The Lean Validator

Protocol

The Lean Validator

A habit system for evidence-based product decisions. Transform from faith-based building to hypothesis-driven experimentation. Build-Measure-Learn at maximum velocity.

I validate truths. I don't build hallucinations.
Myth

Common Myth

The best product teams are the ones that ship the most features.

Old Way
  • Launch first, learn later
  • Validate with surveys and opinions
  • Build features stakeholders request
  • Succeed = feature shipped
  • Persist because you've invested
  • Interpret data to confirm the plan
  • Batch learning into quarterly retros
New Way
  • Experiment first, build only what's validated
  • Validate with behavioral data (clicks, commits)
  • Build solutions that map to validated problems
  • Succeed = hypothesis proven or falsified
  • Kill based on pre-defined criteria, not emotion
  • Design experiments to prove yourself wrong
  • Run continuous discovery every single week

Does this sound familiar?

  • Your backlog has 200+ items that will never be built
  • You celebrate shipping, not learning
  • Your user interviews always confirm the plan
  • The HiPPO decides when data is inconvenient
  • Features persist for years despite poor metrics
  • You can't remember the last time you killed a project
  • You spend more time in planning meetings than with customers

Mechanism

The 4 Core Systems

Click a system to explore its habits

Hypothesis Engineering

Hypothesis Engineering

Transform gut feelings into falsifiable statements. XYZ format. Leap of Faith ID. Pre-mortems.

Minimum Viable Experimentation

Minimum Viable Experimentation

Test intent before capability. Paper prototypes. Fake doors. Wizard of Oz. 48-hour MVPs.

Build-Measure-Learn Loops

Build-Measure-Learn Loops

Maintain continuous contact with reality. Weekly touchpoints. Mom Test. Opportunity Trees.

Pivot-or-Persevere Audits

Pivot-or-Persevere Audits

Make unemotional strategic decisions. Kill criteria. Innovation accounting. Feature funerals.

Your First Validation Sprint

Step01

Day 1: Define What You're Testing

Before any build, write the hypothesis. Use the XYZ format and identify the Leap of Faith assumption that could kill the initiative.

Step02

Day 2-3: Design the Minimum Experiment

What's the cheapest way to test this? Paper prototype, fake door, landing page—test intent before you write a line of code.

Step03

Day 4-5: Contact Reality

Talk to customers using the Mom Test. Ask about past behavior, not future intentions. Capture insights in a Snapshot immediately.

Step04

Day 5: The Verdict

Compare results against your pre-defined kill criteria. No moving goalposts. Decide: Scale, Pivot, or Kill.

Step05

Repeat: The 90-Day Reset

Every quarter, treat the business as a new startup. Re-validate the entire model from scratch.

Operating Rhythm

  • Hypothesis Check

    Daily

    Before any decision, ask: 'What would need to be true for this to work?' If you can't answer, you're guessing.

  • Customer Touchpoint

    Weekly

    30 minutes with at least one real user. No agenda. Continuous discovery of context and problems.

  • Learning Velocity Review

    Weekly

    How many experiments ran this week? How many insights validated or invalidated? This is your leading indicator.

  • Pivot-or-Persevere Meeting

    Monthly

    Scheduled forcing function. Review data against kill criteria. Decide: Scale, Pivot, or Kill.

  • The 90-Day Reset

    Quarterly

    Treat next quarter as a new startup. Redraw the Lean Canvas. Challenge every assumption.

Progression

Habit Tiers

Tier 1

Foundation

Core micro-habits: XYZ hypothesis format, Leap of Faith identification, Kill Criteria definition, Weekly Customer Touchpoint.

Tier 2

Growth

Expanded experiments: Lean Canvas, Landing Page Tests, Mom Test Protocol, Innovation Accounting.

Tier 3

Mastery

Advanced validation: Pre-Mortems, Wizard of Oz, 48-Hour MVPs, Sunk Cost Checks, Zombie Diagnostics.

Tier 4Peak

Titan

Team-level transformation: Assumption Audits, Feature Funerals, Gemba Walks, 90-Day Resets.

The Lean Vocabulary

01

XYZ Hypothesis

A testable statement: 'We believe X% of Y users will do Z action.' Forces measurable predictions.

02

Leap of Faith Assumption

The riskiest untested belief that, if wrong, would kill the entire venture. Test this first.

03

Kill Criteria

Pre-defined failure threshold set before data collection: 'We will kill this if metric < X.'

04

Fake Door Test

A button or link for a feature that doesn't exist. Measures behavioral intent (clicks) before building.

05

Wizard of Oz

Simulate the automated product experience manually; the user doesn't know a human is the 'backend.'

06

The Mom Test

Ask only about past behavior. Never pitch. Never ask 'Do you like it?' People lie to be nice.

07

Innovation Accounting

Metrics that matter (cohort retention, activation) vs. metrics that flatter (total signups).

08

Learning Velocity

Experiments per week. The rate at which you validate or invalidate assumptions.

09

Zombie Product

Enough revenue to survive, but not growing. Consumes talent that could be deployed elsewhere.

10

Feature Funeral

The ritual of publicly killing a feature that didn't meet criteria. Celebrate waste removal.

Target Weekly Touchpoints

1/week

First MVP Timebox

48 hours

Kill Criteria Lead Time

Before build

Strategic Reset Cycle

90 days

"

The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else.

Eric Ries, The Lean Startup

Frequently Asked Questions

Protocol Playbooks

Curated sequences of habits designed to be practiced together. Click a playbook to see its cards in the deck below.

The Zero-to-One Sprint
6 cards

The Zero-to-One Sprint

First-week protocol for validating a new product concept. From idea to evidence in 5 days.

Sketch the 20-Minute Canvas
Identify the Leap of Faith
Deploy the Fake Door Test

+3 more habits

The Feature Factory Breaker
6 cards

The Feature Factory Breaker

Stop shipping without validating. Inject evidence gates into your existing backlog process.

Formulate the XYZ Hypothesis
Map the Opportunity Solution Tree
Define the Kill Criteria

+3 more habits

The Weekly Discovery Rhythm
4 cards

The Weekly Discovery Rhythm

The minimum viable continuous discovery cadence. One customer, one experiment, one review—every week.

Schedule the Weekly Touchpoint
Capture the Interview Snapshot
Apply the Mom Test Protocol

+1 more habits

The Kill Decision Protocol
5 cards

The Kill Decision Protocol

How to make unemotional pivot-or-persevere decisions when the data arrives.

Define the Kill Criteria
Hold the Pivot-or-Persevere Meeting
Review Innovation Accounting

+2 more habits

The 90-Day Strategic Reset
5 cards

The 90-Day Strategic Reset

Quarterly ritual to re-validate the entire business model and prevent strategic drift.

Review Innovation Accounting
Diagnose the Zombie State
Run the Pre-Mortem Narrative

+2 more habits

Quests

Challenges to accelerate your transformation. Click a quest to see its target cards.

Initiation

The Blueprint Protocol

Establish your baseline by rewriting feature requests as hypotheses and scheduling your first weekly customer touchpoint.

"Welcome to the lab. We don't build features here; we validate assumptions. Let's install your core operating system."

Foundation tier streak for 7 days
6 cards
View Quest Cards
System Mastery

The Alchemist’s Gauntlet

Master Minimum Viable Experimentation by running everything from Fake Door tests to high-fidelity Wizard of Oz simulations.

"A scientist is only as good as their experiments. Prove the value before you write a single line of production code."

Complete Minimum Viable Experimentation system
8 cards
View Quest Cards
Titan Trial

The Great Purge

Perform a 90-day strategic reset and host a feature funeral to purge unvalidated bloat from your product.

"The Feature Factory is dead. Only the leanest, most evidence-backed survivors remain. It’s time for the ultimate reckoning."

2 Titan tier habits
2 cards
View Quest Cards

The Full Deck

32 habits across 4 core systems

Systems:
Playbooks:
Formulate the XYZ Hypothesisfoundation

Formulate the XYZ Hypothesis

Rewrite every feature request using format: 'We believe X% of Y users will do Z action.'
⏱ 5m⚡ mental
Hypothesis Engineering
Identify the Leap of Faithfoundation

Identify the Leap of Faith

List top 3 project assumptions; label Desirability, Viability, Feasibility; circle the riskiest one.
⏱ 10m⚡ mental
Hypothesis Engineering
Sketch the 20-Minute Canvasgrowth

Sketch the 20-Minute Canvas

Set timer; fill 9-box Lean Canvas; leave unknowns blank; identify riskiest box immediately.
⏱ 20m⚡ mental
Hypothesis Engineering
State the Day-One Hypothesisgrowth

State the Day-One Hypothesis

Write best-guess answer immediately using current knowledge; define what data would change your mind.
⏱ 5m⚡ mental
Hypothesis Engineering
Run the Pre-Mortem Narrativemastery

Run the Pre-Mortem Narrative

Imagine project failed 6 months from now; write brief story explaining why; surface hidden risks.
⏱ 15m⚡ mental
Hypothesis Engineering
Generate the Counter-Hypothesismastery

Generate the Counter-Hypothesis

When team agrees unanimously, write opposing view; list one reason it might be true.
⏱ 10m⚡ mental
Hypothesis Engineering
Audit Weekly Assumptionstitan

Audit Weekly Assumptions

Review 3 past decisions; label 'Based on Data' or 'Based on Opinion'; calculate team ratio.
⏱ 30m⚡ mental
Hypothesis Engineering
Ladder the Five Whystitan

Ladder the Five Whys

When stakeholder suggests solution, ask 'Why?' five times; write down the root customer problem.
⏱ 10m⚡ mental
Hypothesis Engineering
Sketch the Paper Prototypefoundation

Sketch the Paper Prototype

Draw core interaction on pen and paper; show colleague and ask 'What happens if you click here?'
⏱ 15m⚡ tactical
Minimum Viable Experimentation
Deploy the Fake Door Testfoundation

Deploy the Fake Door Test

Create button/link for unbuilt feature; show 'Coming Soon' modal on click; measure click intent.
⏱ 30m⚡ tactical
Minimum Viable Experimentation
Run the Concierge Testgrowth

Run the Concierge Test

Perform automated service manually for one customer; validate they value the outcome before coding.
⏱ 1h⚡ tactical
Minimum Viable Experimentation
Launch the Landing Page Testgrowth

Launch the Landing Page Test

Create simple page with UVP and signup form using no-code tool; drive small traffic; measure conversion.
⏱ 30m⚡ tactical
Minimum Viable Experimentation
Simulate with Wizard of Ozmastery

Simulate with Wizard of Oz

Create product experience where you act as backend; user must not know it's manual; test willingness to pay.
⏱ 2h⚡ tactical
Minimum Viable Experimentation
Ship the 48-Hour MVPmastery

Ship the 48-Hour MVP

Fix time to 48 hours; strip everything non-essential; build only minimum to test prime hypothesis; launch.
⏱ 48h⚡ tactical
Minimum Viable Experimentation
Audit Competitor Failurestitan

Audit Competitor Failures

Read 1-star reviews of competitor products; list specific pain points they failed to solve; frame as opportunities.
⏱ 30m⚡ mental
Minimum Viable Experimentation
Ask for the Price Commitmenttitan

Ask for the Price Commitment

When user says 'I would buy,' ask for deposit or letter of intent; measure hesitation to reveal true demand.
⏱ 5m⚡ tactical
Minimum Viable Experimentation
Schedule the Weekly Touchpointfoundation

Schedule the Weekly Touchpoint

Speak to at least one customer every week; no agenda required; continuous discovery of context and problems.
⏱ 30m⚡ tactical
Build-Measure-Learn Loops
Capture the Interview Snapshotfoundation

Capture the Interview Snapshot

Fill 1-page snapshot immediately after call: Photo, Key Quote, Quick Facts, Opportunities, Insights.
⏱ 15m⚡ mental
Build-Measure-Learn Loops
Apply the Mom Test Protocolgrowth

Apply the Mom Test Protocol

Ask only about past behavior ('When was the last time you...?'); stop them if they speak in generic futures.
⏱ N/A⚡ mental
Build-Measure-Learn Loops
Map the Opportunity Solution Treegrowth

Map the Opportunity Solution Tree

Update visual tree weekly; connect every Solution leaf to parent Opportunity branch to Desired Outcome root.
⏱ 20m⚡ mental
Build-Measure-Learn Loops
Walk the Experience Mapmastery

Walk the Experience Map

Monthly review of entire user journey pre-to-post purchase with team; identify friction outside product UI.
⏱ 30m⚡ mental
Build-Measure-Learn Loops
Automate the Recruiting Dripmastery

Automate the Recruiting Drip

Set up 'set-and-forget' recruitment pipeline (in-app popup, auto-email) that books users into calendar.
⏱ 15m⚡ tactical
Build-Measure-Learn Loops
Go to the Gembatitan

Go to the Gemba

Observe user in their natural environment for 1 hour without guiding them; note workarounds and frustrations.
⏱ 1h⚡ tactical
Build-Measure-Learn Loops
Track Learning Velocitytitan

Track Learning Velocity

Record experiments run per week and insights validated/invalidated; treat as leading success indicator.
⏱ 5m⚡ mental
Build-Measure-Learn Loops
Define the Kill Criteriafoundation

Define the Kill Criteria

Before any experiment, write: 'We will kill this if conversion is less than X%.' Set fail condition early.
⏱ 10m⚡ mental
Pivot-or-Persevere Audits
Hold the Pivot-or-Persevere Meetingfoundation

Hold the Pivot-or-Persevere Meeting

Monthly or quarterly scheduled meeting to review progress vs. hypothesis; decide: Scale, Pivot, or Kill.
⏱ 1h⚡ mental
Pivot-or-Persevere Audits
Review Innovation Accountinggrowth

Review Innovation Accounting

Review actionable metrics (cohort retention, activation, per-customer revenue) weekly; ignore vanity metrics.
⏱ 30m⚡ mental
Pivot-or-Persevere Audits
Visualize the Runwaygrowth

Visualize the Runway

Check Learning Runway weekly: how many experiment cycles left before resources run out? Not just cash.
⏱ 5m⚡ mental
Pivot-or-Persevere Audits
Run the Sunk Cost Checkmastery

Run the Sunk Cost Check

Ask: 'If we hadn't built this yet, would we build it today knowing what we know?' If no, kill immediately.
⏱ 5m⚡ mental
Pivot-or-Persevere Audits
Diagnose the Zombie Statemastery

Diagnose the Zombie State

Quarterly check: enough revenue to stay alive but not growing? If yes, force radical pivot decision.
⏱ 15m⚡ mental
Pivot-or-Persevere Audits
Hold the Feature Funeraltitan

Hold the Feature Funeral

Publicly remove feature that didn't meet criteria; archive learnings; celebrate saved maintenance and complexity.
⏱ 30m⚡ tactical
Pivot-or-Persevere Audits
Execute the 90-Day Resettitan

Execute the 90-Day Reset

Every 90 days, treat next quarter as new startup; re-validate entire business model canvas from scratch.
⏱ 1h⚡ mental
Pivot-or-Persevere Audits

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