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Lean Startup

Eric Ries' seminal book The Lean Startup can be applied to many facets of software development. Lean methods aren't just for startups - they're a way to spend less money and effort building the right (and most profitable) thing. Software development is inherently unpredictable, and companies that invest heavily to design and then build a comprehensive software product or service before delivering any of it to customers often lose money. This typically happens because the designed product includes a large number of ideas, and only a small percentage of these turn out to be valuable to users. In some cases, the core theory of it's most valuable feature is a mistake, making the entire product a failure. Eric describes in The Lean Startup approaches he used at his first companies to employ the scientific method to direct the activities teams use to deliver products. He also provides examples of how to do so with minimal investment.


All Content about Lean Startup

Are Programmers Really to Blame for BAD Estimates?
Are Programmers Really to Blame for BAD Estimates?

7/27/2022|16:51

When programmers estimate code on software projects and they turn out wrong, who’s to blame?

Should You Really Measure Progress On A Software Project?
Should You Really Measure Progress On A Software Project?

6/12/2018|7:55

You can help a company profit more with the software they build by showing them the right things to measure – but expect some resistance on your project…

Scrum Is The “Motor” Of Your Project, But Who’s Steering?
Scrum Is The “Motor” Of Your Project, But Who’s Steering?

6/5/2018|8:57

When talking about the differences between scrum (or kanban) and agile development, the motor and steering wheel of a car can be a useful analogy.

Spot A Fake Agile Team In Under 7 Minutes!
Spot A Fake Agile Team In Under 7 Minutes!

5/22/2018|6:33

It’s always been popular to tell people how they’re “doing it wrong” and agile software development is just as easy to call “fake”.

A Product Manager Is A Programmer’s Best Friend!
A Product Manager Is A Programmer’s Best Friend!

4/24/2018|28:43

Software developers are often frustrated when a product manager changes the design at the last minute. But product managers are a programmer’s best friend!

Impact Mapping: What’s Your Software Development Worth?
Impact Mapping: What’s Your Software Development Worth?

3/20/2018|11:48

If you’ve ever been on a software project and wondered: “what’s the impact of the work I’m doing?”, impact mapping will help you immensely.

How A Business Model Canvas Helps Agile Teams
How A Business Model Canvas Helps Agile Teams

3/17/2018|16:35

If you’ve ever thought “who came up with these ideas?”, you probably need a business model canvas on your agile development team.

Leadership Skills for Lean Software Development
Leadership Skills for Lean Software Development

3/17/2018|10:40

It takes special software leadership skills to learn what customers want through lean software development.

Is Your Software Company a Feature Factory Or Lean Startup?
Is Your Software Company a Feature Factory Or Lean Startup?

3/16/2018|11:10

Why do some companies build products with the freedom of a lean startup, while others deliver boring products like a feature factory run by control freaks?

An Agile Budget Keeps You From Being A Code Monkey
An Agile Budget Keeps You From Being A Code Monkey

3/1/2018|20:24

An agile budget is a major key to healthy software development company culture – and careers! Budgeting is something we don’t pay attention to enough.

The Secret of Scrum Nobody Talks About
The Secret of Scrum Nobody Talks About

2/21/2018|7:16

Too many companies and agile coaches keep the secret of scrum from people! Without understanding WHY to use scrum – misery often results.

Overcome Attachment: Discover Lean Software Development
Overcome Attachment: Discover Lean Software Development

10/18/2017|16:46

To let the customer take a larger role in deciding what’s in your product, and release it multiple times per day — you’ll have to overcome attachment.

How To Shut Down Your Feature Factory
How To Shut Down Your Feature Factory

10/6/2017|19:20

The term “feature factory” coined by John Cutler is an accurate description of what happens when a software team pursues output above all else.

How Failure Produces BETTER Software Projects!
How Failure Produces BETTER Software Projects!

9/10/2017|35:48

A team that learns from software project failure produces better software – when you plan to exploit this ability.

How UNCERTAINTY Impacts Software Development Processes
How UNCERTAINTY Impacts Software Development Processes

8/24/2017|45:49

Whether they realize it or not, many people in software development companies select processes based on their tolerance for uncertainty.

Top 5 Software Redesign Mistakes By Software Companies!
Top 5 Software Redesign Mistakes By Software Companies!

7/21/2017|10:41

Getting ready to redesign a new version of a software product? Avoid the top 5 software redesign mistakes I see made all too often.

Evolving Software Architecture To Adapt With Product Growth
Evolving Software Architecture To Adapt With Product Growth

7/19/2017|22:28

Evolving software architecture to adapt to product growth helps you deliver faster and refactor easier as the project progresses.

How To A/B Software Development To Find What Customers Value
How To A/B Software Development To Find What Customers Value

7/15/2017|23:29

A/B software development to find what customers value. Relying on planning up front based on customer feedback and research just isn’t competitive!

Software Estimation – Trading Perceived Effort For Outcomes
Software Estimation – Trading Perceived Effort For Outcomes

7/6/2017|56:07

Experienced technologists know the variables in software development are nuts, and estimating to account for all possible outcomes doesn’t work.

Minimum Viable Product – Letting Software Customers Help You Profit
Minimum Viable Product – Letting Software Customers Help You Profit

7/5/2017|30:30

Avoid the traps many teams who have never delivered a software product in a truly agile fashion encounter when delivering a minimum viable product.

Agile Project Management – Is It Stopping You From Being Agile?
Agile Project Management – Is It Stopping You From Being Agile?

7/4/2017|15:47

If your team is pursuing agile but it doesn’t feel like it lives up to the industry hype, confusion about agile project management may be the culprit.

Lean Software Development – It’s About Uncertainty
Lean Software Development – It’s About Uncertainty

7/3/2017|13:34

Your software team can avoid becoming irrelevant in today’s shifting technology market by investing in and building software differently.