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
March 19, 2025 | 1:15:32
You don’t have to keep running on the same treadmill just because it’s familiar.
September 25, 2024 | 13:32
Learn how to find profitable software product ideas by identifying real customer problems, and validating your idea, before you build.
May 29, 2024 | 15:55
Most programmers let fear stop them from self-employment before they even start. But you don’t have to.
April 15, 2024 | 33:38
Making videos, podcasts, or blogs could be just what your programming career needs. But it could also be a complete waste of time.
January 30, 2024 | 27:57
Engineers are in a unique position to shoot themselves in the foot when starting a company. Don’t be a statistic.
January 8, 2024 | 39:45
When programmers decide to work for themselves, they often find success along one of these three tried-and-true paths.
July 27, 2022 | 16:51
When programmers estimate code on software projects and they turn out wrong, who’s to blame?
June 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…
June 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.
May 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”.
April 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!
March 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.
March 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.
March 16, 2018 | 10:40
It takes special software leadership skills to learn what customers want through lean software development.
March 15, 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?
March 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.
February 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.
October 17, 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.
October 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.
September 10, 2017 | 35:48
A team that learns from software project failure produces better software – when you plan to exploit this ability.
August 24, 2017 | 45:49
Whether they realize it or not, many people in software development companies select processes based on their tolerance for uncertainty.
July 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.
July 19, 2017 | 22:28
Evolving software architecture to adapt to product growth helps you deliver faster and refactor easier as the project progresses.
July 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!
July 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.
July 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.
July 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.
July 3, 2017 | 13:34
Your software team can avoid becoming irrelevant in today’s shifting technology market by investing in and building software differently.