Lean Inception is a framework designed to help teams define the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) of new products or services in a short timeframe. It involves key stakeholders and team members in a series of workshops to align on the product vision, identify customer needs, and prioritize features. This approach ensures that development efforts are focused on creating value, reducing waste, and accelerating time to market.
Preparation: Organize the team and define the scope of the inception. | Market and User Research: Gather insights about the market and potential users. | Product Vision: Define the overarching vision of the product. | Personas: Create detailed profiles for potential users. | User Journey Mapping: Outline the user's interaction with the product. | Brainstorming: Generate ideas and solutions that align with user needs. | Prioritization: Decide which features are essential for the MVP. | Prototyping: Develop a basic prototype for user testing. | Validation: Validate assumptions with real users and gather feedback. | Roadmap: Create a development roadmap based on the validated MVP.
Ensure diverse representation from all relevant stakeholders | Keep the sessions focused and time-boxed | Continuously gather and incorporate user feedback
Ensures alignment among stakeholders | Focuses on delivering value to the customer | Reduces time and resources wasted on non-essential features
Requires full participation from all stakeholders | Can be challenging in remote or distributed team settings | May overlook long-term planning in favor of immediate MVP
When starting a new product or service | When needing to align various stakeholders on a project
For projects requiring detailed long-term planning | When stakeholders are not available for active participation