Talks about Reducing Risk
Return to full programWednesday, December 10, 2014
Early Morning Talks9:00 AM - 11:15 AM
- Data-Driven Done RightExperimentsMetricsReducing RiskDan McKinley, Radico, @mcfunleyRoom: Grand Ballroom
We all hear that we should make “data-driven” decisions in deciding what to test and how to measure results. But few of us have much experience actually doing that. With real and accessible examples, Dan McKinley walks us through the process–and the simple math–he developed to test, or scrap, new ideas at Etsy.
- Leadership, Uncertainty, and Self-DeceptionLeadershipReducing RiskDan Milstein, Hut 8 Labs, @danmilRoom: Grand Ballroom
What’s the biggest challenge in getting a team of people to adopt Lean Startup methods? Dan Milstein, founder at Hut 8 Labs, suggests a somewhat surprising answer: it’s the tendency of leaders to fall prey to the deep, built-in human propensity for self-deception. We’re wired to lie to ourselves in certain situations–and, in startups, those situations crop up all the time. Tying together psychology research and his own (painful) experiences on both sides of the leader/team member divide, Dan looks at the dangers of self-deception and what you can do to overcome it.
Concurrent Afternoon Talks 12:10 PM - 2:50 PM
- Identify and Validate Your Riskiest AssumptionsExperimentsReducing RiskLaura Klein, Hint Health, @laurakleinRoom: Grand Ballroom
MVPs are great–unless you’re building them to test assumptions that aren’t really mission-critical. In this hands-on session, Laura Klein, author of UX for Lean Startups and head of product development for Hint Health, breaks down the kinds of assumptions you should look for and a process for developing hypotheses that reveal your true barriers to growth.
Concurrent Afternoon Talks 23:05 PM - 3:45 PM
- Constraints That Help You Build Valuable SoftwareReducing RiskTechnicalJocelyn Goldfein, Investor, Advisor, Entrepreneur, @jgoldfeinRoom: Crystal
More than you know, your software’s business model and technology stack shape your appetite for risk, creativity and pace. Jocelyn Goldfein, former Engineering Director at Facebook, explains the constraints you face with various kinds of product DNA–and how you can embrace those constraints to build valuable software.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Concurrent Afternoon Talks 44:30 PM - 4:50 PM
- Talk About Risk Without Causing FearLeadershipReducing RiskAdam Josephs, Celerity Consulting Group, @celeritycgRoom: Crystal
Risk and uncertainty define startups–they’re the very qualities that make new initiatives different from established projects. But few of us have productive ways of discussing risk, and in fact, bringing it up can cause fear and undermine morale. How can we make coworkers comfortable addressing risk? Adam Josephs, Principal Consultant of Celerity Consulting, shares advice for discussing it early, often and constructively.
