This is the handout that we used during the first-ever workshop based on Eric Ries's Leader's Guide. This work is based on a pre-release draft of the book, and includes many hands-on activities for putting the Leader's Guide into practice. Consider this Iteration Zero.

1. The Leader’s Guide by Eric Ries
Project Planner
Janice Fraser
Director, Innovation Practice
November 2015
Your Project Name
Your Name
From The Leader’s Guide
Official Workshop (Iteration 0)

2. Molecule
Person
Problem Solution
Describe the person this
product/project is for:
Describe the problem the
person has:
ONE sentence only
about your solution:
PROJECT NAME DATE

3. Why?
What
How
In this space, describe the solution.
PROJECT NAME DATE
In this space, name several values or characteristics.
In the space at below, describe why this is
important. Why bother? Of all the things you
could be championing, why this?
This is your vision.
Vision

4. These functions’ work will be key to the success of the project…
DEDICATED TEAM COMMITTED VOLUNTEERS
PROJECT NAME DATE
Team

5. Growth Contract
THE LEADER AGREES TO… THE ENTREPRENEUR AGREES TO…
PROJECT NAME DATE
1. The creation of a small, fully dedicated team with representation from this
functions whose work will be key to the success of the project. Including:
2. Giving the entrepreneur a small but secure budget of $_______________, and
the authority to spend it the way he/she believes is right.
3. A clear reporting structure including:
4. Accept Innovation Accounting and learning metrics as evidence for the purposes
of accountability.
5. Never Ask entrepreneurs to present “vanity metrics” such as ROI or Market
Share.
6. Secure funding as long as the team can demonstrate that they are learning
about how to grow a sustainable business.
7. Reward “productive failures” that provide learning, understanding that they are a
necessary part of the journey towards success.
1. Provide full transparency about their plans.
2. Use the allocated budget to learn how to grow a sustainable business.
3. Use learning metrics and to show progress using Innovation Accounting
techniques.
4. Hold Pivot/Persevere meetings on the following schedule:
5. Produce first learnings by _______________(date).
6. Be held accountable if their strategy isn’t working.
LEADER
ENTREPRENEUR

6. Riskiest Assumption
TESTING NOW
2
NEXT UP
3
LATER
PROJECT NAME DATE
Leap of Faith Assumptions
4
Remember to think about
• Commercial assumptions
• Value assumptions
• Customer assumptions
• Technical assumptions

7. Experiment
We believe that…LEAP OF FAITH ASSUMPTION
To get that evidence, we will do/make…MVP
EXPERIMENT COST
TIME BUDGET
We will know the assumption is true if…LEARNING METRIC
PROJECT NAME DATE

8. Experiment (Redo)
We believe that…LEAP OF FAITH ASSUMPTION
To get that evidence, we will do/make…MVP
EXPERIMENT COST
TIME BUDGET
We will know the assumption is true if…LEARNING METRIC
PROJECT NAME DATE
PIVOT OR PERSEVERE MEETING
DATE

9. REMOVED
MIGHT DO MUST DO
PROJECT NAME DATE
MVP Features
(Less essential to the Learning Goal)
(Important but harder) (Important AND easier)

10. Level 1 Innovation Accounting
PROJECT NAME DATE
METRICS WORKSHEET
Leap of Faith Assumption Learning Metric Mathematically Specific
Example: We can fund loans # of offers each loan gets total offers/total loans/week
LOFA #1
LOFA #2
LOFA #3
DASHBOARD: LOFA 1 Metric
Value
WEEK
ENDING
% Change
w/w
Experiment # Short Description
10/19/2015 4.53 2.35% 18 New marketing copy on the landing page

11. Risk Evaluation
PROJECT NAME DATE
TECHNICAL OR COMPLIANCE RISKS STRATEGY RISKS
Which elements of your learning plan involve safety, legal, compliance,
or technical risk?
Which elements, if wrong, would just cause you to adjust business
strategy but wouldn't put customers, partners, or your organization itself
at risk?
By distinguishing between these two types of risks, what opportunities do you see to learn more quickly, such as if there aren't saftey risks involved?
How might this distinction help you persuade the rest of your organization to test the project idea more quickly before you commit to a big investment?