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This week, Dan is joined by Gabriela Corr\xeaa!

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For the last three years, Gabriela Corr\xeaa has served as an Agile Coach and Project Manager at BRQ Digital Solutions. Most recently, she has transitioned into the new role of Digital Solutions Specialist within BRQ.

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Together, they\u2019re talking all about Lean inception. Gabriela shares about the challenges that teams traditionally face when they\u2019re kicking off a project, how to address these early challenges, the activities that are involved in a Lean inception, how to facilitate a successful Lean inception, and where you can get started with you and your team\u2019s own Lean inception!

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Key Takeaways

Challenges that teams traditionally face when they\u2019re starting off a project or are early in the Lean inception:

Creating alignment between the whole team and the stakeholders

Expectations \u2014 it can be hard to guarantee that the product will meet the expectations set in this early stage

You may experience issues with the agenda if you do not give yourself and your teams enough time to prepare

How to address these early challenges:

Have all of the teams focus on the same problems together

As laid out in Paulo Caroli\u2019s book, Lean Inception, he suggests that you take five days (an agenda) to align everyone before you begin the project

Activities involved in Lean inception:

An agenda involving the development team, the active team, and the stakeholders (the goal of which is to provide context to the problems they are facing, the problems the users are facing, and the solution they are going to create)

Creating a product vision (which should be able to be summarized in one sentence)

\u201cThe Product Is \u2014\xa0 Is Not \u2014 Does \u2014 Does Not\u201d

\u201cDescribe the Personas\u201d to understand the final offer of users (their problems, expectations, etc.)

\u201cDiscover the Features\u201d which include all of the features you\u2019re going to create

\u201cShow User Journeys\u201d

\u201cTechnical, UX, and Business Review\u201d

\u201cSequence the Features\u201d

\u201cBuild the MVP Canvas\u201d

Common challenges around Lean inceptions and how to address them:

Sometimes people are closed off because they believe they already know everything there is to know about the problem

Solution: Be open, don\u2019t write off different solutions, and be receptive to suggestions and ideas

Solution: Don\u2019t throw out your own ideas if they are not used, create a new idea/solution together with your collaborators

A lack of understanding around the goal the team is seeking

Solution: Have everyone on board with the lean inception workshop (alignment and a clear understanding of the goal can be achieved through this)

Sometimes a team of people with very different profiles can seem to \u201cclash\u201d on the surface \u2014 but having a diverse team is incredibly powerful and invaluable! You all have very different perspectives and backgrounds and can come together to create a new, innovative solution

Additional advice and details about the workshop and its activities:

The activities are all highly visual

In this remote age of working, Gabriela recommends the tools Miro and Mural for digital collaboration

Where and how to get started:

Check out the book, Lean Inception: How to Align People and Build the Right Product

Join like-minded communities online

Visit Caroli.org

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Mentioned in this Episode:

Gabriela Corr\xeaa\u2019s LinkedIn

BRQ Digital Solutions

Lean Inception: How to Align People and Build the Right Product, by Paulo Caroli

Miro

Mural

Caroli.org

Nonviolent Communication, by Marshall B. Rosenberg

Lead With Respect: A Novel of Lean Practice, by Michael Balle and Freddy Balle

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