The 45th Edition - On the Death of the Lean Startup, Annual Planning Jokes and the Logic of the Chain
The 45th Edition - On the Death of the Lean Startup, Annual Planning Jokes and the Logic of the Chain
Did you know that making a legacy product into a multiplayer product is extremely hard?
Did you know that making a legacy product into a multiplayer product is extremely hard? Multi-user applications can't use files. A file only changes when a user opens it, but a collaborative multi-user application must be editable at any time, so it resides on a server and is accessed over the network. Any file outside the system becomes obsolete. Read more on this in this brilliant thread about Adobe purchasing Figma for 20B.
Read: Lean Startup Is Dead
Bold article from Reforge that argues that “The Lean Startup” methods are done, and that there is a new way.
Key point: thinking bigger + focusing on distribution from day 1.
“Focusing on distribution” should be on the mind of every PM and leader.
Distribution validates value and viability at once (and feasibility indirectly, since you must make what you distribute). By incorporating distribution into your product plans early, you create an actual product.
Most people think “I’m going to solve this problem, and then people will use it.” (It’s better than “build it and they will come”, which might even exclude a real problem.)
Noble, but misguided.
BONUS: Here’s another quick note on how thinking that you need to start with the problem to come up with a solution is also neat, but can be misguided (for new things especially).
Watch: It’s All About Product
“The Wire” is one of the best shows on TV.
Idris Elba's Stringer Bell explains the new strategy to his troops.
Bodie’s strategy is basically “f*ck around and find out”, and Stringer dismisses it, and explains how the quality of their product is what underpins their strategy.
The troops don’t get it - they can’t shift their mind to a world where they don’t stand on corners slanging dope. Stringer gets mad at them.
This happens in the corporate world, maybe with fewer swear words.
Remember
“Never underestimate the power of the simple stack rank. Hardest and clearest method.” - Maggie Crowley
‘Manager: “do you have any questions?”
Leader: “what questions do you have?”’ - Maxim Leyzerovich
Consider
Lvl1: Judging
Lvl2: Gossiping
Lvl3: Giving feedback
Lvl4: Giving deep feedback
Lvl5: Collaborating
Lvl6: Driving
Lvl7: Owning
Annual Planning Jokes from John Cutler: John first pokes fun at annual planning with his “Not-So-Serious Guide”.
Then he dropped this tweet… Damn, this hurts.
The Logic Of The Chain1: Chain-link logic limits a system's performance to its weakest "link." When one link is weak, strengthening the others doesn't help. If one of the stronger "links" is made stronger, overall performance may not improve.
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