LeARning LAunch

A learning launch is an experiment conducted in the marketplace quickly and inexpensively. It forms a bridge  between customer co-creation and commercial rollout.

1. Set tight boundaries.  Since this is a learning launch and  not a pilot, it is important to plan  for it to end. Set concrete limits  on key variables, such as time,  geography, number of customers,  features, and partner firms.

2.  Design with a sharp focus   on key assumptions.    Review the key assumptions that  you identified. For those that you  indicated will be tested in the  market, keep in mind the following  when planning your in-market  experiment:

a.  See to it that the prototype  reflects the key assumptions  you need   to test.

b.  Translate the assumptions  you plan to test into  specific metrics.

c.  Be explicit about how you  will generate the data   you need, especially  behavioral data.

d.  Be explicit about the search  for disconfirming data.

e.  Match the budget to an  affordable loss calculation.

3.  Build a team that is both  disciplined and adaptive.   The composition of the team  makes a difference. Yes, you  want the passionate supporters  of growth and innovation on  the squad. But having a few  skeptics around will ensure that  you are not designing a test to  give you the answers you want.  Also, someone with a financial  perspective is valuable—and  project management skills are  essential.

4.  Work in fast feedback cycles.  The learning launch is when  your growth project first makes  contact with reality. Expect  surprises and be prepared to  respond quickly.

5.  make it feel real.  A successful learning launch must  make it easy for all participants to  suspend their disbelief. It needs to  feel real to customers, partners,  and your internal team. Everyone  has something at stake. If it feels  like a game or make-believe, then  the behavioral data it generates  are suspect.

6.  Have back-up plans   for everything.  As the old adage says, if it can  go wrong, it will go wrong. Be  prepared for the worst-case  scenario. Having a process for  handling dissent, resolving  conflicts constructively,  and adapting on the fly is a  great  asset to any in-market  experiment.

priNCipLeS oF a LearNiNg LauNCH

What Works?

