptions.
3.Write a hypothesis to test your assumption.
4.Run an experiment (interview, MVP, etc.)
5.Measure the outcomes.
6.Synthesize the learnings, and do it again.
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24. Now you’re dangerous.
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