Podcast appearances and mentions of David J Bland

In this episode we interview Matthew Davis.Matthew is the CEO of Davis Business Law and the author of the best selling book, The Art of Preventing Stupid. He shares his journey in the legal profession, discussing the challenges and assumptions he faced when starting his own law firm. Matthew emphasizes the importance of collaboration, work-life balance, and effective marketing strategies in building a successful practice. We talk about how to test for new hires, while exploring the significance of situational leadership in nurturing talent. We wrap up with a thoughtful examination of the impact of AI on the legal industry and how firms can adapt to these changes.

In this episode we interview Pat Copeland and get a first hand account of how the Dash Button idea was originally tested at Amazon. Everything from how the idea emerged from Bezos' morning puttering time to the cognitive load customers experienced pushing a button to order a box of sweets and eventually to products like detergent. Even though the product was discontinued, the learning they captured along the way influenced other Amazon initiatives such as Alexa, smart subscriptions, and auto-stocking appliances.Pat shares his perspective on entrepreneurial thinking and building a culture of experimentation from Amazon, but also his time in leadership roles at companies like Autodesk, Microsoft, Google and Zendesk. We wrapped up our conversation with the challenges of scaling ideas, and the future of machine learning in commerce with his latest endeavor, Moloco.

In this podcast episode, Matt Diamante shares his journey into the world of digital marketing and SEO, detailing his early experiences and the evolution of his career. He discusses the importance of testing and analyzing content to achieve success, particularly in the realm of social media. Matt emphasizes the significance of video content in today's marketing landscape and explores strategies for leveraging platforms like LinkedIn to engage audiences effectively. The conversation highlights the challenges and opportunities in navigating the ever-changing digital marketing environment. We explore the intricacies of social media algorithms, particularly focusing on LinkedIn and the strategies for creating engaging content. Matt and I discuss the importance of testing different content formats and styles, the challenges of predicting viral success, and how these principles can be applied beyond social media to enhance business strategies. The conversation emphasizes the need for continuous experimentation and adaptation in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

In this episode we interview Ann Carden. Ann is one of the top business growth consultants and strategists for people who want to accelerate growth to multiple 7+ figures. She is an internationally best-selling author, keynote speaker and podcast host.In this conversation Ann shares her extensive experience with me in how she's built and exited multiple businesses, emphasizing the importance of testing ideas and understanding market needs. She discusses the challenges faced in the coaching industry, the significance of targeting the right market for premium clients, and the value of writing expert books that align with business goals.  Use the discount code PODCAST for $50 off a ticket to our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop on April 29th: www.eventbrite.com/e/1309306534089/?discount=PODCAST

In this episode we interview Deon Crasto.  Deon started his product management career at OnDeck Capital, a small business lending platform, where he focused on payments growth. He currently leads payments and ML- driven risk assessment at Velocity Global. Deon and I discussed the importance of curiosity and problem-solving in product management. We talked about the significance of metrics, and in particular, how to avoid vanity metrics. Deon shared some of the challenges of aligning teams with company goals and navigating regulations in experimentation.  Use the discount code PODCAST for $50 off a ticket to our upcoming Testing Business Ideas with ChatGPT Workshop on April 29th: www.eventbrite.com/e/1309306534089/?discount=PODCAST

In this conversation, Chris Hood shares his diverse background in storytelling across various media, including movies, video games, and digital marketing. He emphasizes the importance of storytelling in engaging consumers and how it connects to business strategies. The discussion explores the iterative nature of game development, the significance of customer feedback in marketing, and the evolving role of AI in media. Chris also highlights the challenges of balancing creativity with market demands and the necessity of testing ideas with real audiences.

In this conversation, David J Bland and Erich Archer discuss the intersection of AI and video production, exploring how AI tools are transforming workflows, the importance of iterative testing, and the future of content creation. Erich shares his journey from traditional video production to leveraging AI for efficiency and creativity, emphasizing the need for human reflection in the process. They also touch on the evolving landscape of video tools and the potential for AI to generate novel insights and ideas.

In this conversation, David J Bland and Michael Clifford discuss the intersection of habitat design, conservation, and design thinking. Michael shares his unique journey from zookeeper to strategy director for Reverse the Red, a global coalition aimed at halting species extinction. They explore the importance of challenging assumptions in habitat design, the role of observation in understanding animal behavior, and the need for context-specific strategies in conservation efforts. The conversation emphasizes the significance of collaboration, the necessity of creating environments conducive to desired outcomes, and the value of indigenous knowledge in addressing biodiversity loss.

Als Product Owner ist es essenziell, sich kontinuierlich weiterzuentwickeln und die richtigen Werkzeuge für die tägliche Arbeit zu nutzen. In der neuesten Episode der Produktwerker geht es genau darum: Welche Methoden für Product Owner sind wirklich relevant? Eine der wichtigsten Grundlagen ist die Produktvision. Hier hilft das Product Vision Canvas bzw. das Product Vision Board (von Roman Pichler), um ein gemeinsames Verständnis im Team und mit Stakeholdern zu schaffen. Ob mit dem Framework von Roman Pichler oder dem Positioning Statement von Geoffrey Moore – entscheidend ist, dass die Produktvision klar und lebendig bleibt. Eng verknüpft mit der Produktvision ist das Thema Roadmapping. Klassische, feature-getriebene Roadmaps sind längst überholt. Stattdessen setzen erfahrene Product Owner auf Outcome-orientierte Roadmaps, etwa in Form der Now-Next-Later-Roadmap. Dabei geht es nicht darum, starre Zeitpläne einzuhalten, sondern den Fokus auf die gewünschten Wirkungen zu legen. Für eine sinnvolle Planung ist außerdem Story Mapping unverzichtbar. Diese Methode hilft, eine holistische Sicht auf das Produkt zu behalten, Features sinnvoll zu priorisieren und das Team in die richtige Richtung zu steuern. Jeff Patton hat mit dem User Story Mapping eine Praxis entwickelt, die das Verständnis für Wirkungsschnitte und Priorisierung stärkt. Ein weiteres wertvolles Tool im Werkzeugkasten eines Product Owners ist der Opportunity Solution Tree (OST), bekannt aus Teresa Torres' Buch Continuous Discovery Habits. Der OST ermöglicht es, Business-Ziele mit Kundenbedürfnissen zu verknüpfen und den besten Weg zur Lösung abzuleiten. Etwas älter, aber genauso wirksam ist das Impact Mapping von Gojko Adzic – ein strukturierter Ansatz, um zu visualisieren, welche Akteure ihr Verhalten ändern müssen, damit das Produkt erfolgreich wird. In der täglichen Arbeit von Product Ownern spielen Annahmen eine große Rolle. Doch oft sind diese weder hinterfragt noch belegt. Hier kommt das Assumption Mapping ins Spiel. Mit dieser Methode von David J. Bland lassen sich Annahmen systematisch priorisieren und durch gezielte Experimente validieren. Auch das Arbeiten mit User-Feedback gehört zu den essenziellen Methoden für Product Owner. Hier hilft der Interview-Snapshot aus Teresa Torres' Discovery-Ansatz, um strukturierte Erkenntnisse aus Nutzerinterviews zu ziehen. In Kombination mit dem Value Proposition Canvas von Alexander Osterwalder lassen sich die relevanten Pain Points und Gains der Nutzer noch klarer herausarbeiten. Natürlich darf auch das Thema User Stories nicht fehlen. Diese Technik ermöglicht eine nutzerzentrierte Formulierung von Anforderungen. Doch User Stories sind nur so gut wie ihre Akzeptanzkriterien und die Fähigkeit, sie sinnvoll zu schneiden. Deshalb ist es entscheidend, nicht nur das Schreiben, sondern auch das Splitting von User Stories zu beherrschen. Ein weiterer Bereich, der oft unterschätzt wird, ist das Stakeholder-Management. Ohne eine gezielte Strategie kann die Vielzahl an Stakeholdern schnell zur Herausforderung werden. Das Power-Interest-Grid hilft dabei, die richtigen Prioritäten zu setzen und Stakeholder effektiv einzubinden. Daneben sehen wir noch eine elfte Methode, quasi als "Bonus-Thema", das in den letzten Jahren immer wichtiger wird: AI-Prompting. Die Fähigkeit, mit Tools wie ChatGPT oder Perplexity effizient zu arbeiten, kann für Product Owner einen enormen Vorteil bringen – sei es für die Generierung von Ideen, die Analyse von Feedback oder die Strukturierung von Informationen. AI wird zunehmend zum Wingman für Product Owner und sollte daher als fester Bestandteil des Methodensets verstanden werden. Diese zehn Methoden für Product Owner sind nicht nur theoretische Konzepte, sondern praxisbewährte Werkzeuge, die den Alltag eines POs erleichtern und das Produktmanagement auf ein neues Level heben. Welche dieser Methoden setzt du bereits ein? Und welche fehlt deiner Meinung nach in dieser Liste?

In this engaging podcast episode, David J Bland hosts Bruce McCarthy and Melissa Appel, who share their insights on product management, stakeholder alignment, and the journey of writing their new book, 'Aligned.' They discuss the challenges of managing stakeholders, the importance of face-to-face communication, and the iterative process of testing ideas and content for their book. The conversation also dives into marketing strategies post-publication and the exploration of new audiences and formats to enhance the book's impact.

In this conversation, Amer Abu Khajil shares his journey from civil engineering to the tech world, emphasizing the parallels between building physical structures and developing products. He discusses the importance of testing and validation, drawing lessons from his engineering background, and outlines the process he created at TTT Studios for product development. Amer highlights the distinction between problem and solution validation and offers techniques for conducting effective customer interviews, ultimately stressing the need for a structured approach to understanding customer needs and segmenting them effectively. We explore the journey of building Perceptional, a tool designed to enhance user research through AI. Amer and David discuss the importance of understanding customer segments, the process of validating ideas, and the balance between automation and human interaction in research. Amer shares insights on product development, testing methodologies, and the challenges of creating a sustainable business model in the startup landscape.

In this conversation, David discusses his journey with Lawline, the largest provider of online continuing legal education in the U.S. He shares insights on building resilience in business, the importance of experimentation in product development, and navigating pricing strategies. David also highlights the role of conferences in fostering B2B relationships and the balance between B2B and B2C strategies. We explore the transformative power of experimentation in business, particularly in the context of legal education and the integration of AI. We discuss the importance of understanding customer behavior, the challenges of operating within regulatory constraints, and the need for innovative approaches to education and service delivery. The dialogue emphasizes the value of shutting down non-viable projects to increase efficiency and the potential of new technologies to enhance learning experiences.David concludes with reflections on launching his own podcast as a personal growth experiment. 

In this conversation, David J Bland and Lex Roman explore the evolution of experimentation in tech, discussing how perspectives on experimentation practices have shifted over the years. They dive into the role of social proof, ethical considerations, and the balance between experimentation and actionable insights. Lex shares her experiences working with non-tech industries, particularly journalism, and the challenges of measuring marketing effectiveness. The discussion wraps up with Lex's innovative approach to helping journalists grow their reader subscriptions and the creation of a playbook for success.

In this conversation, Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden discuss their journey in scaling their training business, focusing on the assumptions, risks, and testing methods they are employing. They share insights on the importance of community building, the challenges of filling workshops, and the balance between qualitative and quantitative success metrics. The discussion highlights the significance of cold outreach, learning from past experiments, and navigating uncertainty in entrepreneurship.

Eddy Connors, co-founder of Goodie Bag, shares his journey of creating a digital marketplace that connects consumers to local retail shops to purchase unsold food at a discounted price. The idea for Goodie Bag came from Eddy's gap year in Indonesia, where he witnessed the impact of plastic pollution and the need for sustainable solutions. Goodie Bag aims to reduce food waste, provide affordable options for consumers, and support local businesses. Eddy emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs of both partners and customers and continuously iterating to provide more value to the community.

Victoria shares her journey from working at big consulting firms to joining a company as it was being completely overhauled and reborn to survive and thrive post-AI.Wonder helps entrepreneurs and small businesses with desk research by providing them with curated information and insights. They navigate the risks of the rapidly evolving AI landscape and focus on the desirability, viability, and feasibility of their solution. They aim to be the go-to choice for their audience by offering expertise, credibility, and a comprehensive solution. Victoria emphasizes the importance of curiosity and asking the right questions in the research process. Victoria discusses the process of conducting desk research and how her company uses AI to provide valuable insights to clients. She emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs and desires through constant contact and conversations. She also talks about the challenges of testing and refining solutions, as well as the risks and uncertainties of working in the AI space. Overall, Wonder aims to simplify and aggregate information for clients, helping them make informed decisions.

Ali Jiwani shares his entrepreneurial journey, from starting a food delivery platform to building Slay School, a personalized learning platform. He discusses how he used data to predict success in his previous ventures and how he applied those insights to Slay School. Ali explains his approach to acquiring early customers through Reddit and Discord, and the importance of quick feedback loops. He also talks about the challenges of pricing and the vision for Slay School to revolutionize education by providing personalized learning paths for students.

Marc Wandler, the co-founder of Susgrainable, shares his journey of turning beer waste into sustainable flour and baked goods. He started the business as a student project and quickly learned from rapid feedback cycles. By sampling the product at farmers markets and cafes, he honed in on his target market and gained valuable customer feedback. He also leveraged media opportunities to generate buzz and attract customers. However, the COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges, and Marc had to adapt by observing the market and focusing on food service partnerships. Despite the difficulties, he remained committed to his vision and continued to innovate. Susgrainable was born out of the university and focused on learning about consumer packaged goods and non-dilutive funding opportunities. They secured non-dilutive money to build the foundation of the business and focused on scaling their flower production. They conducted A/B tests and gathered consumer feedback to inform their product development and packaging decisions. They also explored collaborations and partnerships to expand their impact. The next six months will be focused on managing risks, navigating potential partnerships and investments, and continuing to build towards their vision of creating impact through sustainability.

Maura Mitchell, a lawyer and MBA, shares her work at the Women's Business Development Center, helping micro businesses test their assumptions and scale. She guides entrepreneurs through a process of testing their early ideas using the Lean Startup Method and the business model canvas. Mitchell emphasizes the importance of market research and customer discovery interviews to validate assumptions and find product-market fit. She also highlights the value of accountability and mentorship in helping entrepreneurs navigate the early stages of their businesses. Mitchell's work includes supporting a retail incubator and coaching and education businesses. She envisions expanding her impact by providing connections and facilitating collaboration among entrepreneurs.

In this conversation, Janna Bastow, founder of ProdPad, shares her insights on testing pricing and packaging strategies. She discusses the importance of understanding the different roles and decision-makers in B2B purchasing, as well as the challenges of navigating the procurement process. Janna also talks about the evolution of pricing at ProdPad and the lessons learned from testing different packages and pricing structures. She highlights the value of customer feedback and the use of AI in product management. Overall, Janna emphasizes the need for product managers to focus on the core aspects of their role and leverage technology to automate repetitive tasks.

In this conversation, David J Bland interviews Andi Plantenberg about her experience with testing and experimentation, particularly in the context of NASA missions. They discuss the importance of testing early stage ideas, the challenges of navigating a culture of perfection and safety, and the need for fluidity and adaptability in the face of uncertainty. Andi shares insights from her work with NASA, including the use of simulated mission control rooms and the iterative design of software. She also emphasizes the importance of systems thinking and the need to address complex problems in a holistic way. Overall, the conversation highlights the value of experimentation in driving innovation and addressing the pressing challenges of our time.

Aaron Eden shares his background and experience with experimentation, particularly within Intuit's Design for Delight (D4D) and Innovation Catalyst programs. He discusses the importance of adapting the approach to fit the company's culture and the challenges of marketing and socializing the process internally. Aaron shares success stories, such as the development of SnapTax, and a failure story with the Quick Receipts project. He emphasizes the need for continuous testing and learning to drive innovation. Aaron Eden shares his experience with experimentation and innovation at Intuit. He discusses the importance of understanding customer behavior and aspirations, even when they may not align with their stated preferences. Aaron also talks about the challenges of driving innovation in a changing company culture and how he is working to reignite the innovation catalyst group at Intuit. He shares the success of a recent three-day workshop called Speed, where teams applied AI and velocity mindsets to deliver business impact. Aaron emphasizes the importance of using real ideas and providing career skills to participants, even if the ideas don't succeed.

Brandy and Craig discuss their collaboration and the challenges they faced in teaching entrepreneurship and de-risking startups. They highlight the importance of testing and iterating through customer interviews, surveys, and landing pages. They also emphasize the need to overcome biases and consider counterfactuals when evaluating risk. The success stories they share include students winning funding at Draper University and turning down investments to pursue their own vision. They discuss the process of scaling their program and providing support to entrepreneurs through events and resources. They also touch on the importance of questioning assumptions and guiding entrepreneurs to discover the gaps in their understanding. The conversation explores the importance of feedback and testing in entrepreneurship. It emphasizes the need to be open to feedback and willing to challenge assumptions. The hosts discuss the concept of being right versus being successful and the value of honest feedback. They also touch on the importance of understanding the problem and the customer before jumping into activities like advertising and landing page optimization. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the founders' initiatives, including Founder Fridays and Help a Startup Out.

Kate shares her journey of building OneGuide, a platform that provides leverage to PE and VC firms. She initially started with a marketplace model, but realized that startups were not willing to pay for access to experts. She then pivoted to selling to PE and VC firms, offering them a centralized platform for resources and an extended network of experts. Kate discusses the challenges of selling to firms, the importance of testing, and the evolution of OneGuide's features. She emphasizes the need for patience and the willingness to iterate and adapt along the way.

Aaron Slessinger, a product leader at HP, discusses the challenges of testing hardware and software together, specifically in the context of hot desking and hybrid work environments. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs and pain points of end users, as well as the shift towards prioritizing the end user experience in B2B products. Aaron shares his approach to testing, which includes conducting user interviews, low-fidelity prototyping with cardboard, and leveraging customer feedback to improve products. He also highlights the value of the collaboration between hardware and software teams in delivering the best customer experience.

Partho Ghosh is a customer-centered, data-informed product executive and GM who specializes in B2B SaaS, MarTech, product-led growth, and creating measurable product processes that lead to efficient growth and market fit. He is the VP and Product & General Manager at SecurityScoreCard, the global leader in cybersecurity ratings, response, and resilience. He also serves as an advisor for OpenView, through which he advises on product-led growth. Before working at SecurityScoreCard, Partho served as a general manager for Hootsuite. Partho holds a Bachelor's of Business Administration, Business Management from British Columbia Institute of Technology. Partho joins me today to explore the “feature factory” trap and how having a clear product management lifecycle can help avoid it. He emphasizes the importance of future thinking in product management decisions, even when dealing with short-term revenue goals. He outlines his philosophy on product management and the “Build, Measure, Learn” principle. Partho also highlights the value of having a data-informed mindset and offers advice to product managers seeking leadership support.   “I've always used ‘feature factory' in a negative connotation, but that might be unfair if you're a scaling start-up. Founders need revenue growth, profitability, and to make ends meet.” - Partho Ghosh This week on Innovation Talks: ●     Partho's background as a business analyst, his transition into product management, and diving into B2B SaaS ●     The challenges of testing and validating the effectiveness of a free-to-sales motion in the self-serve space ●     The importance of future-thinking in product management decisions ●     Navigating organizational changes and cultural shifts ●     Careers as marathons and the evolving nature of the professional journey ●     The need for continuous learning in product management ●     Embracing generative AI and how customer expectations around AI have changed ●     The transformative nature of technological advancements ●     Partho's product development process and lifecycle ●     The “Build, Measure, and Learn” philosophy ●     The value of rooting decisions in data and why companies need to invest in analytics capabilities ●     Experimentation beyond split testing ●     Overcoming challenges in measurement and learning ●     Allocating resources to data analysis and promoting a data-informed mindset ●     The crucial role and challenges of collaboration within a product team Resources Mentioned: ●     Miro (https://miro.com/) ●     Figma (https://www.figma.com/downloads/) ●     Book: Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation (The Strategyzer Series) (https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Testing-Business-Ideas-Customer/dp/1119551447/ref=sr_1_2?crid=32ZCY4ZR9BKM4&keywords=Testing+Business+Ideas&qid=1700008593&sprefix=testing+business+ideas%2Caps%2C261&sr=8-2) by David J. Bland and Alexander Osterwalder Connect with Partho Ghosh: ●     SecurityScorecard (https://securityscorecard.com/) ●     SecurityScorecard on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/security-scorecard/) ●     SecurityScorecard on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/securityscorecard) ●     SecurityScorecard on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SecScorecard/) ●     SecurityScorecard on Twitter (https://twitter.com/security_score) ●     Partho Ghosh on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/productpartho/) This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon   Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/innovation-talks/id1555857396) | TuneIn (https://tunein.com/podcasts/Technology-Podcasts/Innovation-Talks-p1412337/) | GooglePlay (https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ibHVicnJ5LmNvbS9mZWVkcy8xNDY1ODg1LnhtbA) | Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=614195) | Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1dX5b8tWI29YbgeMwZF5Uh) | iHeart (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-innovation-talks-82985745/) | Amazon (https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6e12f112-fdc6-499e-be27-bcdd18505859/innovation-talks)   Be sure to connect with us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SopheonCorp/) , Twitter (https://twitter.com/sopheon) , and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/sopheon/) , and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.   For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com (https://www.sopheon.com/) and click here (https://info.sopheon.com/subscribe) .

Markus Muller, co-founder of Flinn, shares his journey of testing ideas and building a business in the healthcare industry. He emphasizes the importance of testing assumptions and using experiments to validate ideas. Markus discusses the use of LOIs (Letters of Intent) as a tool to gain commitment from potential customers. He also highlights the value of co-creation with customers and the need to balance risk in heavily regulated industries. Overall, Markus provides insights into the testing mindset and its application in building a successful business.

In this conversation, Janina Urbach from the Hansgrohe Group shares the story of how they developed a dog shower as a new product. The idea came from a customer interview and they validated the need through desk research and conversations with dog owners and groomers. They used pretotyping and 3D printing to test and iterate the product. They also used data to make decisions, including A/B testing and pre-sales. They learned from missteps, such as over-engineering the MVP, and applied their learnings to new projects. Janina recommends using customer profiles and value proposition canvases to manage experiments.

In this conversation, Dave Masters, Director of Product at Realtor.com, shares his insights on testing and experimentation in big companies. He discusses the need for testing and how to break out of the feature factory mindset. Dave shares a case study on how they tested a new product idea using customer interviews and concierge testing. He also talks about the value of using customer quotes in experiments and the differences between concierge and Wizard of Oz experiments. Dave provides tips for product managers in big companies who want to champion experimentation and shares his contact information for further discussion.

In this conversation, Chris Guest discusses the importance of understanding problem perception and the nuances of desirability testing. He shares insights from his experience with Topology Eyewear, where they tackled the problem of ill-fitting glasses. Chris explains the Problem Perception Spectrum and how it helped them position and communicate their solution. He also emphasizes the need to find early adopters who resonate with the problem and shares his favorite experiments, including a concierge MVP for Topology Eyewear. Chris Guest shares his experience setting up a pop-up store to test the desirability of a product. He explains how they controlled the experiment and measured interest and feedback from customers. The pop-up store was a success, leading to further scaling and growth. Chris also discusses the transition from desirability to feasibility and viability, and the importance of trust in the customer experience. He concludes by introducing his current work on traction design and the need to validate market opportunity early on in the startup process.

Join Brian and David Bland as they journey into the novel idea of testing assumptions before development to avoid costly mistakes and ensure the right things are being built in the latest episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast—a must-listen for any product owner wanting to determine if their team is working on the right thing. Overview In this episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast, Brian talks all things testing with David Bland, the founder of Precoil and co-author of the book Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation. Learn the importance of testing assumptions and experimentation in product development as David shares his journey from working in startups to coaching and consulting and how he realized the need to bring Agile principles into the discovery phase of product development. You can listen in as they explore the concept of testing business ideas and the three-step process of extracting assumptions, prioritizing them, and running experiments. Listen Now to Discover: [01:01] - Brian introduces David Bland, founder of Precoil and co-author of Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation. [02:10] - David dives into weaving testing assumptions and experimentation into managing the product backlog for product owners. [02:51] - David discusses how you can determine if you're working on the right things and prevent iteratively delivering something that nobody cares about by applying the Agile principles further upstream. [04:20] - Brain adds insight with the notion of being selective as the product owner, referencing the work of Henrik Kniberg. [05:18] - David breaks down the themes he developed from design thinking and how they apply beautifully to the product backlog: desirable, viable, & feasible [06:50] - Brian asks the question burning through many of our minds, “How do you apply it to testing your ideas?” [07:15] - David lays out the three-step process he uses and applies to testing business, product, and service ideas. [08:32] - David discusses the difference between requirements and assumptions. [10:33] - David provides a practical example of adding wishlist functionality to a website and what testing this idea would look like under his testing framework. [14:47] - Today's episode of the Agile Mentors Podcast is brought to you by Mountain Goat Software's Private Training for Agile transformations. Get your team on the same page through customized training and coaching programs to level-set your team. For more information, visit the Mountain Goat Software’s Private Training page. [16:07] - Brian poses the concept of asking, “How does an idea move the needle” before the idea is developed? [18:14] - David shares his thoughts on running customer-facing acceptance criteria and the product death cycle, a term David coined. [21:06] - David provides an example of a client who puts a positive spin on killing projects that prove not to be viable via testing. [22:33] - Brian asks if there are testing methods that can be applied after a product launch as a lagging indicator of the launch. [24:57] - Brian clarifies the value of testing before making a bet on a new product, even as an entrepreneur working alone, through the example of knowing how a bet will play out in a Las Vegas casino. [25:38] - David lays out the common objections he sees from companies and how you could address them. [27:13] - David lays out one of his favorite techniques for testing, concierge, which he lays out in detail in his book. [30:41] - Brian draws the conversation back to the Agile Manifesto. [31:49] - Brian shares a big thank you to David for joining him on the show. [33:30] - We invite you to subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts. Do you have feedback or a great idea for an episode of the show? Great! Just send us an email. References and resources mentioned in the show: David Bland Precoil Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation by David Bland & Alexander Osterwalder #25 Scaling with Henrik Kniberg Agile Manifesto Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast on Apple Podcasts Mountain Goat Software’s Private Training Mountain Goat Software Certified Scrum and Agile Training Schedule Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Brian Milner is SVP of coaching and training at Mountain Goat Software. He's passionate about making a difference in people's day-to-day work, influenced by his own experience of transitioning to Scrum and seeing improvements in work/life balance, honesty, respect, and the quality of work. David J Bland helps companies such as GE, Toyota, Adobe, HP, and Behr find product market fit using lean startup, design thinking, and business model innovation through his company, Precoil. He is the lead author of Testing Business Ideas with Alexander Osterwalder.

Partho Ghosh is a customer-centered, data-informed product executive and GM who specializes in B2B SaaS, MarTech, product-led growth, and creating measurable product processes that lead to efficient growth and market fit. He is the VP and Product & General Manager at SecurityScoreCard, the global leader in cybersecurity ratings, response, and resilience. He also serves as an advisor for OpenView, through which he advises on product-led growth. Before working at SecurityScoreCard, Partho served as a general manager for Hootsuite. Partho holds a Bachelor's of Business Administration, Business Management from British Columbia Institute of Technology.Partho joins me today to explore the “feature factory” trap and how having a clear product management lifecycle can help avoid it. He emphasizes the importance of future thinking in product management decisions, even when dealing with short-term revenue goals. He outlines his philosophy on product management and the “Build, Measure, Learn” principle. Partho also highlights the value of having a data-informed mindset and offers advice to product managers seeking leadership support. “I've always used ‘feature factory' in a negative connotation, but that might be unfair if you're a scaling start-up. Founders need revenue growth, profitability, and to make ends meet.” - Partho Ghosh This week on Innovation Talks:●     Partho's background as a business analyst, his transition into product management, and diving into B2B SaaS●     The challenges of testing and validating the effectiveness of a free-to-sales motion in the self-serve space●     The importance of future-thinking in product management decisions●     Navigating organizational changes and cultural shifts●     Careers as marathons and the evolving nature of the professional journey●     The need for continuous learning in product management●     Embracing generative AI and how customer expectations around AI have changed●     The transformative nature of technological advancements●     Partho's product development process and lifecycle●     The “Build, Measure, and Learn” philosophy●     The value of rooting decisions in data and why companies need to invest in analytics capabilities●     Experimentation beyond split testing●     Overcoming challenges in measurement and learning●     Allocating resources to data analysis and promoting a data-informed mindset●     The crucial role and challenges of collaboration within a product team Resources Mentioned:●     Miro●     Figma●     Book: Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation (The Strategyzer Series) by David J. Bland and Alexander Osterwalder Connect with Partho Ghosh:●     SecurityScorecard●     SecurityScorecard on LinkedIn●     SecurityScorecard on Instagram●     SecurityScorecard on Facebook●     SecurityScorecard on Twitter●     Partho Ghosh on LinkedIn This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you. For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

Viel zu oft hören wir als Product Owner von Stakeholdern den Satz: "Wir wissen was die Nutzer brauchen". Unsicherheiten, die es in jeder Produktentwicklung gibt, finden nach Sicht von Tim & Oliver viel zu wenig Raum in der täglichen Arbeit und Diskussionen. Grund genug, dass sich die beiden in dieser Podcastfolge mit dem Thema Assumption Mapping beschäftigen. Eine Option, auf die pauschale Aussage der Stakeholder zu reagieren, ist es, eine gedankliche Wette anzubieten - "OK, willst Du wetten?" Was bist Du bereit zu wetten?". Denn ein Problem ist, dass wir viel zu oft in unser Problemverständnis und unsere Lösungsideen verliebt sind. Dazu kommt dann auch der eine oder andere Bias. Haben wir es als Product Owner einmal geschafft, Lust und Verständnis für ein vermehrt experimentelles Vorgehen in unserem Umfeld geschaffen, stellt sich die Frage, mit welcher Annahme wir starten sollten. Daher erklärt Tim in der Folge das Assumption Mapping, welches uns bei der Herausforderung helfen kann. Die von David J. Bland entwickelte Praktik klassifiziert unsere Hypothesen in die Dimensionen Evidenz & Business-Kritikalität. Ziel ist es, in den Modus "Learn - Build - Measure" zu kommen. Tim und Oliver erläutern, wenn wir als Product Owner mit in die Diskussionen rund um das Assumption Mapping einbeziehen sollten. Und welche Vorteile wir als PO daraus ziehen. Wir immer schließt die Folge mit einigen ganz konkreten Tipps & Tricks ab.

Are you looking for ways to feel happier and more fulfilled? We are thrilled to have Yuri Elkaim with us, sharing his vision of a society where people enjoy good health, financial independence, and meaningful work. Listen in to this inspiring episode to know what it's like to live a life with purpose. Key Takeaways From This Episode Tips and practices for the general public on proper nutrition 10 habits that will change your life and grow your business Unconventional ways to becoming the person you're capable of The unpopular truth about the hustle and why it's “blocking” you from getting where you want in life   Resources Mentioned In This Episode The Strong60: Become The Person You're Capable Of Becoming reMarkable 2 Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation by David J. Bland    About Yuri Elkaim Yuri Elkaim is a New York Times bestselling author, former professional athlete, business strategist, and the founder and CEO of Healthpreneur®. His journey into health and business was inevitable. After dealing with a host of health issues as a teenager, he eventually lost all of his hair at 17 years old to an autoimmune condition. This, along with his passion for sports (which led him down the path of playing professional soccer in his early 20s), propelled him into the health and fitness field. Yuri's authentic and caring approach allowed him to build a successful online health empire that went to help more than 500,000 to better health while providing him the platform to write 3 bestselling books and share his message on major media outlets like Dr. Oz and The Doctors. In 2018, he sold this health business after 13 years at the helm.  With Healthpreneur®, he and his world-class team of coaches help health professionals and coaches leverage the internet to turn their expertise into high 6- and 7-figure virtual practices that create transformative results for more people without the grind. Connect with Yuri Website: HealthPreneur Facebook: Yuri Elkaim - Healthpreneur  Instagram: @healthpreneur Youtube: HealthPreneur   Kristel Bauer, the Founder of Live Greatly, is on a mission to help people thrive personally and professionally. She is a corporate wellness expert, Integrative Medicine Fellow, Top Female Keynote Speaker, TEDx speaker & Physician Assistant experienced in Integrative Psychiatry and Functional Medicine.  Follow her on: Instagram: @livegreatly_co Clubhouse: @livegreatly LinkedIn: Kristel Bauer Youtube: Live Greatly, Kristel Bauer To Book Kristel as a speaker for your next event, click here.

Assumptions are often the Achilles heel of any development effort. These are the things we've unintentionally decided are true and unfortunately, far too often, our assumptions are wrong. If you've based the success of the work you are doing on incorrect assumptions… VERYBADTHINGS. But, if they are things we've unintentionally decided are true? How do we find them in the first place? And if we can find them, what do we do about them? This episode is all about understanding the assumptions we are making when we develop new products and services. Precoil Founder David Bland has joined me to talk about why we need to pay attention to assumptions and how to use Assumptions Mapping to determine which of our assumptions present the biggest threat and need to be addressed first. During the interview, we review how to use the Assumptions Mapping approach that is included in Testing Business Ideas, the book David co-wrote with Alexander Osterwalder. Links from the Podcast Testing Business Ideas By David J. Bland and Alexander Osterwalder: https://amzn.to/3I1liYh Strategyzer Virtual Masterclass in May: https://bit.ly/3FXjz4j Contacting David Precoil: https://www.precoil.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidjbland LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjbland/

In this week's episode, Dave Sharrock and Peter Maddison talk about the difficulties in delivering big programs.  In doing so, they cover how to approach them iteratively while acknowledging complexity. This week takeaways:Recognize that planning is neededClassify and prioritize the workIdentify the individual problems.Systems running in parallel.References in this episode:David J. Bland - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44056365-testing-business-ideas?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=fLOAFxYT8B&rank=1We love to hear feedback! If you have questions, would like to propose a topic, or even join us for a conversation, contact us here: feedback@definitelymaybeagile.com 

The seventh topic of the “Coaching Agile Teams” Mini-Series on the Women in Agile Podcast brings you a content-heavy discussion with Lyssa Adkins and our host, Leslie Morse. During this episode they explore five categories of models useful when working with agile teams. Detecting and Seeing Problems Navigating Conflict High Performing Teams Team Development Product Management and Product Ownership You’ll learn how models enable you to see the world differently, can serve when you are emotionally charged, and how they can be a gateway for building a team’s systems intelligence so that they are better equipped to self-organize in different ways. References on Detecting and Seeing Problems: “Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition” Chapter 8: Coach as Problem Solver Team Dynamics Survey BART Analysis Integral Theory / The Integral Model (Ken Wilber) References on Navigating Conflict: The Gottman Institute: The Four Horseman (aka Team Toxins) Five Levels of Conflict  Designed Alliances (Co-Active Coaching) Designed Alliances (InfoQ Article with Michael Spayd  Conflict Dynamics Profile  The Gottman Institute: The Magic Ratio (5:1) Brene Brown: Marble Jar Metaphor  References on High Performing Teams: “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Dan Pink (Autonomy - Mastery - Purpose) The Team Diagnostic Survey (TDSTM)  “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable” by Patrick Lencioni  The High Performance Tree (in “Coaching Agile Teams”)  References on Team Development: Shu, Ha, Ri  “The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization” by Jon R Katzenbach and Douglas K Smith Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model “Dynamic Reteaming: The Art and Wisdom of Changing Teams” by Heidi Helfand Women in Agile Podcast featuring Heidi Helfand: The Art and Wisdom of Changing Teams - Heidi Helfand | 2007  Panarchy Cycle Spiral Dynamics “Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness” by Frederic Laloux  “Spiral Dynamics in Action: Humanity's Master Code” by Don Beck and Teddy Larsen “Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership and Change” by Don Beck and Christopher Cowan References on Product Management and Product Ownership: Ecocycle Planning, Liberating Structures  “User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product” by Jeff Patton “Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation” by Alexander Osterwalder and David J. Bland “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries “Escaping the Build Trap: How Effective Product Management Creates Real Value” by Melissa Perri “Discover to Deliver: Agile Product Planning” by Ellen Gottesdiener and Mary Gorman “Innovation Games: Creating Breakthrough Products Through Collaborative Play” by Luke Hohmann Other References: The Dunning Kruger Effect You can learn more about this series of episodes by visiting www.womeninagile.org/cat.  The Women in Agile community champions inclusion and diversity of thought, regardless of gender, and this podcast is a platform to share new voices and stories with the Agile community and the business world, because we believe that everyone is better off when more, diverse ideas are shared. Podcast Library: www.womeninagile.org/podcast  Women in Agile Org Website: www.womeninagile.org  Connect with us on social media! LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/womeninagile/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/womeninagile/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/womeninagileorg  Please take a moment to rate and review the Women in Agile podcast on your favorite podcasting platform. This is the best way to help us amplify the voices and wisdom of the talent women and allies in our community! Be sure to take a screenshot of your rating and review and post it on social media with the hashtag #womeninagile. This will get you entered to a monthly drawing for a goodie bag of Women In Agile Org swag!   About our Host Leslie Morse is an agilist at heart. She was leveraging agile practices and appreciating agile principles long before she even knew what they were. Her agile journey officially started in 2010 and she never looked back. Her career has taken many twists and turns. She led a digital marketing start-up in college, was involved with replatforming Lowes.com while they adopted agile practices, provided training and coaching for agile transformation across a wide array of industries, and now serves as the Product Owner of Professional Development Solutions for Scrum.org. She is a trained and certified in Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) and has been involved in the Women in Agile movement since its original inception at Scrum Gathering 2013 in Las Vegas. You can connect with Leslie on LinkedIn.

Osoby, które mają dziesiątki lub setki tysięcy obserwatorów w social mediach, mogą zarabiać na współpracach z markami. A czy da się to zrobić, jeśli nie należy się do tej elitarnej grupy? Jak najbardziej! Trzeba tylko podejść do tego we właściwy sposób i przygotować ofertę, która przyciągnie uwagę reklamodawcy.Posłuchaj 347. odcinka MWF i dowiedz się, jak zarabiać na współpracach i przyciągnąć sponsorów, gdy masz bardzo mały zasięg.3:30 Czy musisz mieć dużą społeczność, żeby zarabiać na współpracach?8:49 Jak przyciągnąć reklamodawców zainteresowanych współpracą?10:27 Jak przygotować skuteczną ofertę dla reklamodawcy?14:25 David J. Bland, Alexander Osterwalder „Testowanie pomysłów biznesowych” – recenzja3 rzeczy do zrobienia po wysłuchaniu tego podcastu:- Zastanów się, jacy reklamodawcy mogliby być zainteresowani współpracą z tobą. Staraj się być precyzyjny – nie chodzi o to, żeby ta lista była jak najdłuższa, tylko o to, żeby była konkretna.- Rozejrzyj się wśród odbiorców swoich treści – być może znajdą się tam osoby lub firmy, które chciałyby z tobą współpracować. Już cię znają, więc łatwiej wam będzie się dogadać.- Przygotuj ofertę skrojoną pod konkretnego klienta. Najlepiej, żeby prezentowała ona próbkę twoich możliwości, czyli tego, co możesz zrobić dla danej firmy w ramach waszej współpracy.Polecana książka: David J. Bland, Alexander Osterwalder „Testowanie pomysłów biznesowych” https://onepress.pl/view/54826/tepobi.htm Wszystkie linki oraz wersję do oglądania i czytania, a także prezent do pobrania znajdziesz na: https://malawielkafirma.pl/jak-zarabiac-na-wspolpracach/Dołącz za darmo do Klubu MWF: https://malawielkafirma.pl/rejestracja/ Posłuchaj też tych odcinków:269: Jak zostać influencerem https://malawielkafirma.pl/jak-zostac-influencerem/ 320: Jak zdobywać prestiżowych klientów https://malawielkafirma.pl/jak-zdobywac-prestizowych-klientow/ 273: Współpraca z influencerami https://malawielkafirma.pl/wspolpraca-z-influencerami/ Daj znać* O czym chciałbyś posłuchać w MWF?* Czy podobał ci się ten odcinek? Jeżeli tak, zostaw recenzję!Bądźmy w kontakcie:Facebook: https://facebook.com/malawielkafirmaInstagram: https://instagram.com/malawielkafirmaYouTube: https://youtube.com/malawielkafirma

I have a fantastic conversation for you all on today’s episode of Enterprise Product Leadership! I am joined by David Bland, an experienced Product Consultant and best-selling author of the book, Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation.   Product leadership is all about reducing the risk of building the wrong product. That’s why testing business ideas is a critical skill that every product team should have. In this episode, David and I dive into the importance of validating your product and business ideas and the best practices on how to do this. We also discuss the role of the Product Leader in building a culture for testing business ideas as the norm, not the exception.   Episode Details: How to Test Business Ideas with David Bland: “What I’ve noticed over time [is that corporations] … get frustrated. They’re like, ‘I’m telling people to experiment and they’re not doing it and I don’t know why.’ … Quite often, it’s [the] actual processes and procedures they hit up against [that] prevent them from doing the thing they want to do.” — David Bland   About David Bland: David J. Bland is a founder, author, speaker, and advisor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. David helps companies find product-market fit and growth using lean startup, design thinking, and business model innovation. In 2015, David created Precoil to help companies validate new products and services. He's worked with companies such as GE, Adobe, Toyota, HP, Behr, and others all around the world. Prior to Precoil, David was a Principal at both Neo and BigVisible. He continues to give back to the startup community by teaching at several startup accelerators in Silicon Valley.   Topics We Discuss in this Episode: David Bland’s career journey with career-scaling and advising corporations About his 2019 book in collaboration with Alexander Osterwalder, Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation The main concepts discussed in the book The “Desirability, Feasibility, Viability” framework, why it is important, examples, and best practices for experimentation Stories, tips, and advice on how to approach internal challenges as an organization How to approach new business ideas, identify the barriers, facilitate conversations, and prioritize How teams and leadership can more effectively work together in implementing new initiatives, experimentation, and removing hurdles Tips for product teams and Product Leaders The role of the Product Leader The importance of having a repeatable process How to start the conversation around rapid experimentation and innovation   Product Leader Tip of the Week: The business model and the product need each other. You can’t have an amazing product and a terrible business model or have an amazing business model with a terrible product. Include the business early on in the conversation and test your way through together.   To Learn More About David Bland: David Bland’s LinkedIn David Bland’s Twitter Precoil.com   Related Resources: Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation, by David J. Bland and Alexander Osterwalder Alexander Osterwalder’s Books Stanford d.school Lean UX: Designing Great Products with Agile Teams, by Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden The Startup Way: How Modern Companies Use Entrepreneurial Management to Transform Culture and Drive Long-Term Growth, by Eric Ries   Want to Learn More? Sign up for my newsletter at DanielElizalda.com/Join for weekly advice and best practices directly to your inbox! Visit DanielElizalda.com/Podcast for additional information, show notes, and episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you don’t miss out on any of my conversations with product and thought leaders!

Gabriele Romagnoli is Passionate about innovation and technology that help digital businesses grow. He is on an endless quest to show how immersive technologies like 3D, VR, and AR can provide value to users, companies, and investors. He is presently working as XR Coach at GR Talk, and International Business Developer at Binkies 3D and previously worked at various organizations like VR/AR Association, Johnson & Johnson, BaseClear BV Leiden, & Queen's Medical Center. He is also a Keynote speaker on numerous occasions like AWE2019, VRdays, and Glue.work. On this episode, Gabriele shares his insights on creating for immersive experiences and discuss on few strategies. Also, he spoke on the future of Immersive Experience Design and how designers can leverage it and shared few details on how to narrate a story as the storytelling play a preeminent role in creating everlasting experiences. Takeaways: What are immersive technologies, Strategies that help you create immersive experiences? How storytelling affects the immersion you are making. Books recommended by Gabriele Romagnoli Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It - Chris Voss Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation - David J. Bland This Is Service Design Doing: Applying Service Design Thinking in the Real World - Marc Stickdorn Thank you for listening to this episode of Nodes of Design. We hope you are enjoying the Nodes of Design Podcast on your favorite podcast platforms- Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts. If this episode helped you to understand and learn something new, please share and rate us and be a part of the knowledge-sharing community #Spreadknowledge. This podcast aims to make design education accessible to all, as knowledge shouldn't hide behind paywalls. Nodes of Design is a non-profit and self-sponsored initiative by Tejj.

In this episode, Dan Neumann is excited to be joined by special guest, Felipe Castro! Felipe is an expert on OKRs or Objectives and Key Results. He is an OKR trainer, speaker, and author who helps organizations transform how they use goals by adopting OKR! He has even created his own OKR tool called the OKR Cycle which is a simple method to avoid OKR’s most common pitfalls.   As a master of all things OKR, Felipe Castro is here to speak about — you’ve got it — all things OKR! He goes over what OKRs are; important aspects you should consider; tips and advice regarding them; common mistakes, misunderstandings, and pitfalls; and how to overcome them.   Key Takeaways What are OKRs? Stands for Objectives and Key Results An Agile approach to setting goals and creating alignment OKRs are about the outcome you want to achieve A framework for defining and tracking objectives and their outcomes Focuses on outcome-based planning as opposed to tracking tasks and activities Instead of giving the teams a feature to build, you are giving them a problem to solve or an opportunity to tackle Important aspects of an OKR: The objective should be memorable, compelling, motivating, and inspiring The ‘why’ comes from leadership and the team figures out the ‘what’ together Asking ‘so what?’ can help your team create better key results Give your engineers autonomy to solve problems Psychological safety is crucial for fostering an environment for high-performance teams Felipe’s OKR tips and advice: Start with targets that are regular goals (hard, but achievable) Don’t copy another company’s method around OKR — adopting OKR is a journey that will be different for every company Adapt the principles of OKRs for your specific context You need to unlearn, adapt, and evolve — especially if you come from an Agile background Common OKR mistakes, misunderstandings, and pitfalls: Treating it as a glorified to-do list Using OKRs as a copy of Jira (which doesn’t add any value) Seeing the role of engineers as assisting only with the coding rather than problem-solving That the sweet spot for achieving a target is 70% (which has zero science behind it)   Mentioned in this Episode: Felipe Castro The Beginner’s Guide to OKR, by Felipe Castro SVPG (Silicon Valley Product Group) INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love, by Marty Cagan McKinsey’s Three Horizons Model Doc Norton “How Can You Test Business Ideas? Interview with David J. Bland,” by Felipe Castro Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs, by John Doerr   Felipe Castro’s Book Picks: Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation, by David J. Bland and Alexander Osterwalder Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments: A Practical Guide to A/B Testing, by Ron Kohavi, Diane Tang, and Ya Xu   Want to Learn More or Get in Touch? Visit the website and catch up with all the episodes on AgileThought.com! Email your thoughts or suggestions to Podcast@AgileThought.com or Tweet @AgileThought using #AgileThoughtPodcast!

Alex Osterwalder of Strategyzer joins Nick to discuss The Ultimate Testing Framework. In this episode, we cover: Take me back and talk through the origin of the business model canvas? Just to refresh listeners can you provide a high-level overview of the business model canvas and how it's used? Let's chat about your new book, Testing Business Ideas, co-authored with David J. Bland... Why'd you right the book? Who is the target audience? If I'm the reader, what outcome can I achieve after reading this book and applying it's principles? What are the four phases outlined in the book? Walk us through the objective and key elements of the testing phase. A significant focus is the elimination of risks?  How does one systematically reduce or remove risks from their business? We recently had Leo Polovets on the program and discussed the challenge of balancing testing with executing.  I think it can be difficult to know when something is working well enough that you should stop testing and move forward quickly in that direction.  What's your guidance here? How does one avoid getting too caught up in rigid frameworks and checking boxes vs. finding that key insight that warrants 90+% of their attention? To listen more, please visit http://fullratchet.net/podcast-episodes/ for all of our other episodes. Also, follow us on twitter @TheFullRatchet for updates and more information.

Testing Business Ideas with David J. Bland David Bland’s work includes the product death cycle, a classic anti-pattern innovators and entrepreneurs fall into when trying to create a new product. He highlights that building what customers say they want is not the way to be successful; instead, ideas need to be tested to see what they need to succeed. In this week’s show, Barry O’Reilly and David discuss his new  book, Testing Business Ideas: A Field Guide for Rapid Experimentation, including what it takes to do experimentation right. Stick To Your Vision or Walk Away? “It doesn’t matter how beautiful something looks, or who you think your customer is, if they don’t want it they don’t want it.” His early experience in a financial services startup taught David this valuable lesson. He says that at some point you have to decide whether to stick to your vision and pivot to another segment, or walk away. Having the market reject your hard work is humbling because you personally attach yourself to what you’re creating. However, David comments that the way to move forward is to listen to the data. Being Open To Being Wrong Your vision may need to be tweaked in some way for you to be successful, David says. As such, leaders should adopt the mindset that they’re testing their vision against reality and that they might be wrong. Unlearning Ideas About Experimentation Barry asks David to comment on what organizations need to unlearn about experimentation. David responds that much of it boils down to leadership mindset. People usually become leaders because they are experts in some area and have proven that they can produce results. It’s an ego-driven path, David says. If you’re not careful, you can become a CEO who still thinks that it’s all about you. Building a culture of experimentation means however, that you have to create more leaders around you. Barry adds that so many leaders are used to managing to output-based measures of success. Asking them to measure outcomes seems an alien concept, so they are resistant to the idea. David says funding is another area organizations need to unlearn. He contrasts the traditional method of annual budgeting for projects with the concept of internal VC funding, and explains why the latter is better suited to experimentation. Big Leadership Questions Technology is changing the world so quickly that organizations need to be able to adapt. The static business model that can run for years without change cannot survive in today’s market and economy, David comments. A very important question leaders need to consider is, What would happen if a startup is created today that would make us obsolete?  Barry adds that another question leaders should ask is, What would stop us investing in this idea? It’s not enough to optimize only for the happy path; pairing it with metrics that tell you when to kill an initiative creates a clearer picture of what success would look like. Start Manually David shares the story of an SMS dating app to illustrate that you can use manual processes to test the validity of a business idea without building sophisticated features. You can use what you learn to find a strategy or automate a process to scale. It also de-risks the process, Barry comments, as you find out if anyone cares about your product, if anyone would use it, and if you should build it. Starting manually makes for safe experimentation since you’re only investing your time, but you learn so much. Looking Ahead David hopes to influence change in funding startups, as he believes that it should be based on evidence rather than emotion. Resources Testing Business Ideas book David Bland on Twitter

David J. Bland is a co-author of the newly published “Testing Business Ideas,” and founder of Precoil where he helps companies find product-market fit using lean startup, design thinking and business model innovation practices.   Bland walks us through the book which is a field guide for rapid experimentation in order to reduce risk and increase the likelihood of success for any new venture or business project. In addition to experimentation, the publication also tackles team design from three different angles:  Configuration of cross-functional teams  Team behaviors such as questioning assumptions and entrepreneurial spirit  Environment the leaders need to provide for teams to live within  Bland also makes his prediction for where the separate disciplines of Agile, Lean Startup, Design Thinking, Business Model, Lean UX and others: “This is all part of a system and we need to figure out how it all relates instead of adopting it all in isolation within an org. I still think systems thinking is eventually going to come back in a more consumable way.”  Accenture | SolutionsIQ’s Leslie Morse hosts.  The Agile Amped podcast is the shared voice of the Agile community, driven by compelling stories, passionate people, and innovative ideas. Together, we are advancing the impact of business agility. Podcast library: www.agileamped.com Connect with us on social media!  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agileamped/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solutionsiq/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgileAmped

Episode 14 of the Modern Agile Show features an interview with David J Bland, CEO and Founder of Precoil. We discuss optimizing for learning, how your customer determines what is viable in an MVP, how David helps companies experiment and learn rapidly and safely and what is assumption mapping.

David J. Bland's session "Introduction to Assumption Mapping" walked participants through how to "facilitate a conversation with your team and enable them to focus on what matters". Some of the questions the team can tackle: 1. Does anybody want this? 2. Do we have any viability risks? 3. Can we feasibly built it? Then the team maps the answers. The goal is to elucidate the gaps in understanding of the problem space and the associated risks. Assumption mapping allows you to clear the air so they can talk about the problem openly and decide where to focus their efforts. SolutionsIQ's Alan Dayley hosts at Agile2016 in Atlanta, GA. About Agile Amped The Agile Amped podcast series connects the community through compelling stories, passionate people, shared knowledge, and innovative ideas. Fueled by inspiring conversations with industry thoughtleaders, Agile Amped offers valuable content – anytime, anywhere. To receive real-time updates, subscribe at YouTube, iTunes or SolutionsIQ.com. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/SIQYouTube, http://bit.ly/SIQiTunes, http://www.solutionsiq.com/agile-amped/ Follow: http://bit.ly/SIQTwitter  Like: http://bit.ly/SIQFacebook

For a special holiday episode of the podcast, we go back into the vault of 2015 episodes to find some never-before-aired innovation advice. Tune in to hear fresh takes from David J. Bland of Neo Innovate, author David Burkus of Oral Roberts University, Scott Anthony of Insight, and Mitch Ditkoff of Idea Champions. David J. Bland, a pioneer in the Lean Startup movement, shares advice on what to do when testing results come back mixed or inconclusive. David Burkus, author of The Myths of Creativity, talks about why we're hard-wired to understand life through the power of story and why that can be a problem in the business world. Scott Anthony shares an anecdote about the Manila Water partnership and how it's an example of an organization using a Minimum Viable Innovation System to great effect. Mitch Ditkoff tells a story meant to illustrate the importance of taking the road less traveled. We'll also share just a few examples of things that can go wrong during the course of recording an episode, with hiccups on recordings with Nir Eyal, Greg Bandeau, and Mitch Ditkoff. Last but not least, we put a bow on the episode with a reading of the email from November 2013 that launched The Innovation Engine podcast.

Innovation, innovation, innovation. It's all you hear in meetings and all you read about in business books and magazines. The confusing aspect behind all of the innovation hype is that we rarely put thought behind how we design environments for which innovation can emerge. I've found that rarely does meaningful innovation occur when people are directly incentivized or tasked with doing so. The best you can do as a leader, is empower your people and design an environment where innovation can emerge.

David Bland, Principal Advisor at Neo Innovation, Inc. And Author, Discusses How Large Corporations Are Adopting Lean Product Development To Build Products That Matter The principles put forth in Eric Ries' Lean Startup aren't just for startups. Lean startup practices can and do work in the enterprise too. David J. Bland discusses what lean startup in the enterprise is, how it works, and how agile principles and practices can help you quickly test and validate your hypotheses and gather customer feedback to build better products. David Bland helps organizations change how they create and deliver value. He's advised teams responsible for millions of dollars of revenue to embrace the shift from "can we build it" to "should we build it". When he's not advising Silicon Valley Startups and the Fortune 500, David can be found speaking, writing and leading workshops on lean startup, business model generation and customer development. David is author of the upcoming business novel, Minimum Viable Inc. Resources:  http://bit.ly/1dtLALv New from Startup Product Academy: Daily, Curated educational webcasts, webinars and free online events for your continuous learning. http://startupproduct.com/webcasts Show your love for the Global Product Management Talk! Donate support:http://bit.ly/1jxkn08