Rapid Learning Cycles helps physical product companies get their best ideas to market faster.The Rapid Learning Cycles framework is a synthesis of my work over the past twelve years to use Agile and Lean practices in the front end of product development. It came together in 2010, with a series of four consulting projects in four different industries to solve a common problem:How do we spend our time and resources most effectively in the early stages of product development to… Show more Rapid Learning Cycles helps physical product companies get their best ideas to market faster.The Rapid Learning Cycles framework is a synthesis of my work over the past twelve years to use Agile and Lean practices in the front end of product development. It came together in 2010, with a series of four consulting projects in four different industries to solve a common problem:How do we spend our time and resources most effectively in the early stages of product development to ensure that poor ideas fail quickly, and good ideas are set up for success in execution?Since then, we have honed and refined the framework into a repeatable process that is in use in over 100 companies around the world. Unlike Agile and Lean on their own, the Rapid Learning Cycles framework quickly gains support from developers and executives alike. The developers appreciate the respect for their expert knowledge and professionalism and the freedom to do the right thing for the program - the executives love the results.Over 90% of the participants in the 2015/2016 Rapid Learning Cycles Certification workshops went on to run a program using the framework. Over 70% of the participating companies are sending more people to the 2016/2017 workshops. Over half have now incorporated the Rapid Learning Cycles framework into their company's standard Product Development Process, or intend to do so by the end of 2016. That's the best proof that this works the first time - and then it sticks.The term "rapid learning cycles" first appeared in 2004 in a booklet by the late Dr. Allen Ward of the University of Michigan, and a few others have attempted to put the idea into practice. But it wasn't until we fused Dr. Ward's concept with Agile Development methods that it began to solidify into a repeatable methodology for product development. Show less

This project pours everything we know about how to accelerate innovation into the technologies we need to limit global warming and stabilize our climate before it’s too late. To achieve Net Zero carbon, we must change our physical technology. These are often “deep tech” projects in areas like transportation, infrastructure, materials, energy, or agriculture that are highly complex and rely on advances in supporting technologies. Consumers are accustomed to buying a digital… Show more This project pours everything we know about how to accelerate innovation into the technologies we need to limit global warming and stabilize our climate before it’s too late. To achieve Net Zero carbon, we must change our physical technology. These are often “deep tech” projects in areas like transportation, infrastructure, materials, energy, or agriculture that are highly complex and rely on advances in supporting technologies. Consumers are accustomed to buying a digital product from a company that then upgrades features and fixes bugs through multiple updates. For deep tech projects, the challenges and experience are different. These teams need to demonstrate that their ideas can move from lab scale to industrial scale before they can be commercialized. They need to find potential customers to serve as test beds: willing to accept the risk that the idea doesn’t scale for the opportunity to be the first to use it. They need to find funding sources that can handle that risk, for projects that require multi-million-dollar pilot runs.The decisions these teams make in the early stages are not easy to change. Solar energy systems have a 25-year lifespan. Changes to the emissions systems in a steel mill are inherently disruptive to plant operations, with expensive downtime, and the risk that the changes will affect the efficiency of the plant. In this environment, the secret to accelerating innovation is to commit early to the vision for the product — but make “how” decisions as late as possible — and hold the space for the right solution to emerge through rapid learning. Show less

The Fast Company Executive Board is an invitation-only professional organization of company founders, executives, and leaders who are defining the future of business.It's a space for founders of fast-growth startups and for executives of established companies who seek to develop the nimbleness and innovation of a fast company.

In the past ten years, I've helped scientists, engineers and their counterparts at over 75 companies get their best ideas to market faster.