When it comes to developing a product or service, we seldom get it exactly right the first time. In ' The Personal MBA' written by Josh Kaufman, he suggests the use of an Iteration Cycle to make things better over time. Changes and revisions bring the project one step closer to what you are trying to accomplish.
He lists these six major steps which he calls the WIGWAM method:
- Watch - What's happening? What's working and what's not?
- Ideate - What could you improve? What are your options?
- Guess - Based on what you've learned so far, which of your ideas do you think will make the biggest impact?
- Which? - Decide which change to make.
- Act - Actually make this change.
- Measure - What happened? Should you keep the change or go back to how things were before the iteration?
Once you have completed the cycle, measure the results of the change and decide whether or not to keep them. You can then repeat the process by going back to the beginning and starting the WIGWAM cycle again.
I like this very simple but practical cycle for making improvements in what our business is offering. How could this apply to what you are currently developing or seeking to improve?