The Lean Startup Method and Its Value for Testers

A startup is an organization created to deliver a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty. Approximately 40 percent of all startups will cease operations with investors losing everything; 95 percent will fall short of their financial projections. And the number one cause of failure? No one wants to buy their product. Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup, learned that under conditions of extreme uncertainty, classical management methods do not bring success. He formulated the Lean Startup Methodology based on his and others’ experiences. This methodology consists of five important ideas: (1) Build-Measure-Learn (BML) loop, (2) Minimum Viable Product (MVP), (3) Validated Learning, (4) Customer Development, and (5) One Metric That Matters. Lee Copeland believes these keys to the Lean Startup methodology have great value for testers. Come and discover how the BML loop is similar to exploratory testing, how the MVP idea suggests a Minimum Viable Set of Tests, how Customer Development suggests developing clients for your testing services, and more. Learn how to apply Lean Startup ideas in your testing organization.