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Agile & Design Thinking:A Romeo & Juliet Story
COWAN +
AgileDesign
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ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
ABOUT ME
Entrepreneur (5x)Intrapreneur (1x)
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ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
ABOUT ME
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ABOUT ME
www.alexandercowan.comALEX COWAN
AlexanderCowan.com@cowanSF
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OUR SUBJECT
AgileDesign ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com@cowanSF
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Empathy Creativity
DESIGN
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
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ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
AGILE
IndividualsInteractions
>ProcessesTools
Workingsoftware
ComprehensiveDocumentation>
Customercollaboration
Contractnegotiation
>
Responding
to change
Following
a plan>
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OUR SUBJECT
AgileDesign ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com@cowanSF
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TRAGEDY OCCURS TOO OFTEN
AgileDesign ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com@cowanSF
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TRAGEDY OCCURS TOO OFTENThe Commerce Family The Implementation Family
aka marketing, sales,product management
aka engineering, operations,project management
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TRAGEDY OCCURS TOO OFTEN- WHY?The Commerce Family The Implementation Family
?we measure our efciency locally
we want to feel we're completing our output
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WHAT'S ESPECIALLY HARD FOR THE FAMILIESThe Commerce Family The Implementation Family
1. Connecting with customer needs
2. Managing uncertainty
3. Describing for implementation
1. Implementation strategy
2. Managing changes in need
3. Distributing actionable inputs
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WHAT'S ESPECIALLY HARD FOR THE FAMILIESThe Commerce Family The Implementation Family
bigger families,
bigger disconnects
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4 WAYS TO MAKE IT BETTER, MAKE IT WORK
1: IMPROVEDINPUTS
2: STORY-DRIVENCOLLABORATION
3: TESTORIENTATION
4: BACKLOGDISCIPLINE
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
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1Creating High Quality Inputs
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Copyright 2014 COWAN+STORIES
Epic Stories
Stories
Test Cases
As a [persona],I want to [do something]so that I can [derive a benet]
AGILE USER STORIES- WHATIS
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
Who is this user?What makes them tick?
Who's an example of
such a person?
Why do they want to do this?What's the benet/reward?
How will we know of it'sworking?
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DESIGN THINKING- PERSONAS
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
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DESIGN THINKING- PERSONAS
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
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NOT A GOOD PERSONA
Women Age 28-45
Has kids Socialize with other moms Online with Facebook 86% said theyd like to be more
organized
70% said theyd use anapplication that organizes them
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Women Age 28-45
Has kids Socialize with other moms Online with Facebook 86% said theyd like to be more
organized
70% said theyd use anapplication that organizes them
NOT A GOOD PERSONA
Bullet points are almostnever vivid or detailed
Stock photo- not real
This is a hugepopulation- not exact
These responses are fakeactionable- survey responses
like this are unreliable
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A BETTER PERSONA
Mary is a mom by choice. She had a successful career in accounting,
but welcomed the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. She loves it.
But its not like having kids purged her creative, social instincts. She
wants to connect, she wants to learn, she wants to interact. Being amom is a job and she wants to do it well. That means corresponding
with other moms on child education and keeping track of what works.
She posts to Facebook at least twice a week and responds to other
moms items more often than that.
She has a few blogs and publications she reads regularly
Mary the Mom
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A BETTER PERSONAthe use of a rst name helps
w/ vividness (a little)
these full sentences look like agood start towards something
vivid and detailed
this is a real photo of arelevant person taken with an
iPhone in the real world
Mary is a mom by choice. She had a successful career in accounting,
but welcomed the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. She loves it.
But its not like having kids purged her creative, social instincts. She
wants to connect, she wants to learn, she wants to interact. Being amom is a job and she wants to do it well. That means corresponding
with other moms on child education and keeping track of what works.
She posts to Facebook at least twice a week and responds to other
moms items more often than that.
She has a few blogs and publications she reads regularly
Mary the Mom
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DISCOVERY & LEARNING: THINK-SEE-FEEL-DO
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
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VARI
ED
ivid The persona shouldmake anyone who readsit feel like theyveactually met this person.
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VARI
ED
ivid
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
If the persona doesntinform how you sell stuffand build stuff, whybother?
ctionable
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VARI
ED
ivid
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
eal Good personas arentcreated in cubicles. Gowhere the persona is andobserve.
ctionable
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VARI
ED
ivid
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
eal
ctionable
Make sure you can identifyand target these personas,or you wont be able to nda use for them.
dentiable
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VARI
ED
ivid
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
eal
ctionable
dentiable Everyone is not yourcustomer. Make sure thepersonas are distinct so youcan apply relevant focus.
xact
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VARI
ED
ivid
eal
ctionable
dentiable
xactetailed
People are complicated
and so good personasare usually prettysubstantial.
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A LITTLE GAME FOR BETTER PERSONA DISCOVERYDay in the Life
we look at a few photos for a given persona
you make some guesses about themthere are no right answers BUTthere is a right process: observe and infer
OBJECTIVE: get a feel for whats real; start to create something vivid
(not a full picture, just snippets)
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OUR CAST
Sally theSingle Mom
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WAKE UP!
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WAKE UP!
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GEARING UP FOR THE DAY
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AT WORK
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AFTER WORK
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PRE-BED
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BED
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GEAR
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IF I HAD 3 EXTRA HOURS
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ABOUT SALLY THE SINGLE MOM
Whats her favorite kind of music?Band/composer?Where did she buy her last pair of shoes?What movie did she last see?What did she drink with dinner last night?If she had a dog, what kind?Whats her favorite magazine?
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NEEDFINDING
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
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ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
XPROBLEM SCENARIO
NEEDFINDING
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ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
XWhat job(s) are you doing forthe customer?What existing need orbehavior are you fullling?
PROBLEM SCENARIO
NEEDFINDING
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@cowanSF
?
X
ALTERNATIVE(S)
PROBLEM SCENARIO
NEEDFINDING
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@cowanSF
?
X
If they currently usespreadsheets, watch them
use it and get a copy of it.If they currently put notes on thefamily fridge, ask about it,photograph it.
ALTERNATIVE(S)
PROBLEM SCENARIO
NEEDFINDING
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@cowanSF
YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS !
ALTERNATIVE(S) ?
PROBLEM SCENARIO X
NEEDFINDING
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@cowanSF
X
Are they better enough than thealternative(s)?
!
?
YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS
ALTERNATIVE(S)
PROBLEM SCENARIO
NEEDFINDING
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and they have a certainPROBLEMS(S)
where theyre currently usingcertain ALTERNATIVE(S)
and I have a VALUEPROPOSITION thats better enoughthan the alternatives to cause thepersona to act (purchase, use, etc.).
A certain PERSONA exists
NEEDFINDING: THE PRODUCT HYPOTHESIS
!
?
X
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PERSONASPROBLEM SCENARIOSVALUE PROPOSITIONS
STORIES
Epic Stories
Stories
Test Cases
As a [persona],I want to [do something]so that I can [derive a benet]
AGILE USER STORIES- WHATIS
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@cowanSF
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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES
Independent
NegotiableValuableEstimableSmallTestable
Could this beimplemented on astand-alone basis or
does it presupposeother content?
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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES
Independent
NegotiableValuableEstimableSmallTestable
Stories are not specs.This is an input for you toarrive at an optimalimplementation with thedeveloper, not afunctional requirement.
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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES
Independent
NegotiableValuableEstimable
SmallTestable
What problem scenariodoes this address?How have youvalidated your value
proposition for it?
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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES
Independent
NegotiableValuableEstimable
SmallTestable
How hard is this vs.the teamsexperience? Is itdiscrete enough?
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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES
Independent
NegotiableValuableEstimable
SmallTestable
A big part of what makesagile (and lean) work is theuse of small batches withmeasurable results. Makesure your stories are broken
down to workable sizes.
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INVEST IN AGILE STORIES
Independent
NegotiableValuableEstimable
SmallTestable
How will you know if
its working in a waywhere you canvalidate its value?
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CHILD STORIES
A) As an HR manager, I want to get a list of topics relevant to an open position from the functional
manager so I can set up a relevant and complete quiz for screening.B) As an HR manager, I want to browse the quiz banks [of available questions] so I can make sureIm subscribed to all the necessary topics for my quiz.
C) As an HR manager, I want to purchase additional quiz banks so I can add additional technicaltopics to my quizzes.
D) As an HR manager, I want to create a custom quiz banks so I can add custom questions thefunctional manager wants to add to the quiz.
E) As a manager, I want to set the quiz up for a possible recruit to use.
F) As an HR manager, I want to make the candidates scores available to the functional manager,along with the rest of my notes.
EPIC STORY
EXAMPLE: AGILE USER STORIES
As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want tosend possible recruits to the functional manager.
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EPIC STORY
EXAMPLE: AGILE USER STORIES
As the HR manager, I want to create a screening quiz so that I can understand whether I want tosend possible recruits to the functional manager.
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
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STORYBOARDING AN EPICAs the HR manager, Iwant to create ascreening quiz so that Ican understandwhether I want to sendpossible recruits to the
functional manager.
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PERSONA MEETS HALLWAY CONVERSATION
So, I think feature [xyz]should really be at thetop of our list
Yeah?
Tell me about the user.Who are they? What arethey doing right now?
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NEEDFINDING MEETS HALLWAY CONVERSATION
Here are a list of SEOkeywords related to theexciting new solutionwe built
What problems does thissolve for the customer?What words do they useto describe it?
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2 Enabling Story-Driven Collaboration
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ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
AGILE FOUNDATIONS
USER STORIES
DISCUSSION
DEVELOPMENT
VALIDATION
PERSONASPROBLEM SCENARIOS,ALTERNATIVESPROPOSITIONS
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KEEPING IT TOGETHER
In-doc links topersonas andproblemscenarios/
neednding
Ditto forwireframes
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X
PROBLEMSCENARIOS &ALTERNATIVES
What?
PRODUCT &PROMOTION
/
CUSTOMERDISCOVERY &EXPERIMENTS
Tell me?
DESIGNING A VENTURE (VENTURE DESIGN)
PERSONAS
Who?
USERSTORIES &PROTOTYPES
How?
Scale?
Pivot?
VALUEPROPOSITIONS& ASSUMPTIONS
What if?
!
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VENTURE DESIGN (IN REVERSE)
!PRODUCT &PROMOTION
USERSTORIES &PROTOTYPES
Did the implementationdeliver on the story?
/
CUSTOMERDISCOVERY &EXPERIMENTS
How did thecustomer/userreact?
VALUEPROPOSITIONS& ASSUMPTIONS
!
Was theimplementedstory relevant tothe proposition?
X
PROBLEMSCENARIOS &ALTERNATIVES
Is problemrelevant? Is thepropositionbetter vs.alternatives?
THINK SEE
FEEL DO
PERSONAS
Do weunderstand thisperson? Whatmakes themtick?
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COLLABORATION MEETS HALLWAY CONVERSATION
We have an amazingnew thing now whereusers can [x] their [y]
Cool. Who does this?Whats the trigger?
Whats the rst thing thathappens?Then what?How do we know if theyhave a good outcome?
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3 Staying Focused on Validation
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EVIDENCE-BASED INNOVATION VIA LEAN STARTUP
Do I have real evidence from my buyerthat this is compelling?
01 ID EA!
What are the key assumptions requiredto make this business work?
02 HYPOTHESIS
How do I denitely prove or disprove theassumptions with a minimum of timeand effort?
03 EXPERIMENTAL DESIG N
04 EXPE RIM ENTATION
Am I reacting or am I focused onvalidating my pivotal assumptions?
Pivot or persevere?
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CASE STUDY: DROPBOX
OPPORTUNITYUnderlying demand and supportinginfrastructure ready for a great le sharingapp.
CHALLENGEBuilding a great cross-platform app.required VC funding. VCs saw a spacewith lots of existing competitors strugglingto get traction.
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CASE STUDY: DROPBOX
Persona
ProblemScenario
Alternatives
Value Prop.
Tom the Techie- early adopter who works on projects that require swapping a lot of les between ashifting network of collaborators.
Its difcult to share les between a network of collaborators, particularly if theyre: big or numerous orchange a lot.
Many existing products, but none of them super compelling and widely adopted.Also, custom setups which work but are cumbersome to set up and maintain.
A le sharing service that truly feels transparent to the user across all major platforms- OSX, iOS,Windows, etc.
What Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
That you can bootstrap?
That doesnt require software at all?
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THE WIZARD OF OZ MVP
Result: Excellent traction andconversion to sign-ups.
Strong validation signal.
Created a synthetic demotailored for early market(techies), promoted it, andmeasured email sign-ups.
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DOCUMENT UX ASSUMPTIONS AS YOU GO
Lets assume.Then test.
Lets notargue
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EXAMPLE ASSUMPTIONS & EXPERIMENTS
brand lattice UI:
Drag and drop isnt yet in common use.Would users get it?
Noted as key assumption and became earlyfocal item in user test
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ITERATING BASED ON TEST RESULTS70% of usersdidnt get thedrag and dropin this version
This change inthe annotationwas enough sothey got it
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THE MTP
P
inimum
estableroductT
M
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PARING AWAY ASSUMPTIONS VIA MTP
Pivotalassumptionsabout
relevance
Do they care?
Tacticalassumptionsabout
usability
Can they use it?
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PARING AWAY ASSUMPTIONS VIA MTP
It has rough edges. We should x it before weshow people.
Just show it to volunteers onuser testing. Do it soon.
What if smoothing out thoserough edges is 100% waste
because there are deeperusability issues?
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PARING AWAY ASSUMPTIONS VIA MTP
We only have a few people right now in our targetmarket (persona).
If you can get close in terms ofprole, just give the user testinga try.
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VALIDATION MEETS HALLWAY CONVERSATION
Im super excited about[this idea]. Im workingon the business case tosell management so wecan start building
Sound neat.
Whats the centralproposition? Maybetheres a way we canbootstrap some proofpoints.
That would super chargeyour business case.
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4 Planning The Work, Working the Plan
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ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
THE BACKLOGStory
Backlog
RELEASE X
P R I O R I T Y
ITERATION 01
ITERATION 02
. . .
ITERATION N
Story Asize = x
Story Bsize = y
Story C
size = z
Story Dsize = a
Story N..size = c
Story Esize = b
. . .
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@cowanSF
THE STANDUP
1. What did I accomplishlast [period]?2. What do I plan toaccomplish [this period]?3. What's impeding my progress?
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ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
AGILE MANAGEMENT IN 4 FUN & EASY STEPS
SET AN ITERATIONUsually 1-4 weeks, shorter isprobably better in thebeginning. Stick to the list inthis period.
2. ExplicitIteration
CREATE STRONGSTORIESInputs matter a lot. They'reusually preceded by qualitydesign research.
0: Strong Stories
PRIORITIZE A LISTMake it a little longer than youthink you can achieve- thatway if someone gets stuckthey can move to somethingelse.
1. Prioritized ListTRACK WITHSTANDUP'SEven if it's on email, do thestandup daily or at least weekly.
3. RegularStandup's
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VALIDATION MEETS HALLWAY CONVERSATION
Oh! I just [talked to acustomer, read a blog,saw a demo] and I have agreat new idea. Can we
just put it in right this
second?
We can denitely put itin if you think it'simportant.
Let's write a story for itthat's anchored in aproblem scenario and ifyou want you can put itat the top of thebacklog for the nextiteration.
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HERE'S TO A HAPPY ENDING!
ALEX COWANAlexanderCowan.com
@cowanSF
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@cowanSF
www.alexandercowan.com/venture-design
Slides: bit.ly/ac2SUGAR
www.alexandercowan.com/startup-sprints
FINI