How to use both qualitative and quantitative measures to ensure that your product is solving the right problem How to optimize and streamline the way your team designs, builds, and deploys software to your customers How to beat the competition in strategy and execution.

1. StartupPatterns
GettingtoproductMarketfit
Sam McAfee - August 24, 2017

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Agenda
• Quick Intro
• Solving the Right Problem
• Building Your Product Quickly
• Which Metrics
• Dealing With Competition
• Special offer

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AboutMe
• 18 years in Silicon Valley
• Early user of Agile and Lean Startup.
• Worked on 6 startups (VPE, CTO etc.)
• Coached dozens of digital product
teams in enterprise + startups
• Wrote a book: “Startup Patterns”

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Product-marketFit

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AchievingProduct-MarketFit
1. Solve a really painful problem for a real customer.
2. Do it as fast as possible.
3. Make it difficult for anyone to catch up with you.

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SolvingtherightProblem

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SolvingtheRightProblem:CustomerPersonas
• Use paper and sharpies.
• Always include a sketch.
• Demographics should inform
behaviors.
• Behaviors should inform problems.
• Don’t model real people.

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SolvingtheRightProblem:ProblemInterviews
• Validate your assumptions about
what problems they have
• Don’t talk about solution
• Listen more than talk
• Pair, so one of you can take notes
• Ask how they currently solve the
problem

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SolvingTheRightProblem:SolutionTESTs
• Do separately from problem interviews. They test different things!
• Lowest fidelity solution first. Start with your voice, then paper, then
maybe software.
• Don’t show how to use your solution. Observe and listen.

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ProductMarketFit
1. Solve the right problem √
Customer personas √
Problem Interviews √
Solution Tests √

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BuildingProductsQuickly

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BuildingProductsQuickly
• Define the work
• Make work visible
• Cross-functional, co-located, dedicated teams

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BuildProductsQuickly:DefinetheWork
• User-centered
• Simple format.
• With low-fidelity visuals.
• Definition of “done”.

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BuildProductsQuickly:VisualizeTheWork
• Make all the work visible.
• Limit work-in-progress.
• Measure cycle time.

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BuildProductsQuickly:TeamStructure
• Cross-functional - Design, product,
and engineering work together
• Co-located - Distance increases
communication costs exponentially
• Dedicated - Don’t assign people to
more than one project at a time

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ProductMarketFit
1. Solve the right problem √
2. Building products quickly √
Define the work √
Make work visible √
Cross-functional, co-located, dedicated teams √

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WhichMetrics

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WhichMetrics
• Combine “Pirate Metrics” (AARRR)
with Lean Analytics phases
• Empathy: acquisition, activation
• Stickiness: retention
• Growth: referral
• Always: revenue! image credit: @davidjbland

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ProductMarketFit
1. Solve the right problem √
2. Building products quickly √
3. Which metrics √
Pirate + Lean Analytics phases √

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Competition

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DealingwithCompetition
• Separate potential partners
from direct competitors.
• Focus on your strengths for
clear differentiation.
• Understand what features are
necessary vs “nice to have”

22. StartupPatterns
ProductMarketFit
1. Solve the right problem √
2. Building products quickly √
3. Which Metrics √
4. Dealing with the competition √

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Thanks!