#48 - Stop Doing Low Impact, Low Value Work
Back in the day, the way experts recommended we set up schools and work was based on the factory mindset of maximising output within a given period (higher level thought leadership has emerged since then).
The recession meant everyone was overworked and the smart ones amongst us focussed on getting rid of low-value work; HBR explains this well in this article. In your startup you probably find there are more ideas than you have time to execute, so how do you decide which ones are worth pursuing?
This is much easier when you have a clear goal, a strong vision that is shared with your team and a consideration of the strategy that your team is well-positioned for. With this put down on paper, your team can do the execution part and I am a big fan of being data-informed because it allows you to cut through the noise. Just this week, I helped two early-stage tech startups get their data in and it has helped us really see what’s happening to users when they get inside the app. Now every week, we can have a 15 min discussion about what’s happening and what experiments to run next. This will save money that would have been spent on developing/building what doesn’t really add value.
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Hope this helps you think about prioritisation.
If you’ve got a tech startup or even just a website/mobile app feel free to reply to me if you need an app to get you started.
Let's Build Great Products
Growth Hacking: Getting to Traction - YouTube
Sunday Reads
Want to Improve Efficiency? Stop Doing Low-Value Work
But what if you could free up significant time — maybe as much as 20% of your workday — to focus on tasks that really matter? There will always be more to do than there is time to do it. To improve…
Data-Driven Personas at Salesforce
A friend of mine uses Google Analytics and Facebook data to create personas and I found it interesting that a team at Salesforce is doing the same thing.
Here’s the thing, Salesforce is doing B2B at scale using research-led method for better understanding our users
Helpful Tool(s)
Story-Mapping is a tool to understand the user journey
Here is an article I came across this week.
I know I share a lot of tools but one of the best tools I found is a whiteboard, markets, post-it notes and a good camera. Low value work could include learning how to use software each week if it doesn’t move the needle.
Enjoy the sun, and as always have a good week!
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