57 pages • 1 hour read
Eric RiesThe Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2011A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Key Figures
Themes
Index of Terms
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaEssay Topics
Ries relates his knowledge and experience as an entrepreneur through the citation of other authors and the use of example stories. Are these rhetorical strategies necessary to establish his credibility? Why or why not?
Ries advocates for the scientific method in all operations of a business, even theoretical problems. What are the limitations, if any, of using the scientific method in entrepreneurship?
Besides Toyota, find three historical examples of companies or individuals who have used the principles of lean manufacturing (even if they don’t use those terms). What do these companies and individuals have in common? What does this imply about what makes these principles work?
Ries recommends that startups learn how to tune the engine of their products and pivot in their business strategies, when necessary. However, he recommends against altering the vision of a company. Is this a smart recommendation? Why or why not?
The Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop creates minimum viable products, tests their viability in small batches, and analyzes the empirical data for further optimization. Imagine you are an entrepreneur using this method. What product would you design? How would you measure its viability with customers and on the market? How would you analyze its success or failure?
Ries uses examples from the early 20th century (Toyota and Frederick Winslow Taylor) as the basis for his theory for 21st-century startups. Is there any contradiction in this? What drawbacks might there be to basing a new theory on older models?
Browse a few of the blogs Ries provides in the “Further Reading” section. Where and how does the Lean Startup method emerge in these resources?
How did World War II affect the economic landscape in the US? Find an example of a business that rose to success in the US in the aftermath of WWII and discuss its methods. How do they compare with the Lean Startup model? What accounts for the similarities and/or differences?
What is an “80 percent solution” (94) and why do early adopters of technology prefer it to a perfect product? How can startups use this insight to help them in their product development?
Ries claims the Lean Startup method can be used in any business or field, with no minimum or maximum organizational requirements. Are there any cases in which the Lean Startup method might not work? Citing real-world examples, make a case against using the Lean Startup method. What approach might work better and why?
