Kaitlyn LS1

1.)Intro: The Lean Startup is a book about 21st century management.  How does building a FRC robot and running a FRC team run into the same challenges Eric Ries identified in modern businesses?  How is our FRC team a group of entrepreneurs?

Answers:They both have successful ones but also for every successful one there are quite a few failure ones, too. So the same challenges that they both have is that starting a business is like building a robot, you both need ideas to start and then once you have ideas you need to pick the ones that will fit or work the best. After picking an idea you will start experimenting, like you start building it but then you find stuff that would work or stuff that would. But if that idea doesn't really work then you have to start over until you got it right and how you might want it. But finding the right thing can be hard.
 We each have a job but that job helps other jobs to help us work together and it can help us be better. Like when we are getting ready for our next game there are scouts and then when they have info about teams we will be teaming with or against to the drivers so then they can make strategies. It is like a business there are people that help others and then they give them info which could help the company.

2.)Chapter 1: What is productivity?  When building a FRC robot, what specifically is productivity?  Based on this definition, was our team productive during the last build season?

Answers: The rate at which goods and services having exchange value are brought forth or produced.
Getting parts that work and don't break right away. I would think so but I think we could do a little better. We could get an idea and build a proto-type and then let the programmers use it then if we test it and it doesn't work or it would work but then build the real one or start a different idea.

3.)Chapter 3: What did IMVU assume to be true when they designed their product?  How did customers actually behave?  Was there a faster and cheaper way to learn the lesson they learned?

Answers:The thought it was essential and it would be useful, and customers would have to use it with their existing friends. And it would support as many of the existing IM networks as possible and work on all kinds of computers. Nothing happened, because no one was trying their product. Yes, they could of done experimentation or make the product easier to understand. When they were talking to some of their customers they asked a 17 year old if they wanted to try IMVU, and that is was similar to IM. They did and even engaged with them, but when they said it's time to download the instant messaging add-on. They did not know what it was and their friends didn't either.  But what is important is that you have to make it some what simple so people can understand and if people haven't heard of it let them tyr for free or make it seem cool cause they will likely try it.

4.)Chapter 3: What is something that we were unsure of last build season that we experimentally validated?  Was there a faster way to learn what we learned?

Answers:Some of the parts that we would cad then send to McNeilus. Another when we worked on something that we probably could of done faster but we didn't because we might of not know how to do it or we got distracted or helped others with something that they needed help with. Have maybe a few people experiment on one thing and have another few people do a different one but also have some do the main one we think we want.

5.)Chapter 4: Choose the Zappos, HP, Kodak, or Proctor & Gamble case study.  What assumptions did the Zappos founders make when they started their business?  How did they test their assumptions more efficiently than the IMVU team?

Answers: Instead of testing and going through a process before releasing it. He instead started it by running an experiment. He began by asking local show stores if he could take pictures of their inventory. He made an agreement with them for in exchange for permission to take the pictures, he would post the pictures online and come back to buy the shoes at full price if a customer bought them online. They went a head and put itself in a position to interact with real customers and learn about their needs. So instead of waiting for what people want or asking hypothetical questions they were able to get the company started.

What I learned was that there are different ways you can run a business. Not only that but there are things that are similar to a business. Like a few of the question it asked about our robotics team and tasks. Also just a few chapter from this book has probably given me a few ideas for next year.