What Seven Years at Airbnb Taught Me About Building a Business
Jun 2019
Simple projects with vague problem statements circle for weeks; complex projects with strong problem statements sail smoothly. Crystallizing the problem you're solving is the single most important step before solving anything. Misalignment on the problem is invisible waste.
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A Three-Step Framework For Solving Problems 👌
Jun 2019Resist the urge to jump to a solution early. A strong problem statement references an unfulfilled need, includes both what and why, is focused enough for one team to own, and can be expressed in a single sentence. The more you need to explain it, the less clear the problem actually is.
A Three-Step Framework For Solving Problems 👌
Jun 2019Everyone on your team has a unique version of the problem in their heads. The larger and more complex the project, the more likely they are different. Your job is to eradicate this misalignment early by making the implicit explicit—opening up the wrapper so everyone agrees on what's inside.
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Jun 2019Nothing helps reduce scope creep more than repeatedly coming back to the problem statement and success metrics. As projects grow in complexity, teams naturally drift from the original intent. The antidote is a simple habit: review the problem statement in every design review, every stakeholder update, and before finalizing any work.
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Jun 2019A polished, well-designed product that doesn't solve the problem you set out to solve is a failure, regardless of its aesthetic or technical merit. The work of staying true to the problem is harder than the work of building the solution.
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