For entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and other innovators there is lots of material out there and little time to digest it, let alone act on it. The Venture Design framework offers systematic process that helps you focus on the right things at the right time, leveraging the best of what’s out there in modern practices like design thinking and Lean Startup.
1. Personas
It’s also the quickest way to improve the quality of your idea or make an informed pivot to an even better idea.
WHAT? : humanized descriptions of your customer.
WHEN? : whenever you talk how to create product or promotion.
WHY? : avoid creating stuff for a customer that doesn’t exist.
(Examples : http://www.alexandercowan.com/tutorial-personas-problem-scenarios-user-stories/#RefERENCE_A_EXAMPLE_PERSONAs)
2. Problem Scenarios & Alternatives
It’s important you understand those alternatives- your proposition will need to be better.
WHAT? : testable definitions of desires, jobs to be done.
WHEN? : whenever you need to know why customers would care.
WHY? : if no one cares, no one buys.
(Examples : http://www.alexandercowan.com/tutorial-personas-problem-scenarios-user-stories/#examples)
3. Value Propositions, Assumptions & Experiments
Keeping the venture focused on this in the early days will save you lot of money and grief.
WHAT? : testable definitions of the value you’re creating.
WHEN? : before you invest time in building things.
WHY? : to avoid building something no one wants.
(Examples : http://www.alexandercowan.com/creating-a-lean-startup-style-assumption-set/#Reference_Example_Lean_Startup-Style_Assumptions)
4. Customer Discovery & Experiments
Don’t worry- the tools here will get you started and I think you’ll find the work is both easier and more valuable than you might have thought.
WHAT? : scientific testing of your concepts.
WHEN? : on most major decisions about what to build or how to sell it.
WHY? : know you’re right (or wrong) and stay focused on getting better.
(Examples : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M7UGO-XymKBNfFvqIjeWdABO7z1f4JOaje_VjCOi4ss/edit#bookmark=id.r8p8xg6dsq7x)
5. User Stories & Prototypes
The User Stories make for a great transition point and the practice or prototyping will help you think through what you ‘really’ had in mind.
WHAT? : verbal and physical narratives to describe your ideas for implementation.
WHEN? : whenever you discuss what to build and how you’ll know if it’s working.
WHY? : so your implementation colleagues know what you’re talking about.
(Examples — User Stories : http://www.alexandercowan.com/best-agile-user-story/#Example_Agile_User_Stories)
(Examples — Prototyping : http://www.alexandercowan.com/build-your-first-prototype-in-30-minutes/#Making_Interactive_Prototypes)
6. Product & Promotion
It’s something that every company and every product can use to improve the consistency of their user experiences and the focus of their execution.
WHAT? : tools for making your product better.
WHEN? : I would say these are applicable to any product if the tool is new to you.
WHY? : keep making your product and your approach to working it better.
Managing with Agile
Agile is evolving into a vehicle for applied innovation at the team level, particularly for anything digital.
WHAT? : methodology for innovation.
WHEN? : when you’re looking for a way to organize the work.
WHY? : don’t get overwhelmed- get going (and keep going).
Business Model Generation
This material will help you get started with the Business Model Canvas, a simple one-page tool for designing and discussing business models.
WHAT? A tool for describing and discussing business models.
WHEN? Whenever a discussion of strategy and business model matters.
WHY? Be explicit, but don’t get bogged down in extraneous detail.
(Example : https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wObawm1l49FPdEDcPX65WrujmYvvy0el2HgmarmJS2M/edit#slide=id.g387605415_19)
