Iteration & Test-and-Learn

You may or may not be familiar with iteration, the idea that you continue to refine and refine and refine until you get closer to your desired result.

Or the concept of “test-and-learn”, to experiment on a small scale so that you can learn and improve, before growing your scale. It increases your chance of success as you take insights from each small scale “test” to make the next “test” better.

Both iteration and test-and-learn concepts have become more popular in recent years, mostly in marketing and new product development, as well as in the start-ups space. In both of those cases, companies and founders are encouraged to start small, get frequent feedback and then revise and refine towards their next iteration.

For example, a company might test marketing messages with small groups or in smaller markets before they launch a nation-wide campaign.

For a start-up, they might launch with a MVP (minimally viable product) or even MLP (minimally lovable product) and then build new features and enhancements in the future. Prototypes and other tools are often used to help facilitate tests and to help improve speed to market (and decrease cost to gain insights).

As someone who works in the strategy space, I also use iteration and test-and-learn. Both of these concepts are highly valuable as organizations consider who they are, where they’re going and how they might get there.

It’s also relevant for individuals. If you have a goal or an aspiration, how are you going to get there? You need a plan to reach your vision, you need to take smart steps towards reaching it and you need to have some accountability as to whether or not your actions are bringing you closer to your goals.

Just as a hypothesis is an educated guess, iteration and test-and-learn is an educated step forward. It’s a first action towards achieving your goal, with the intention of learning and iterating as you evolve forward. It’s a skill and habit that should be used by every individual and organization.

What’s your first step? How will you know if it’s successful?

Good luck!

Looking for more resources on strategy and strategic success? Follow me on Medium, check out my website, Northome Group, or drop me a line, I’d love to connect.