The Sprint Method

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TODAY’S READ

What it’s about

Sprint by Jake Knapp provides a unique five-day process for solving significant problems and testing new ideas. Developed at Google, this method, known as the “sprint,” enables teams to focus, collaborate, and make decisions quickly. The process begins with a big question and concludes with a prototype that has been tested with target users. The book emphasizes the importance of assembling a diverse team, clearing the team’s calendar for five days, and having a concrete prototype as the result of the sprint. It’s not intended for brainstorming new ideas, but for refining and shaping existing ones. The book also includes various case studies demonstrating the application of this method. It offers a unique approach to tackling business challenges through design, prototyping, and testing. Get the book here.

TAKEAWAYS

1. Design Sprint Process: The Design Sprint is a five-day process for solving problems and testing new ideas. Each day of the sprint has a specific focus:

   • Monday: Map out the problem and choose an important area to focus.

   • Tuesday: Sketch competing solutions.

   • Wednesday: Make decisions and turn your ideas into a testable hypothesis.

   • Thursday: Build a realistic prototype.

   • Friday: Test the prototype with real users. This process allows teams to fast-forward into the future to see how customers react before investing a lot of time and resources.

2. Problem Definition: Before jumping into solutions, it’s crucial to define a clear problem statement. The wrong problem definition can lead to wasted time and resources. It’s important to understand the problem and its impact before attempting to solve it.

3. Diverse Team: A diverse team brings different ideas and approaches to the problem, leading to more creative and effective solutions. The team should include people with different skills and perspectives, including designers, developers, product managers, and others.

4. Set Goals: The team should focus on the goal of the sprint and avoid getting sidetracked by other tasks or distractions. The goal should embody the values and ambitions of the entire team.

5. Decider and Facilitator: The Decider is the official decision-maker who has the authority to make decisions and keep the sprint on track. The Facilitator is responsible for maintaining the team organized and focused. They encourage participation and collaboration, and ensure that the team is making decisions based on data and evidence, rather than personal opinions or biases.

6. Iterative Process: Like design thinking, the Design Sprint is an iterative process. This involves creating many versions of the same idea and improving your idea using the information you gain from each iteration.

7. Testable Prototype: Using the Design Sprint process, you can build and test prototype products within a five-day work week. This helps you determine your idea’s viability quickly and cheaply.

8. Efficiency and Productivity: The Design Sprint is an efficient and productive way to solve real-world problems and make your workdays more meaningful. It allows you to fast-forward into the future to figure out if an idea would work, and what are the risks and challenges you must address for it to work.