No matter their industry or target audience, our clients keep telling us the same thing: they want to move with the agility and boldness of a startup. The only problem? These are enterprises, and they live in a world that has always been risk-averse. It’s often a mindset that’s as un-startup as it gets. It’s like telling a wooly mammoth to flutter like a hummingbird.

So how do you marry enterprise trepidation with startup temerity? Simple. You create a process to take product risks with confidence.

You’re probably rolling your eyes at the “simple” part. After all, taking more risks — or, in some cases, any risks — at an enterprise is anything but simple. Or is it? Here at Launch by NTT DATA, we’ve built a groundbreaking framework that really does make it simple to be bolder. It’s called Rapid Product Validation.

You can take a deep dive into the process in our workbook, but here’s how speed can become your best friend:

• Going from idea to output can happen in as little as three weeks. To do it, we compress what is normally months' worth of research, design, and market validation into a three-week design-led sprint. Yes, you read that right. Our enterprise clients are getting prototypes out the door in three weeks.
• This isn’t just a condensed version of your “regular” validation process, though. Solely trying to work faster doesn’t move the needle; a shift in mindset does. First, you have to understand — and know how to eliminate — the list of pitfalls that can derail any product development project. You also have to ensure that everyone on your team thinks like a sprinter. In other words, you will all exert a bunch of energy right out of the starting blocks and quickly get to learn whether or not your idea is a winner.
• Trying to tackle a sprint like this on your own for the first time can feel a bit like a newborn deer scrambling to gain full control of its legs and take its first steps. But with the right guidance, you can replace all of that awkwardness with fun, exciting, rewarding collaboration. It’s an ideal environment where enthusiasm is contagious and your team can’t wait to see what’s around the next corner.
• Translating your excitement into an enthusiastic thumbs-up from your boss or the C-suite is just as important. That’s why Rapid Product Validation concludes with a Three Minute Story you must nail in order to get the green light to keep moving forward. That’s right – how you present your findings needs to be as brief and bold as the sprint itself. We’ve found that including too many details actually bogs approval teams down and overshadows the exciting validation you’ve earned.

It’s never been more important to excel at digital product development – and to do it as quickly as possible. If you don’t rise to the challenge and give customers more products and better experiences, your competitors will. Hitting the market first, and doing it successfully and continuously, has always been the carrot on the stick in the startup world. It’s time for your organization to start chasing the same carrot. 

Explore the ins and outs of our design-led blueprint in our upcoming webinar, Using Design to Accelerate Product Validation for the Enterprise. Register now to get a front-row virtual seat and learn how to incorporate exclusive strategies, pro tips, and game-changing action plans into your product validation process.