# Lean Startup Methodology Worksheet

## Overview
The Lean Startup Methodology is an approach to building businesses and products that emphasizes rapid experimentation, validated learning, and iterative product releases to shorten development cycles and quickly discover if a proposed business model is viable.

## Pre-Startup Setup

**Startup/Project Name:** _________________________________
**Date:** _____________
**Team Members:** _________________________________
**Industry/Market:** _________________________________
**Initial Investment:** $_____________

## Problem-Solution Fit

### Problem Hypothesis
**What problem are we solving?**
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

**Who has this problem?**
- Primary Customer Segment: ___________________________________________
- Secondary Segments: _________________________________________________
- Market Size: ________________________________________________________

**How painful is this problem?**
☐ Critical (must-solve)  ☐ High (actively seeking solutions)  
☐ Medium (nice to solve)  ☐ Low (not urgent)

**Evidence of Problem:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________

### Solution Hypothesis
**Our proposed solution:**
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

**Key assumptions we're making:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________________

## Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

### MVP Definition
**Core features for MVP:**
1. Feature: _________________ Why essential: _________________________
2. Feature: _________________ Why essential: _________________________
3. Feature: _________________ Why essential: _________________________

**Features NOT in MVP (but wanted):**
1. Feature: _________________ Why excluded: __________________________
2. Feature: _________________ Why excluded: __________________________
3. Feature: _________________ Why excluded: __________________________

### MVP Development Plan
**Build Timeline:** _____ days/weeks
**Resources Needed:**
- Development: ________________________________________________________
- Design: _____________________________________________________________
- Other: ______________________________________________________________

**MVP Success Criteria:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________

## Build-Measure-Learn Cycles

### Cycle 1

**BUILD**
- What we're building: _______________________________________________
- Hypothesis: _________________________________________________________
- Timeline: ___________________________________________________________

**MEASURE**
- Key Metrics:
  1. Metric: _________________ Target: _________ Tool: ______________
  2. Metric: _________________ Target: _________ Tool: ______________
  3. Metric: _________________ Target: _________ Tool: ______________
- Data Collection Method: _____________________________________________

**LEARN**
- Results: ____________________________________________________________
- Validated: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Partially
- Key Insights: _______________________________________________________
- Pivot or Persevere? ☐ Pivot ☐ Persevere

### Cycle 2

**BUILD**
- What we're building: _______________________________________________
- Hypothesis: _________________________________________________________
- Timeline: ___________________________________________________________

**MEASURE**
- Key Metrics:
  1. Metric: _________________ Target: _________ Tool: ______________
  2. Metric: _________________ Target: _________ Tool: ______________
  3. Metric: _________________ Target: _________ Tool: ______________
- Data Collection Method: _____________________________________________

**LEARN**
- Results: ____________________________________________________________
- Validated: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Partially
- Key Insights: _______________________________________________________
- Pivot or Persevere? ☐ Pivot ☐ Persevere

### Cycle 3

**BUILD**
- What we're building: _______________________________________________
- Hypothesis: _________________________________________________________
- Timeline: ___________________________________________________________

**MEASURE**
- Key Metrics:
  1. Metric: _________________ Target: _________ Tool: ______________
  2. Metric: _________________ Target: _________ Tool: ______________
  3. Metric: _________________ Target: _________ Tool: ______________
- Data Collection Method: _____________________________________________

**LEARN**
- Results: ____________________________________________________________
- Validated: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Partially
- Key Insights: _______________________________________________________
- Pivot or Persevere? ☐ Pivot ☐ Persevere

## Customer Development

### Customer Discovery

**Interview Plan:**
- Target Interviews: _____ customers
- Completed: _____ 
- Method: ☐ In-person ☐ Phone ☐ Video ☐ Email

**Interview Questions:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________________

**Key Findings:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________

**Customer Quotes:**
- "_________________________________________________________________"
- "_________________________________________________________________"
- "_________________________________________________________________"

### Customer Validation

**Early Adopters Identified:**
1. Segment: _________________ Characteristics: _______________________
2. Segment: _________________ Characteristics: _______________________
3. Segment: _________________ Characteristics: _______________________

**Validation Metrics:**
- Sign-ups/Interest: _____ / _____ (actual/target)
- Pre-orders/LOIs: _____ / _____ (actual/target)
- Paying Customers: _____ / _____ (actual/target)
- Customer Acquisition Cost: $_____ / $_____ (actual/target)

## Key Metrics & Analytics

### Innovation Accounting

**Vanity Metrics to Avoid:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________

**Actionable Metrics to Track:**

| Metric | Definition | Current | Target | Action if Below |
|--------|------------|---------|--------|-----------------|
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |

### Cohort Analysis
**Cohort Definition:** _________________________________________________

| Cohort | Size | Conversion | Retention (1mo) | Retention (3mo) | LTV |
|--------|------|------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----|
| Week 1 | | % | % | % | $ |
| Week 2 | | % | % | % | $ |
| Week 3 | | % | % | % | $ |
| Week 4 | | % | % | % | $ |

### Pirate Metrics (AARRR)
- **Acquisition:** How do users find us? Rate: ____%
- **Activation:** Do users have a good first experience? Rate: ____%
- **Retention:** Do users come back? Rate: ____%
- **Referral:** Do users tell others? Rate: ____%
- **Revenue:** Do users pay? Rate: ____%

## Pivot or Persevere Decision Framework

### Current Strategy Assessment

**What's Working:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________

**What's Not Working:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________

### Pivot Options

**Types of Pivots to Consider:**
- [ ] Zoom-in Pivot (single feature becomes whole product)
- [ ] Zoom-out Pivot (whole product becomes single feature)
- [ ] Customer Segment Pivot (same product, different customers)
- [ ] Customer Need Pivot (same customers, different problem)
- [ ] Platform Pivot (app to platform or vice versa)
- [ ] Business Architecture Pivot (high margin/low volume ↔ low margin/high volume)
- [ ] Value Capture Pivot (monetization changes)
- [ ] Engine of Growth Pivot (viral, sticky, or paid)
- [ ] Channel Pivot (different distribution)
- [ ] Technology Pivot (different technology for same solution)

### Decision Criteria

| Factor | Weight | Current Strategy Score | Pivot Strategy Score |
|--------|--------|----------------------|-------------------|
| Market Size | | /10 | /10 |
| Problem Severity | | /10 | /10 |
| Solution Fit | | /10 | /10 |
| Business Model | | /10 | /10 |
| Team Capability | | /10 | /10 |
| **Total** | | /50 | /50 |

**Decision:** ☐ Persevere with current strategy ☐ Pivot to: _____________

## Hypothesis Tracking

### Hypothesis Log

| # | Hypothesis | Test Method | Result | Learning | Date |
|---|------------|-------------|--------|----------|------|
| 1 | | | ☐Validated ☐Invalidated | | |
| 2 | | | ☐Validated ☐Invalidated | | |
| 3 | | | ☐Validated ☐Invalidated | | |
| 4 | | | ☐Validated ☐Invalidated | | |
| 5 | | | ☐Validated ☐Invalidated | | |

### Assumption Mapping

**Critical Assumptions (High Risk, High Importance):**
1. Assumption: _________________ Test: _____________ Deadline: ________
2. Assumption: _________________ Test: _____________ Deadline: ________
3. Assumption: _________________ Test: _____________ Deadline: ________

**Important Assumptions (Lower Risk or Importance):**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________

## Experiment Design

### Current Experiment

**Experiment Name:** __________________________________________________
**Hypothesis:** _______________________________________________________
**Success Metric:** ___________________________________________________
**Minimum Success Criteria:** _________________________________________

**Experiment Setup:**
- Duration: ___________________________________________________________
- Sample Size: ________________________________________________________
- Test Method: ________________________________________________________
- Control Variables: __________________________________________________

**Results:**
- Outcome: ____________________________________________________________
- Statistical Significance: ___________________________________________
- Next Steps: _________________________________________________________

## Financial Planning

### Burn Rate & Runway
- Monthly Burn Rate: $_________________
- Current Cash: $_____________________
- Runway: _____ months
- Break-even Target: _________________

### Unit Economics
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): $_____
- Customer Lifetime Value (LTV): $_____
- LTV:CAC Ratio: _____:1 (target 3:1)
- Payback Period: _____ months

### Revenue Projections
| Month | Users | Revenue | Costs | Profit/Loss |
|-------|-------|---------|-------|-------------|
| 1 | | $ | $ | $ |
| 2 | | $ | $ | $ |
| 3 | | $ | $ | $ |
| 6 | | $ | $ | $ |
| 12 | | $ | $ | $ |

## Team & Advisors

### Core Team Assessment
| Role | Person | Strengths | Gaps | Development Plan |
|------|--------|-----------|------|------------------|
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |

### Advisory Board
| Advisor | Expertise | Contribution | Meeting Frequency |
|---------|-----------|--------------|-------------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |

## Learning Documentation

### Weekly Learning Review
**Week of: _____________**

**Key Learnings:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________

**Surprises:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________

**Changes for Next Week:**
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________

## Scale-Up Triggers

### Indicators We're Ready to Scale:
- [ ] Product-Market Fit achieved (40% users "very disappointed" without product)
- [ ] Unit economics positive
- [ ] Scalable customer acquisition channel identified
- [ ] Retention rates stable and acceptable
- [ ] Team ready for growth
- [ ] Funding secured or revenue sufficient

### Scale-Up Plan:
1. _________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________

## Example Lean Startup Implementation

**Company:** Food Delivery App for Office Workers

**Initial Hypothesis:** Office workers want healthy lunch delivered in under 20 minutes

**MVP:** Simple web form + WhatsApp ordering from 3 restaurant partners

**First Pivot:** From healthy focus to speed focus (learned health wasn't primary concern)

**Key Metrics:** 
- Order frequency: 3.2x/week
- Delivery time: 18 minutes average
- CAC: $12
- LTV: $240

**Validated Learning:** Speed and reliability matter more than healthy options. B2B corporate accounts more scalable than B2C.

**Current Status:** 10,000 weekly orders, expanding to 3 new cities

---
*Completed by:* _____________
*Date:* _____________
*Next Review:* _____________