This special layout is mainly caused by problems left over from history. Lean canvas comes from business model canvas. Instead of changing the layout of the canvas, I chose to adopt a constraint of my own design: whenever I add a new box (such as a question), I will delete an old box (such as a Key Partners).
To make up for usability, I wrote in my first book, Lean Entrepreneurship:
But in recent years, in order to have a better process, I found myself adjusting this filling order. Although customers and problems are always the same, the order of other boxes has changed subtly.
Then the initial question evolved into: Why is your book not filled in the same order as the online advice? Which order is correct?
After several years of tutoring and reviewing thousands of lean canvases, I finally found the correct filling order and prepared to show it to you.
Are you ready? Wait and see. ...
Actually, it's not.
I recently listed some sources of ideas:
As you can see from this list, ideas (yes, even good ideas) can come from anywhere. The best way to find a good idea is to have many ideas.
Creativity doesn't have to start with customers and problems.
However, the real challenge is not the generation of ideas, but the verification of ideas.
Although the generation of ideas should not be limited by the filling order, there is an optimal order for idea verification.
An effective verification plan will test your most dangerous hypothesis first. How to discover your most dangerous hypothesis? This is where the correct use of lean canvas can help you.
Just like jigsaw puzzles, ideas can have many different starting points. But no matter where you start, you still need a complete picture (business model story).
The purpose of drawing lean canvas is to deconstruct an idea and make you see it more clearly. Although it is well-intentioned to impose a starting point (such as customers and questions) (because they are often risky boxes), I find that too many people often falsify the contents of these boxes anyway. For example, they will write specific problem statements to prove the rationality of the solutions they have wanted to build. Moreover, in the process, they gave themselves a false sense of comfort.
Yes, this is the prejudice of innovators. The most surprising thing is that people don't even realize that they are doing this. So now I take a different approach.
Before facing the prejudice of innovators, you must be able to see it.
I don't impose a specific order now, but guide people to fill the canvas from the background story of their own ideas. These triggers reveal a lot of information about situations, backgrounds, prejudices and traps, which are often accompanied by background stories.
Here's what I did:
The goal of the first lean canvas is not to achieve perfection, but to get a snapshot. I suggest setting a 20-minute timer and filling in as many boxes as possible within this time limit. You can also leave some boxes blank.
Start with the background story of your idea. Even if your idea seems like an instant inspiration, it can always be traced back to one or more specific events or triggers that led you to take action.
For example, the founder of Uber is said to have the idea that he couldn't find a taxi after attending an event in Paris. They met a problem and decided to do something about it. If I were painting that canvas, I would start with the question box.
If you are a researcher who wants to do business exploration or invention, then you will start with the solution box. You can point this out clearly on the lean canvas.
If management asks you to find a new source of income, make it a clear starting point.
If you want to try it, you can start with a blank lean canvas template.
What are the first three boxes you filled in? I'll tell you a lot where you start.
Filling lean canvas is essentially a series of interdependent beliefs. The early links in the chain limit and shape your thoughts. At the same time, any mistake or weak assumption in the early stage of the chain will have a chain reaction. This is why in your belief chain (the background story of your thoughts), it is particularly insightful to introspect and criticize the early links.
It should be noted here that the seemingly random order for lean canvas is actually a gift in disguise. If the organization of lean canvas is more logical, it may lead people to fill it in this order, thus missing their more natural thinking order.
Not surprisingly, the solution box is often the first starting point for most ideas. Next may be income)/growth instructions and unfair advantages.
When traversing your belief chain, divide each belief into the following categories:
This will help you assess how reliable your current ideas are.
The purpose of this exercise is not to blame the way you generate ideas. Remember that "good ideas" can come from anywhere. However, compared with the source of the idea itself, how to take action on the idea is an important factor that determines success.
If an idea wants to succeed, it needs to deal with three kinds of risks at the same time: customer risk, market risk and technical risk. We can also express this as the intersection of three circles: IDEO(IDEO is the world's top design consulting company, good at product development and innovation, and designed Apple's first mouse and the world's first notebook computer):
Ensure that all three risks are covered at the beginning of the chain, and that these links are preferably based on factual data. If not, you know what to do next. Get some answers by doing some learning experiments.
For most products, desirability is not the biggest risk, attraction is, and then viability. In other words, attracting customers' attention is the first battle-today is more important than ever.
To help you understand your attraction story, I created a lean canvas so that you can focus on this almost universal entrepreneurial risk.
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