Save to My Latticework unsave

Lean Startup
Lean Startup
Lean Startup
save0 saved view11.8K views
Share this with your network
Share this with your network
Overview

Eric Reis' Lean Startup struck a chord amongst startups and product development teams alike. Rather than a single new model, ...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quod non faceret, si in voluptate summum bonum poneret. Virtutis, magnitudinis animi, patientiae, fortitudinis fomentis dolor mitigari solet. Stulti autem malorum memoria torquentur, sapientes bona praeterita grata recordatione renovata delectant. Quid ergo? Haec quo modo conveniant, non sane intellego.

Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Itaque hoc frequenter dici solet a vobis, non intellegere nos, quam dicat Epicurus voluptatem. Incommoda autem et commoda-ita enim estmata et dustmata appello-communia esse voluerunt, paria noluerunt. Cum ageremus, inquit, vitae beatum et eundem supremum diem, scribebamus haec. Non pugnem cum homine, cur tantum habeat in natura boni; Quod autem satis est, eo quicquid accessit, nimium est; Sed ad haec, nisi molestum est, habeo quae velim. Tamen a proposito, inquam, aberramus.

Neque solum ea communia, verum etiam paria esse dixerunt. Ergo opifex plus sibi proponet ad formarum quam civis excellens ad factorum pulchritudinem? Qui ita affectus, beatum esse numquam probabis; Idemne potest esse dies saepius, qui semel fuit? Bona autem corporis huic sunt, quod posterius posui, similiora. Maximas vero virtutes iacere omnis necesse est voluptate dominante.

Share this model with your network to be smarter, faster, together!
Actionable Takeaways
  • Test your riskiest assumption. 

Use the Lean Startup approach to test your riskiest assump ...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Iubet igitur nos Pythius Apollo noscere nosmet ipsos. Claudii libidini, qui tum erat summo ne imperio, dederetur. Profectus in exilium Tubulus statim nec respondere ausus; Et quidem, Cato, hanc totam copiam iam Lucullo nostro notam esse oportebit;

Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Igitur neque stultorum quisquam beatus neque sapientium non beatus. Ut optime, secundum naturam affectum esse possit. Scaevola tribunus plebis ferret ad plebem vellentne de ea re quaeri. Quod autem meum munus dicis non equidem recuso, sed te adiungo socium. Sin kakan malitiam dixisses, ad aliud nos unum certum vitium consuetudo Latina traduceret. Fortitudinis quaedam praecepta sunt ac paene leges, quae effeminari virum vetant in dolore. Itaque his sapiens semper vacabit. Etsi ea quidem, quae adhuc dixisti, quamvis ad aetatem recte isto modo dicerentur. Sit, inquam, tam facilis, quam vultis, comparatio voluptatis, quid de dolore dicemus?

In eo enim positum est id, quod dicimus esse expetendum. Non quaeritur autem quid naturae tuae consentaneum sit, sed quid disciplinae. Hosne igitur laudas et hanc eorum, inquam, sententiam sequi nos censes oportere? Post enim Chrysippum eum non sane est disputatum. Quid, si reviviscant Platonis illi et deinceps qui eorum auditores fuerunt, et tecum ita loquantur?

Limitations

Some have criticised the messenger rather than the message, pointing to Reis’ limited success before writing the Lean Startup book. Others express frustration that the model really encapsulates other approaches that were already in circulation. 

Perhaps a more substantive criticism is the risk in going to market without a product to test an idea, is the ease of competitors to capitalise on it before you. 

It has also been accused of providing ‘false negatives’ where an idea is rejected because of initial negative feedback but might have succeeded if pursued further. Similarly, constant pivoting based on feedback might lead to a lack of clear market strategy or message. 

In Practice

Startups - Dropbox 

Dropbox is one of the most cited examples of lean startup. It has developed into a popular product but began its life as a minimum viable product consisting of a 3 minute screencast showing what Dropbox could do. 

The positive response identified demand, provided feedback and helped build a network for their eventual product launch. 

Large corporates - GE’s energy storage division.

When the general manager of the GE energy storage division identified that a new battery developed by the unit had potential to disrupt the industry, rather than scale up and and launch, they embraced learn startup techniques. They focused on customer discovery, meeting with potential customer to better understand their needs. This informed a new focus on utilities and other sectoral changes before they’d even build their first new battery. 

An approach - crowdfunding

Crowdfunding can be a form of Lean Startup as it offers the opportunity to test an idea and ask them to invest into a product idea. Another simple approach might involve simply creating a landing page or website for a future product idea. 

Build your latticework
This model will help you to:

The lean startup applies mental models developed from lean manufacturing and software development, and aligns with agile methodology in its approach to iteratively understand how to deliver greater value. 

Use the following examples of connected and complementary models to weave the lean startup into your broader latticework of mental models. Alternatively, discover your own connections by exploring the category list above. 

Connected models: 

  • Lean thinking: framing the metal model and approaches to startups.
  • Minimum viable product: a core part of the lean startup. 
  • Split testing & A/B testing: referenced as a core approach. 
  • Agile methodology: to effectively implement a lean startup approach.
  • High velocity decisions: as a framework to embrace a bias to action. 

Complementary models: 

  • Golden circle: to maintain your why during those pivots. 
  • Porter’s five forces: analysis to understand a competitive market. 
  • Blue ocean strategy: to explore untested markets. 
  • Red queen effect: the drive for competitors to adopt a lean startup approach.
  • Diversification: to expand existing product ranges.  
  • Design thinking: a useful approach for any startup. 
Origins & Resources

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries was published in 2011 and set the framework for this approach. It’s origins can be traced back to lean methodology in manufacturing and software development, and he was also highly influenced by agile methodology. Find out more at Reis’ Lean Startup website here.

My Notes

  • profile
    1555 days ago Dan Steen , Co-founder
    This is a brilliant model! Loved Eric Ries's book and try and live and breathe this model in all my work. He talks about de-risking in the book and love this approach to de-risk my work.
Already a ModelThinkers member? Please log in here.

Oops, That’s Members’ Only!

Fortunately, it only costs US$5/month to Join ModelThinkers and access everything so that you can rapidly discover, learn, and apply the world’s most powerful ideas.

ModelThinkers membership at a glance:

Small mark
UNLOCK EVERYTHING
Access all mental models and premium content.
Small mark
BUILD YOUR LATTICEWORK
Save models to your personal list.
Small mark
QUICKLY MEMORISE MODELS
Use our Learn function to embed models to memory
Small mark
PERSONALISE MODELS
Add your own notes and reminders.
Small mark
BUILD YOUR ‘EXTERNAL BRAIN’
Discover a new idea? Capture it by adding a new model.
Small mark
JOIN THE MT COMMUNITY
Rate models, comment and access exclusive events.

“Yeah, we hate pop ups too. But we wanted to let you know that, with ModelThinkers, we’re making it easier for you to adapt, innovate and create value. We hope you’ll join us and the growing community of ModelThinkers today.”

Arun Pradhan & Shai Desai
CoFounders, ModelThinkers.

You Might Also Like:

- Actionable summaries of the world's most powerful ideas.