Sydney Sprint Camp 2019: Sharing some do's and don'ts about Design Sprints

Hosted by Andrew May of SprintJam, Sydney Sprint Camp brought together Googlers and Design Enthusiasts from near and far for a jam-packed day of Design Sprint immersion

I was delighted to be invited to speak at the Sydney event, and what was the big question people wanted me to answer:

“If I run a Design Sprint will I be ready to move straight into Delivery?”

Well the answer, of course, is "it depends"! There are a number of potential challenges for first-timers and my top 3 pitfalls to avoid are:

Not following the process

* Skipping steps is a rookie mistake - the sequence of events and activities has been honed over many iterations and is designed to help you succeed in the shortest time! * Not allowing enough time * Allowing too much time * Failing to engage the right stakeholders results in a lack of engagement with the process

Not nailing the problem statement

* If you start with the wrong problem, you won’t arrive at very helpful conclusions * Lack of clarity around what success looks likes makes it harder to design something that can be tested * You can design something that is ineffective but still makes customers happy (e.g. it can be an enjoyable experience but not lead to any revenue)

Not managing expectations

* About the process, outcomes, outputs * About prototype vs production ready solution - this one is tricky, but vital. You can prototype anything. Build just enough to learn, but not more. It must ‘appear’ real. * About next steps - don’t lose momentum or engagement with stakeholders by not having a clear plan for what you’re going to do next.

So, how do you make sure you're ready for Delivery?

* Mobilise the right people * Explore the most valuable problems * Invest in planning And ... * Incorporate a Sprint 0 * Create a prioritised backlog * Consider a ‘dual track’ approach * Keep testing, learning, adapting

To find out more, join one of our interactive online courses.