Lean Startup Springboard
Duration
- One Semester or equivalent
Contact hours
- 36 hours
Prerequisites
100 Credit Points
Corequisites
NilAims and objectives
This unit teaches students to apply lean principles, early stage venture mindset, skills, tools and techniques facilitated by a blend of lectures, discussions, cases, readings, video material, workshops and expert guest speakers. Start-ups are not smaller versions of large companies as they do not systematically manage the production and sales of products/services. Instead start-ups are in search mode, looking for innovative product-market fit and a sustainable business model to turn the value proposition into sales and profits. This unit guides students, step-by-step, as they put the innovation process to work, actively developing a start-up in a range of settings including social and corporate, aiming for solving customer jobs and creating sustainable value in the market.
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
1. Systematically review and evaluate research from a variety of sources to make informed decisions.
2. Understand and apply the value proposition process to discover customer problems, needs, wants and the `job to be done’.
3. Identify assumptions and design tests to analyse and validate customer problems and solutions.
4. Develop entrepreneurial vision by applying the principles and fundamentals of the lean start-up process in a range of settings, including social and corporate.
Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment, general skills outcomes and content.
Teaching methods
Face to Face Mode:
Scheduled hours: Lectures (12 x 2 hours), Tutorials (12 x 1 hour)
Student workload:
For all teaching and learning structures (both face to face and online), students are expected to spend an average of 150 hours per unit in total over the duration of the study period.
This includes all:
• Scheduled teaching and learning events and activities (contact hours timetabled in a face-to-face teaching space) and scheduled online learning events (contact hours scheduled in an online teaching space), and
• Non-scheduled learning events and activities (including directed online learning activities, assessments, independent study, student group meetings, and research)
To be successful, students should:
• Read all prescribed materials and/or view videos in preparation for each class
• Attend and engage in all scheduled classes (face to face or online)
• Start assessment tasks well ahead of the due date, and submit assessments promptly
• Read / listen to all feedback carefully, and consider it for future assessment
• Engage with fellow students and teaching staff (don’t hesitate to ask questions)
Assessment
1. Class Activities (Individual) 10 - 20%
2. Assignment (Individual) 35 - 55%
3. Report and Presentation (Group) 35 - 45%
2. Assignment (Individual) 35 - 55%
3. Report and Presentation (Group) 35 - 45%
General skills outcomes
During this unit students will receive feedback on the following key generic skills:
• Teamwork skills
• Analysis skills
• Problem solving skills
• Communication skills
• Ability to tackle unfamiliar problems
• Ability to work independently
Content
• What a lean start up is
• Entrepreneurial decision making
• Entrepreneurial vision and mission
• Combining business fundamentals and lean methodologies for Search, Discovery and Validation Introduction to Business Models and Business Model Innovation
• Opportunity Discovery Canvas, Lean Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas
• Prototype and test validation of problem-solution fit followed by product-market fit
• How to present problem-solution rationale to investors
• Entrepreneurial decision making
• Entrepreneurial vision and mission
• Combining business fundamentals and lean methodologies for Search, Discovery and Validation Introduction to Business Models and Business Model Innovation
• Opportunity Discovery Canvas, Lean Canvas and Value Proposition Canvas
• Prototype and test validation of problem-solution fit followed by product-market fit
• How to present problem-solution rationale to investors
Study resources
- Reading materials.
Reading materials
Students are advised to check the unit outline in the relevant teaching period for appropriate textbooks and further reading.