Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

by Jake Knapp

Sprints are most successful with a mix of people: the core people who work on execution along with a few extra experts with specialized knowledge.

Starting at the end is like being handed the keys to a time machine. If you could jump ahead to the end of your sprint, what questions would be answered? If you went six months or a year further into the future, what would have improved about your business as a result of this project?

“Why are we doing this project? Where do we want to be six months, a year, or even five years from now?”

As you go, ask the team, “Does this look right?” or “How should I capture that?” And when the conversation starts to stall out, you can nudge it to conclusion by saying, “Is there a good way we can capture this thinking and move on?”

“It seems like we’re coming up with new ideas right now. These ideas are really interesting, and I think you should make note of them so they don’t get lost—but to get the sprint finished, we have to focus on the good ideas we already have.”

“Thanks for coming in today! We’re always trying to improve our product, and getting

your honest feedback is a really important part of that. “This interview will be pretty informal. I’ll ask a lot of questions, but I’m not testing you—I’m actually testing this product. If you get stuck or confused, it’s not your fault. In fact, it helps us find problems we need to fix. “I’ll start by asking some background questions, then I’ll show you some things we’re working on. Do you have any questions before we begin?”

“What is this? What is it for?” “What do you think of that?” “What do you expect that will do?” “So, what goes through your mind as you look at this?” “What are you looking for?” “What would you do next? Why?”

“How does this product compare to what you do now?” “What did you like about this product? What did you dislike?” “How would you describe this product to a friend?” “If you had three magic wishes to improve this product, what would they be?”

“How would you compare those different products? What are the pros and cons?” “Which parts of each would you combine to create a new, better version?” “Which one worked better for you? Why?”

It’s what work should be about—not wasting time in endless meetings, then seeking camaraderie in a team-building event at a bowling alley—but working together to build something that matters to real people. This is the best use of your time. This is a sprint.

Instead of jumping right into solutions, take your time to map out the problem and agree on an initial target. Start slow so you can go fast.

Instead of shouting out ideas, work independently to make detailed sketches of possible solutions. Group brainstorming is broken, but there is a better way.

• Instead of abstract debate and endless meetings, use voting and a Decider to make crisp decisions that reflect your team’s priorities. It’s the wi...

Instead of getting all the details right before testing your solution, create a façade. Adopt the “prototype mi...

• And instead of guessing and hoping you’re on the right track—all the while investing piles of money and months of time into your ideas—test your prototype with tar...

Running a sprint is kind of like baking a cake: If you don’t follow the recipe, you might end up with a disgusting mess. You wouldn’t skip the sugar and eggs and expect your cake to turn out, and likewise, you can’t skip the prototyping and testing and expect your sprint to work.