Lessons from a bonfire: A product development parable
As I was burning a two-acre patch of pickleweed today I thought about how bonfires and product development are similar:
- If you don’t light it, it won’t burn.
- Light it in several spots. You don’t know which one is going to catch.
- The fire is going the direction the wind blows, not the direction you wish. Plan accordingly.
- You can’t start a large fire (unless you have a flamethrower, which would be cool!) You can only start a small fire that grows.
- Matches can light twigs. Twigs can light branches. Matches can’t light branches.
- There is a fine line between “can’t start it” and “can’t stop it”.
May 26th, 2009 in
Responsible Development, Startups
and the wind can change direction on you… better be quick on your feet (in more ways than one)…
As a drought stricken, bushfire ravaged Australian, that image is terrifying. Where are the hordes of fire authorities and the water tankers! Enjoy.
Sorry about the shock. I would like to avoid the wildfire this summer, which is why I burnt the brush today.
[...] final analogy–product as bonfire. A product that solves the right problem for the right people at the right time is like touching a [...]