🚦 Viability Sprint

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✅ What this stage is about

This is your idea’s “go or grow” moment — a chance to test whether the opportunity feels strong enough to pursue, or if it needs reshaping first.

The Viability Sprint is a fast, focused review of the idea across five key dimensions:

🧠 Desirability · 💸 Feasibility · ⚙️ Technical risk · 🔁 Assumptions · 📦 Supply Chain

✨ Think of it as a 1–2 day mini-workshop to reduce uncertainty — and increase your confidence in what comes next.

🎯 What you’ll learn

  • How to test the strength of your idea before investing more
  • Where the biggest unknowns or risks lie
  • What stakeholders think — and what users really want
  • How to summarise your findings into a clear “Go / No-Go” decision

🛠️ Tools and methods

  • Viability Sprint Canvas (free download below)
  • Review of Idea Statement, Market Context, and IP
  • Fast stakeholder interviews or expert calls
  • Assumption mapping
  • Visual summary (1-slide or 1-page summary)

⚠️ Pitfalls to avoid

  • Skipping this stage due to excitement or time pressure
  • Relying only on opinions, not evidence
  • Making it too theoretical — keep it focused and real
  • Treating “No-Go” as failure (it’s a strength to spot that early!)

🧠 Tips from the field

“This step gave us clarity. We found out what really mattered to users — and what didn’t.”

— Founder, IEN community

“The best sprint is short, sharp, and honest. Don’t overthink it — run it, reflect, move forward.”

📚 Helpful links & resources

📄 Worksheet_0104_Viability_Sprint.docx

✍️ Suggested Format

You can run a Viability Sprint solo or with your team. Here’s a sample one-day plan:

Morning

  • Review idea and assumptions
  • Define what you’re testing
  • Stakeholder input or desk research

Afternoon

  • Technical/feasibility review
  • Sketch potential solutions or pivots
  • Capture outcome and decision

🚦 Your decision checkpoint

Use this format to record your outcome:

  • ✅ Go: We’re confident to move forward
  • 🛠 Pivot: We’ve learned something worth adapting
  • ⛔ No-Go: Too many blockers or not enough signal yet
💬 Even a No-Go is a win — it saves time, money, and momentum.

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