I’ll never forget the week of March 9, 2020. For us, that was the week that everything changed. In that week, we cancelled all of our face-to-face workshops for 2020. I also agreed to facilitate my own first virtual Kickoff Event. The workshops are central to our ability to build enough working knowledge about Rapid […]
Decision-Making in a Pandemic: Lessons from Rapid Learning Cycles
In early March of 2020, I had to send out final notices postponing all the Rapid Learning Cycles Program Manager workshops we had on the calendar for spring — a scary thing, since this is our primary source of revenue. This was definitely a Key Decision for us — high impact and high unknown, with […]
The Unknown Unknowns: Risk for Rapid Learning Cycle Projects
Product development is inherently risky, and the most heavily-prized new product development – the product that will open up a new market or create a new category – is the most risky of all. In fact, only in the most mature markets can product developers operate with near-certainty that their products will succeed on the market. The chance of failure is a part of life as a product developer, and new product development requires people who have high tolerance for the unknown.
Knowledge Gaps: The “Known Unknowns” In Your Innovation Program
I live in the Pacific Northwest, the home of Starbucks and many small craft coffee roasters. I like my coffee strong and dark. When I travel, I bring my own coffee and mini coffee maker so that I can enjoy my first cup of the morning just the way that I like it. Yet this […]
The Path Through the Wilderness
The Elements of Project Management for Rapid Learning Cycles
Teams adopting the Rapid Learning Cycles framework for the first time often stumble over the basics of how to manage a program that has such an unconventional structure. Rapid Learning Cycles are, by definition, fast and cyclical. I’ve written elsewhere about how traditional project management tools, like Gantt charts are not designed to handle programs […]