Sprint

The method is called How Might We.

In his book Getting Things Done, Allen provides a smart strategy for daunting jobs. The secret, Allen writes, is not to think about the task as one monolithic effort (like “Pay taxes”), but instead to find the first small action needed to make progress (like “Collect tax paperwork”) and go from there.

The four-step sketch contains each of these important elements. You’ll start with twenty minutes to “boot up” by taking notes on the goals, opportunities, and inspiration you’ve collected around the room. Then you’ll have another twenty minutes to write down rough ideas. Next, it’s time to limber up and explore alternative ideas with a rapid sketch

Monday’s structured discussions create a path for the sprint week. In the morning, you’ll start at the end and agree to a long-term goal. Next, you’ll make a map of the challenge. In the afternoon, you’ll ask the experts at your company to share what they know. Finally, you’ll pick a target: an ambitious but manageable piece of the problem that you

No problem is too large for a sprint. Yes, this statement sounds absurd, but there are two big reasons why it’s true. First, the sprint forces your team to focus on the most pressing questions. Second, the sprint allows you to learn from just the surface of a finished product.

The Decider needs to choose one target customer and one target event on the map.

So Nielsen analyzed eighty-three of his own product studies.fn2 He plotted how many problems were discovered after ten interviews, twenty interviews, and so on. The results were both consistent and surprising: 85 percent of the problems were observed after just five people.

We like to take a ten-minute break every sixty to ninety minutes, since that’s about as long as anyone can stay focused on one task or exercise.

First, the team cleared a full week on their calendars.

Michael’s advice to avoid leading questions comes down to just two rules: DON’T ask multiple choice or “yes/no” questions. (“Would you . . .?” “Do you . . .?” “Is it . . .?”) DO ask “Five Ws and One H” questions. (“Who . . .?” “What . . .?” “Where . . .?” “When . . .?” “Why . . .?” “How . . .?”)