9 New Methods: Agile, Lean and Product

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Agile Workflow

Kanban Boards

The Kanban Boards method gives you a visual system for managing work in progress. Columns represent stages; cards represent tasks. The key discipline is limiting WIP so bottlenecks become visible rather than buried.

When to use it:

• Your team has more work started than finished, and delivery feels chaotic
• You want to make workflow problems visible without a big process overhaul
• You're supporting an ongoing service rather than running fixed sprints

Development Sprints

Development Sprints are fixed-length iterations — typically 1–2 weeks — where the team commits to a defined scope and ships it. The worksheet walks through sprint planning, daily standups, review, and retrospective.

When to use it:

• You're building a product and need a repeatable rhythm for delivery
• Scope keeps expanding mid-delivery and you need a way to hold the line
• You want a regular cadence for reviewing progress with stakeholders

Product Owner

The Product Owner method defines the role responsible for maximising the value of the work a development team does. It's less about job titles and more about the decisions, responsibilities, and accountabilities the role requires.

When to use it:

• You're setting up an Agile team and need to clarify who makes the call on priorities
• Product decisions are being made by committee and slowing the team down
• You're scaling a product team and need to formalise how prioritisation works

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Defining the Work

Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance Criteria are the specific conditions a feature or story must meet to be considered done. Written before development starts, they close the gap between what a stakeholder wants and what the team builds.

When to use it:

• Stories are being closed as "done" but stakeholders keep pushing back
• Developers and designers have different assumptions about what a feature should do
• You want to write tests before writing code

Product Requirements Document

A Product Requirements Document captures the problem, the proposed solution, user stories, and constraints in one place before a team starts building. It's a forcing function for alignment.

When to use it:

• You're kicking off a significant new feature and need cross-functional buy-in
• Engineering keeps getting blocked by unclear requirements
• You want a record of decisions made, not just what was built

Test Plan

A Test Plan defines how you'll verify that what you've built actually works — the scope, approach, resources, and schedule for testing. Writing it forces you to think through edge cases before they become bugs in production.

When to use it:

• You're preparing for a major release and need a structured QA approach
• Your team tests ad hoc and issues keep slipping through to users
• You're handing over a feature to a QA team and need to communicate scope

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The Lean Loop

Build Measure Learn

Build Measure Learn is the core loop of the Lean Startup. You build the smallest thing that tests your assumption, measure what happens, and use that to decide what to do next. The worksheet helps you define the loop before you start building.

When to use it:

• You're building something new and want to validate before investing heavily
• Your team is building features without a feedback loop to measure their impact
• You're trying to reduce waste by testing assumptions cheaply

Pivot or Persevere

The Pivot or Persevere method is a structured review for deciding whether to stay on your current course or change direction. It's the decision point that closes the Build Measure Learn loop.

When to use it:

• Your metrics aren't moving the way you expected and you need to decide what to do
• You want to make the case for a strategic change — or defend staying the course
• You're running a startup review meeting and need a framework for the conversation

Product Market Fit

Product Market Fit is the point at which your product satisfies a strong market demand. This method helps you define what fit looks like for your product, measure how close you are, and identify what's holding you back.

When to use it:

• You're not sure if you've found product-market fit or just early enthusiasm
• Your retention numbers are flat and you need to diagnose why
• You're preparing for a fundraising conversation and need to demonstrate traction

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What's Next

If you're working through the Lean Startup process from scratch, the Build Measure Learn → Pivot or Persevere → Product Market Fit sequence is a good place to start. The worksheets for each step connect directly.

Got a method you'd like to see added? Let us know on the feedback page.