Chapter 1 of 9

Chapter 1: The Strategic Imperative & Core Principles

The cost of ambiguity and the "Think-Structure-Hypothesize" loop.

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Works Cited & Recommended Reading
Lean Startup & Validation
  • 1. Features - Lean Startup Tools from Ideation to Investment. LeanPivot.ai
  • 2. Ries, E. (2011). The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation. Crown Business
  • 3. Maurya, A. (2012). Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works. O'Reilly Media
  • 4. Blank, S. (2013). The Four Steps to the Epiphany. K&S Ranch
  • 5. An introduction to assumptions mapping. Mural
Jobs-to-Be-Done Framework
  • 6. Christensen, C.M. et al. (2016). Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice. Harper Business
  • 7. Ulwick, A. (2016). Jobs to Be Done: Theory to Practice. Idea Bite Press
  • 8. Klement, A. (2018). When Coffee and Kale Compete: Become great at making products people will buy. NYC Press
  • 9. Jobs-to-be-Done: A Framework for Customer Needs. Harvard Business Review
Problem Discovery & Validation
  • 10. Torres, T. (2021). Continuous Discovery Habits. Product Talk LLC
  • 11. Fitzpatrick, R. (2013). The Mom Test: How to talk to customers. Robfitz Ltd
  • 12. What Opportunities May Lead to Someone Becoming an Entrepreneur. MBA Disrupted
Blue Ocean & Differentiation
  • 13. Kim, W.C. & Mauborgne, R. (2015). Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition. Harvard Business Review Press
  • 14. The Four Actions Framework (ERRC Grid). Blue Ocean Strategy
  • 15. Strategy Canvas: A Visual Tool for Differentiation. Blue Ocean Strategy
Market Analysis & Signals
  • 16. How to Validate Your Startup Idea. Y Combinator
  • 17. Market Sizing for Startups: TAM, SAM, SOM. Forbes
  • 18. Maholic, J. (2019). IT Strategy: Issues and Practices. Scribd
Cognitive Biases & Decision Making
  • 19. Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Lean Canvas & Business Modeling
  • 20. The Lean Canvas Explained. Lean Stack
  • 21. Osterwalder, A. & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation. John Wiley & Sons

This playbook synthesizes research from lean startup methodology, Jobs-to-Be-Done theory, and behavioral economics. Some book links may be affiliate links.