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Lean Startup - I Have a Cunning Plan + CHEAT SHEET

Episode 84 - 10 May 2017

A couple of things I've been pondering for some time:

  • The idea of creating a COURSE of some kind, and
  • The wish to learn more about LEAN. That's Lean as in "The Lean Start-up".

I may have found a way to do both... but I'm going to need your help. Are you up for the challenge?

And don't leave without grabbing a copy of The Lean Startup Cheat Sheet

Welcome to Development That Pays. My name is Gary Straughan

If you're here for the first time, it would be great if you'd consider subscribing. We do an episode like this every week.

Actually. Not like this.

This one is going to be a bit different.

I've had a few thoughts bouncing around in my head. And I’d like like to share them with you.

I've been thinking about LEAN. More than thinking. Reading. I finally got around to reading the Eric Ries’ book The Lean Startup.

We've touched on Lean once or twice: Minimum Viable Product has cropped up on a few occasions.

And I’d like to do more.

But I've hesitated. Mainly because I don't have that much hands-on experience of Lean.

The other thing I've been thinking about - something I've been thinking about for the best part of year - is the idea of putting together a course of some kind.

There'd be loads of shiny new videos. Maybe even a clutch of Cheat Sheets. (You know I like my Cheat Sheets.)

Of course, it's just a pipe dream.

There's no way I have the time to put a thing like this together.

It's a non-starter. Forget it. There's no time for it.

Completely out of the question.

Two for the price of one?

What took me the longest time to spot - but you can probably see immediately - is that a way forward is staring me in the face.

What if I could create a course in a Lean way?

Not only would I get a course, I’d also get some practical experience of “doing Lean”.

There's another set of synergies here. Involving you. Yes you!

It doesn't seem like 5 minutes since things were really quiet around here. Now it's much more lively.

Do you know that the number of subscribers to this channel has more than doubled in the last three months? Loads of interesting - and knowledgeable - comments and discussion.

There's a lot of knowledge out there that I'd love to tap in to.

I'd like to involve you in the process of “creating-a-course-in-a-lean-way”. And in return... I'll share the entire process with you.

I think it could work really, really well. Or the whole thing might fall on its face.

Either way it'll be entertaining.

The plan

Right, let's give this some structure.

I'm going to create a course. Not the “big assed” course that I've spent the last year imagining. But a “small-ass” course.

Probably a 5-day mini-course.

Subject?

Let's start as we mean to go on and do it on the basis of some data; here are my YouTube top keywords for the last 90 days:

  • Kanban
  • Scrum vs Kanban
  • Kanban vs Scrum
  • Scrum

I think a course about Kanban and Scrum might be a good idea, don't you?

And I already have a bunch of content on Scum and Kanban that could be re-purposed...

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

5 day mini-course. Scrum and Kanban. Those are the constraints.

And now, I'm now turning it over to you. What's my first move?

Let me know in the comments below.

Remember, I'm looking for a "Lean" first move. A Minimum Viable Product, perhaps?

If you're not familiar with MVPs. - or if you need some inspiration - then check-out the episode on my 3 favourite MVPs. Then come back here and let me know your suggestion for my first move.

If you think that more information is needed in order to decide the first move, ask a question in the comments and I'll do my best to respond.

Really looking forward to reading your comments; I can't wait to see where this leads us