The Lean Startup
by Eric Ries
Ries' method for building under uncertainty: build a minimum viable product, measure real behavior, learn, then pivot or persevere. The vocabulary became standard and the method is useful far beyond startups. The book is longer than it needs to be and the examples skew to software.
Read it if…
you are building anything new and want a disciplined way to test before you invest.
Skip it if…
you want inspiration; this is process, and dry in places.
Three things you will actually use
- Test the riskiest assumption first.
- Measure actions, not opinions.
- Pivot on evidence, not on mood.
Do this first
Write the riskiest assumption in your current project and design a one-week test of it.
Our verdict
A standard-setting method book; essential ideas, average prose.
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