Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, Braden Kowitz

2016

Introduction

Sprint provides a framework for solving big problems and testing new ideas quickly through five-day “sprints” that encourage collaboration and creativity. The authors—experts from Google Ventures—explain how teams can prototype and test ideas with users in just one week.

Why I Read This Book

I’ve been thinking about how to lead a team during the software development process and how to incorporate the concept of sprints into our workflow. Typically, sprints last two weeks, but this book introduces a compressed version that can be done in just five full days. The idea was so unique that I had to read it to see how applicable it might be for my own projects.

Summary of Key Ideas

The book outlines a five-day plan, broken down into clear activities aimed at creating and testing a prototype in a short amount of time. The process starts by defining a goal, sketching out ideas, building a prototype (which turns out to be simpler than expected), and testing with users. By the end of the week, teams can gain valuable insights into their product and the direction it should take.

One of the key takeaways is how much can be accomplished in just one week, using a streamlined process that forces focus and quick decision-making.

What I Learned

I learned that the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is often much simpler than expected. For instance, if you’re creating an app, the MVP doesn’t have to be a fully functional version; it could be something as simple as a slide presentation where users pretend to interact with the app. By observing how they navigate through the mockup, you can gather useful insights without building the actual product.

The book also includes inspiring stories, like the one about Time Timer, where the creator used overlapping paper plates to simulate the functionality of the timer. This showed me how even non-software projects can be prototyped and tested quickly. The book gave me several ideas for activities to try with my team, which helped us generate creative ideas and prototype designs more efficiently.

Application to Practice

After reading the Monday and Tuesday chapters, I was eager to try something like this with my team. While we couldn’t dedicate five full days, we did have a 4-hour block of time. I called it a “Design Dash”—a mini sprint. I stocked up on Post-Its, whiteboard markers, and poster boards to document our progress. Snacks were highly recommended, and we made sure to have plenty!

For the sprint, we followed Monday’s plan closely, setting a concrete goal: “Motivate people, especially with ADHD, to achieve their goals through daily tasks.” We did a mapping exercise, though ours was a bit more complicated since we’re still figuring out how our app will function. For Tuesday, instead of the “Ask the Experts” activity, each of us presented on a concept we’d researched, sharing findings on MVP features. Though the research was already documented, hearing it aloud was much more impactful. We did this during the second part of our Design Dash, which lasted 3 hours (finding time as busy students is a challenge!).

We wrote “How Might We” questions, but we ran out of time to vote on the top ones. That will be the first item on the agenda for our next Design Dash.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The process is explained clearly, and the authors’ writing is engaging. One thing I wish was covered more in-depth is a “student version” of the sprint. While the book offers great resources for professionals, I had to improvise for my student team, and some student-specific advice would have been helpful.

Who Should Read This Book

This book is ideal for project managers, students (especially grad students like me who lead teams), and managers looking to improve their product or service. It’s a great read for anyone interested in fast-paced prototyping and problem-solving.

Favorite Quote

One of the most inspiring parts of the book was about finding design inspiration outside the immediate domain of a product. For example, while designing a hotel delivery robot, the team realized that trying to create a talking, independently thinking robot would lead to unrealistic expectations. Instead, they focused on designing the robot’s “eyes” to communicate friendliness and personality. The team found inspiration in the peaceful, placid gaze of the animated creature Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro. A design by the company’s head designer combined this gentle aesthetic with a simple visual style, resulting in blinking eyes that perfectly suited the robot. As the authors described, “In Friday’s test, those simple blinking eyes conveyed a friendly personality, without promising conversation.”

Another example involved a coffee company designing an online store for selling beans. The team struggled to create an approachable way for customers to describe and choose flavors. Surprisingly, the breakthrough came from a chocolate bar wrapper, which featured a simple flavor wheel with descriptors like “bright” and “nutty.” Inspired by this minimalistic design, the team adapted the idea to create a flavor vocabulary for coffee beans. This cross-domain approach demonstrated how even unlikely sources can spark innovative ideas.

Closing Thoughts

I found this book so helpful that I decided to buy my own copy. After moving an entire bookshelf’s worth of books, I don’t usually buy books anymore and prefer to use my local library. But this book was worth the investment, as I want to keep the process handy for future reference and inspiration.

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