THE AGILE STARTUP OPERATIONS - DONNA KUNDE

Donna Kunde - “Loving the Journey”

​Introduction
Such exciting times here in the global studios of IBGR.Network! We have officially launched our third season of programming and are bringing your world class business owners from nine countries sharing strategies and insights at every stage of business growth. Look for new and updated programming, services and tools to help your go from here to there on your own business growth journey!

The station’s theme for Season 3: Many Countries, One Language - BUSINESS.

WHY?

5% of the world population employs 57%. Let’s turn that into numbers - 375 million entrepreneurs employee 1.9 billion people. We have the most significant community in the world, the facts don’t lie.

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Show Objectives
We are combining 2 similar but different approaches to running a business. Agile is based on increasing speed where you trade some margin for quickness. Lean is based on decreasing cost or increasing margin where you trade speed for profitability. Neither of these are right or wrong answers - it is a matter of which fits the current environment.

3 Key Issues:

1. What does agile startup mean?
2. What does a lean startup mean?
3. How does it combine with lean?

What You Need to Know
What is an Agile Startup?

• Focus on a Narrow Objective - agile allows for scope creep because you don't have all of the answers at the start, but you cannot let the objective expand - just the details;
• Act with Urgency - you don't have much time between concept and selling, get your business open in the least amount of time possible without comprising due diligence;
• Keep everything Small - number of people on a team, duration of that team, what you are trying to accomplish at each step.

What is a Lean Startup?

• Have a Process - create a product development process first;
• Work Smarter - the critical question is not "can this product/service be built at the required price point?", rather (1) "should it be built at all?" and (2) "can we build a sustainable business around it?";
• Develop the Minimal Product (Service) Possible - identify the customer problem that needs solving and then build the minimal product (service) possible, get it into customers hands and learn the upgrades from usage;
• Build>Measure>Learn - validate the minimal product/service or upgrade.

What You Need to Do
Agilean

1. Know it. Required Processes - (1) Problem Solving & Decision Making, (2) Teamwork
2. Build it. Specifications for Minimal Product (Service) - keep the output tight but allow for scope creep in the individual sprints.
3. Time it. Go Small Over Short Periods - accept the concept you don't know what you don't know at the start and will learn it by the conclusion of this step.
4. Manage it. Manage the Process by Facilitating the Teams - control comes from the group using the same problem solving and decision making tools.

Shows

• ​Previous: EPISODE O2.01.3 OVERVIEW OF Season 3 OPERATIONS 
• Next: EPISODE O2.03.3 Stage II Operational Plan and Sprints 

Donna Kunde is the Sales, Marketing & Service Manager @IBGR and author of "Loving the Journey"

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