Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 16, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, March 16, 2009 Combining agile development with customer development Today I read an excellent blog post that I just had to share. Jim Murphy is a long-time agile practitioner in startups. But startups sometimes have trouble applying agile successfully.

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Agile Customer Development Developer San Francisco 111

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 29, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Saturday, November 29, 2008 The ABCDEFs of conducting a technical interview I am incredibly proud of the people I have hired over the course of my career. This second objective plays no small part in allowing you to hire the best. Hiring decisions are among the most difficult, and the most critical.

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Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 13, 2008

Wed never heard of five whys, and we had plenty of "agile skeptics" on the team. By the time we started doing continuous integration, we had tens of thousands of lines of code, all not under test coverage. It seems your cluster architecture is one of the key architectural constraints making continuous deployment possible.

Software Review 167

Software Review Technical Review San Francisco Continuous Deployment 167

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 29, 2009

I hope to show why lean and agile techniques actually reduce the negative impacts of technical debt and increase our ability to take advantage of its positive effects. Yet other agile principles suggest the opposite, as in YAGNI and DoTheSimplestThingThatCouldPossiblyWork. Reconciling these principles requires a little humility.

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Technical Review Software Review San Francisco Lean 168

Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 20, 2009

Its had tremendous impact in many areas: continuous deployment , just-in-time scalability , and even search engine marketing , to name a few. When operating with continuous deployment, its almost impossible to have integration conflicts. Sounds very similar to agile development which is the way. Expo SF (May.

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San Francisco Software Review Continuous Deployment Development Team Review 161

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 20, 2008

When I first encountered agile software techniques, in the form of extreme programming , I thought I had found the answer. I explained it to people this way: agile lets you make the trade-offs visible to whole company, so that they can make informed choices. Even worse, agile wasnt really helping me ship higher quality software.

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Software Review Engineer Management Technical Review 164

Startup Lessons Learned

JANUARY 19, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, January 19, 2009 Lean hiring tips In preparing for the strategy series panel this week, I have been doing some thinking about costs. And all of that cost was caused by one activity: hiring. Hiring is no different from any other company process. Sounds a little abstract, though, doesnt it?

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Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 22, 2010

After all, if you already have an all-male startup, you’re already at a disadvantage when it comes to hiring the very women that could fix that imbalance. And yet, when I suggest this practice to hiring managers and recruiters alike, they rarely do it. Beyond hiring, our actual work process matters, too.

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Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 10, 2008

I know plenty of people who prefer more advanced source control system, but my belief is that many agile practices diminish the importance of advanced features like branching. But if you want to practice rapid deployment, you need to be able to deploy that build in one step as well. Can you make a build in one step? Youd better.

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Software Review Technical Review San Francisco Continuous Deployment 144

Startup Lessons Learned

MAY 7, 2009

I spent some time with his company before the conference and discussed ways to get started with continuous deployment , including my experience introducing it at IMVU. Moreover, approaching the problem from the direction that I had intuitively is a recipe for never reaching a point where continuous deployment is feasible.

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San Francisco Continuous Deployment Software Review Lean 131

SVPG

JULY 31, 2013

The surprising thing is that the accomplishments I feel proudest of today are not the actual products I helped create, but rather, the many people across our industry I have helped to hire and develop. I believe in continuous improvement. I love seeing them creating exceptional products, and leading great organizations of their own.

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SCRUM Continuous Deployment Agile Lean 60

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 13, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Monday, July 13, 2009 The Principles of Product Development Flow If youve ever wondered why agile or lean development techniques work, The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development by Donald G. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May.

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Product Development Developer San Francisco Product 153

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 5, 2009

In other words, a principled way to combine agility with stability. If we’re practicing continuous deployment, we can be confident that we’ll be able to rush an emergency fix into production without risking introducing further problems. In other words, a principled way to combine agility with stability.

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San Francisco Architecture Lean Continuous Deployment 133

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

But by taking advantage of open source, agile software, and iterative development, lean startups can operate with much less waste. So far, I have found "lean startup" works better with the entrepreneurs Ive talked to than "agile startup" or even "extreme startup.") Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n.

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Lean San Francisco Startup Continuous Deployment 168

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 22, 2009

Each has its own iterative process: customer development and agile development respectively. Kent Beck keynote, "To Agility, and Beyond" Six streaming locations Interviews ► March (7) New conference website, speakers, agenda Two new scholarship programs for lean startups Speed up or slow down? Expo SF (May.

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San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment Agile 167

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

Lean manufacturing , agile software development , and Theory of Constraints are all examples of this idea in action. Lean manufacturing , agile software development , and Theory of Constraints are all examples of this idea in action. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May.

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San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment Software Review 167

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 7, 2008

Kent Beck keynote, "To Agility, and Beyond" Six streaming locations Interviews ► March (7) New conference website, speakers, agenda Two new scholarship programs for lean startups Speed up or slow down? Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May.

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Demand San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 167

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 1, 2009

So I don't think the Apple experience should be used to discount lean, agile, or customer development-type approaches. Apple also hired away key engineers from Pixo, who I believe still work there. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May. Conference streaming, sponsors, discounted tickets.

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San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment DC 166

Startup Lessons Learned

JUNE 17, 2010

The team hired only the best and the brightest. They either had to hire a developer onto the art team itself (unthinkable) or learn those development skills themselves (which was, to be fair, really hard). The team hired only the best and the brightest. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n.

Technical Review 164

Technical Review San Francisco Lean Software Review 164

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 28, 2010

If you havent seen it, Pascals recent presentation on continuous deployment is a must-see; slides are here. If you havent seen it, Pascals recent presentation on continuous deployment is a must-see; slides are here. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May.

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San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment SEC 158

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 3, 2009

Now he really thought I was nuts, replying "from the recruiter who hired me, of course!" If youre hiring creative, resourceful and smart people (and you are screening for that , right?) post) is very similar, I think the key is to hire smart people first, though. Are you hiring sysadmins? It was my turn to be dumbfounded.

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Employee San Francisco Lean Software Review 146

Startup Lessons Learned

DECEMBER 16, 2009

For those whove heard it, it contains a length discourse on the subject of agile software development and extreme programming, including its weaknesses when applied to startups. As Im pontificating about agile, I see the name Kent Beck in my peripheral vision. Now, this webcast was packed, hundreds of people were logged in.

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Lean San Francisco Continuous Deployment Startup 140

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 30, 2008

If youre trying to design an architecture to maximize agility, how can that work if some people are working in TDD and others not? And what about if deployment takes forever? . Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. But along the way, something strange happened. Expo SF (May.

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CTO Fractional CTO CTO Hire Technical Review 168

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 8, 2008

This theory has become so influential that I have called it one of the three pillars of the lean startup - every bit as important as the changes in technology or the advent of agile development. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May. Conference streaming, sponsors, discounted tickets.

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Customer Development Developer San Francisco Customer 168

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 5, 2008

Eventually, I hope to get them on a full agile diet, with TDD, scrums, sprints, pair programming, and more. I went through some of this in bringing agile methodologies to my current firm - except that I am the product manager in question at this case. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May.

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San Francisco Management Software Review Product 158

Startup Lessons Learned

AUGUST 3, 2009

Refreshing to finally see lean and agile thinking emerge in product/business-floors and not only in technology. Kent Beck keynote, "To Agility, and Beyond" Six streaming locations Interviews ► March (7) New conference website, speakers, agenda Two new scholarship programs for lean startups Speed up or slow down?

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San Francisco Product Lean Continuous Deployment 168

Startup Lessons Learned

NOVEMBER 6, 2008

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Thursday, November 6, 2008 Steveys Blog Rants: Good Agile, Bad Agile I thought Id share an interesting post from someone with a decidedly anti-agile point of view. Steveys Blog Rants: Good Agile, Bad Agile : "Google is an exceptionally disciplined company, from a software-engineering perspective.

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Agile San Francisco Software Review Continuous Deployment 76

Startup Lessons Learned

JULY 2, 2009

" paragraph have the heading "Training New Hires", above the "Returning to the meeting itself." Kent Beck keynote, "To Agility, and Beyond" Six streaming locations Interviews ► March (7) New conference website, speakers, agenda Two new scholarship programs for lean startups Speed up or slow down?

San Francisco 164

San Francisco Lean Technical Review Software Review 164

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 7, 2008

In addition to presenting the IMVU case, we tried for the first time to do an overview of a software engineering methodology that integrates practices from agile software development with Steves method of Customer Development. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Ive attempted to embed the relevant slides below.

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Customer Development Engineer San Francisco Developer 131

Startup Lessons Learned

OCTOBER 4, 2008

Although Catalyst folded with the dot-com crash, Ries continued his entrepreneurial career as a Senior Software Engineer at There.com, leading efforts in agile software development and user-generated content. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May.

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San Francisco Technical Cofounder Fractional CTO CTO 155

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

Kent Beck keynote, "To Agility, and Beyond" Six streaming locations Interviews ► March (7) New conference website, speakers, agenda Two new scholarship programs for lean startups Speed up or slow down? Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May.

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San Francisco Lean Technical Review Continuous Deployment 166

Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 22, 2009

Kent Beck keynote, "To Agility, and Beyond" Six streaming locations Interviews ► March (7) New conference website, speakers, agenda Two new scholarship programs for lean startups Speed up or slow down? Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May. Expo (and a call for he.

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Programming San Francisco Lean Continuous Deployment 143

Startup Lessons Learned

SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

Beware the new hire who has "extensive experience" in startups or big companies - using a different growth driver. Be-double-ware of the new hire who has "years of industry experience in multiple companies" all in a different growth driver. . Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n. Expo SF (May.

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Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 4, 2010

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Sunday, April 4, 2010 Kent Beck keynote, "To Agility, and Beyond" Kent Beck will give the opening keynote at the Startup Lessons Learned conference on April 23. Labels: sllconf Kent Beck keynote, "To Agility, and Beyond" Kent Beck will give the opening keynote at the Startup Lessons Learned conference on April 23.

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Agile Software Review San Francisco Continuous Deployment 99

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 14, 2009

Go on an agile diet quickly. With a product development team that is not shipping, any agile methodology will surface major problems quickly. Perhaps they’ll be able to hire someone especially skilled in the marketing skills needed to find this positioning. Case Study: Continuous deployment makes releases n.

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Customer San Francisco Lean Hockey Stick 167

Startup Lessons Learned

FEBRUARY 11, 2009

Lessons Learned by Eric Ries Wednesday, February 11, 2009 The free software hiring advantage This is one of those startup tips Im a little reluctant to share, because its been such a powerful source of competitive advantage in the companies Ive worked with. This approach gives you an edge in hiring. Instead, engage with the project.

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Software Review Software Hiring San Francisco 68

Startup Lessons Learned

APRIL 9, 2009

Thats the essence of so many of the lean startup techniques Ive evangelized: customer development , the Ideas/Code/Data feedback loop , and the adaptation of agile development to the startup experience. Creating a company-wide feedback loop that incorporates both customer development and agile development is a challenge.

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