We couldn't come up with a better name for this phase, but there is a bunch of stuff that needs to happen before we are ready to start the Lean Product Discovery workshop. So Phase Zero it is! The activities we decide to do depend on the client's situation and how mature their business is. The activities are broken up into two themes; Business Exploration and Administrative.
As mentioned in the introduction, our Lean Product Discovery Workshops focus more on finding and understanding problem/solution. We are less focused on developing the business model, but we know they are connecting. We expect our clients to have a clear understanding of the market, their competitors, and how they plan to make money. The workshop is not meant to press on the details here, but more to have insight into those considerations. The activities here include:
Running a Lean Product Discovery Workshop is intense. There are lots of meetings and having a clear plan on how that will all play out is critical; technology, conference rooms, timing, etc. The most pressing issuing is lining up customers to interview during the workshop. Recruiting, selecting, and scheduling those customers all have their individual challenges. We have found plenty of best practices here to navigate this experience. The activities here include: