“Plans are useless, but planning is essential.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower. Long, complex plans don’t align with the iterative Business Model Hacking-approach. To successfully test and refine a new businessmodel it’s important to work in short cycles with innovation sprints (Also known as Agile sprints). Are you ready to discover how the innovation sprint can help you accelerate?

What is an innovation sprint?

An innovation sprint is a defined time period during which a startup sets goals and creates a plan for achieving them by the end of the sprint. The innovationteam works intensively to meet these goals. Each sprint lasts a maximum of two weeks (depending on the project and the project stage) and follows a continuous cycle. Every innovation sprint includes the following elements:

• Preparation on sprinting
• The kickoff sprint
• Daily standups
• A review with a research report.

Benefits of innovation sprints

You’re probably wondering about the benefits of an innovation sprint. Here are the key ones:

• Innovation sprints encourage immediate action.
• They provide structure and maintain a steady rhythm.
• The approach ensures thorough documentation of the project’s progress.
• Innovation sprints offer clear insights into a project’s advancement and the team’s performance.

How to run an innovation sprint?

1. Preparation on sprinting

Good preparation is important to get started properly. The following things must be in order to start successfully with innovationsprints.

• The riskiest assumptions are clear
• There is a framework in the form of a metric dashboard to measure validation performance.
• There is a clear Smart objective that the team is working towards, which is in line with the innovation phase.
• The right resources have been released to actually sprint (staffing, budget, access to systems, commitment from other departments, etc.).
• The regular innovation sprint meetings are scheduled in the agendas of those involved. To maintain a correct rhythm and rhythm, it is important to keep the lengths the same.
• Using the experiment canvas, a rough outline has been made of the most important experiments that need to be carried out in the project phase.

2. The kick-off sprint

The kick-off sprint sets the stage for your innovation sprint. It’s where goals for the sprint are defined, specific tasks are assigned and extra meetings that are needed for the sprint are planned. In this phase you outline the experiments for the sprint with the experiment card template.

The following questions helps you to cover the right topics in the kick-off sprint:

• What are the goals for the end of the sprint?
• How can these goals be translated into concrete objectives?
• Which experiments will be conducted?
• Who is responsible for what?
• How will activities be scheduled?
• Where and when is a meeting with stakeholders necessary?

3. Daily standup

The daily standup is a brief, 15-minute meeting to align the team’s activities and plan for the next 24 hours. Consistent timing helps maintain structure.

Each team member should answers three questions:

• What did I achieve since the last standup?
• What will I do today?
• What obstacles do I anticipate, and can anyone help?

4. Review meeting with research report

The review meeting at the end of the sprint is crucial. This meeting is where conclusions are drawn based on data from the experiments. It is important that the team prepares this meeting well with experimental conclusions and data that support the conclusions. The team can jointly refine and approve the conclusion with a learning card.

Consider the following things:

• Share a brief summary of the key points of the review meeting with relevant stakeholders like project supporters & coaches.
• Stick to the facts and clean conclusions. Don’t fall into the innovation theater trap, where the results

Repeat: conduct a new innovation sprint

After reviewing the sprint, focus on the next one. Innovation sprints follow a continuous cycle, enabling the team to learn and adjust constantly.

Pitfalls in innovation sprints

While innovation sprints can be powerful tools for driving progress, there are several potential pitfalls to watch out for:

• Lack of clear goals: Without well-defined objectives, sprints can lose focus and fail to deliver meaningful results.
• Poor time management: Overambitious goals or poor time allocation can lead to unfinished projects and frustration.
• Inadequate team alignment: If the team isn’t on the same page, miscommunication and inefficiency can derail the sprint.
• Ignoring data: Focusing too much on speed and creativity without properly analyzing data can lead to misguided decisions.
• Overlooking post-sprint actions: Without a solid plan for what happens after the sprint, valuable insights may not be implemented effectively.

The big picture: combine innovation sprints with quarterly reviews

Now you’re probably wondering ”What happens after a cycle of multiple sprints?”. An innovation sprint is part of an innovative way of working. A cycle of sprints usually leads to a larger quarterly meeting.

The quarterly innovation meeting is a key phase where the team reports on their progress and shares learnings and insights. During this meeting, the team:

• Outlines the goals
• Details the experiments conducted (including planned vs. executed)
• Assesses how many experiments were conclusive versus inconclusive
• Present the key insights and conclusions at a high level (including WOW-insights)
• Discuss the next steps. They evaluate if the current phase is completed and identifies strategic decisions that need to be made. Also the team discusses whether additional resources are required.

Frequently asked questions about innovation sprints

In our projects we often receive various questions about innovation sprints. To help you get started, we would like to highlight a number of them. Of course with answers.

I. What roles and responsibilities are essential within a sprint team?

Essential roles include a team leader or facilitator, subject matter experts, and individuals responsible for specific tasks. Clear responsibilities ensure effective collaboration.

II. How do you handle failed experiments during a innovation sprint?

Analyze the reasons for failure to extract learning and insights. Use this information to adjust strategies or pivot to alternative approaches. Inconclusive experiments happens and are part of the teams learning cycle. But it is important to be critical when designing an experiment and look for ways to increase reliability. Inconclusive experiments waste resources, slow progress, and can seriously damage others’ trust in the innovation team.

III. What’s the best way to present the results of an innovation sprint?

Summarize key findings, insights, and recommendations clearly and concisely. We recommend to use an attractive designed template and don’t share to much details. Make the information easy to understand with visuals, simple charts and tables.

IV. What tools are useful during an innovation sprint?

There are many tools that can be very helpful during innovation sprints. Personally, we think it is important that a tool does not become unnecessarily complicated.
We use:

• Trello: To plan activities on a SCRUM-board.
• Innovation tools for experiments: Experiment card & learning card.
• Innovation tools to streamline collaboration: Team canvas & Speedboat method

V. How do you balance speed and quality in an innovation sprint?

When you are working on innovation it is important to focus on iterative development and rapid testing. Prioritize key objectives and maintain a balance between quick execution and thorough evaluation.

Are you ready to make progress in your innovation projects?

Use innovation sprints in your projects and let us help you. Discover our business growth consulting services and let your business thrive. Please contact us to discuss the possibilities.