10 rules of Cycle Management

Within Layar we work in cycles. They appear to be between 4 and 6 month within Layar. The market we are operating in makes it really impossible to plan any further. We compare it with riding a wave in a storm. You need all your attention on the present. We have a rough end-goal but surviving this ride has nothing to do with having a very clear end goal. It has everything to do with being in the here and now. Adapting quickly to changing conditions and behave as one organism instead of as several parts of a whole.

A cycle within Layar is that part of our path we are pretty certain on we will be able to surf. Below 10 rules to get started with working in cycles within your company.

1. It takes 1-2 months to prepare for a cycle.
2. Take your time to define your cycle.
3. You can only begin a cycle after you have delivered on the prior one.
4. You cannot plan beyond a cycle
5. If you can plan beyond a cycle your cycle is too short
6. Every cycle has a clear purpose
7. There is nothing else than the cycle.
8. Every cycle has a ritual beginning and ending.
9. Don’t change course halfway your cycle
10. If you change course halfway a cycle, you need to reduce the time of a cycle by 50%.

No I am not a scrum master.

The song of a start-up

Something I am fascinated by is  comparing businesses to things we encounter in every day life. Doing this helps me make sense of the world. It shows me how companies are moving, where companies are going and even in which state certain companies are in.

The metaphor. I love it!

During the beginning of Layar I really felt connected to a song of U2. It’s sung LIVE at a concert in Boston 2001. I felt that the song embodied what a disruptive start-up is going through. It’s especially the first 3 minutes that remind me how it felt to start and launch with Layar.

I will try to match the song now with the timeline of a start-up..

• 0.00-0.12: A stable market. Still singing the song from an old “market state”.
• 0.13-0.22: Announcement of something new. Something is coming.
• 0.23-0.35: Arrival of something new. Something we were longing for. Recognition. Acceptance. Warm welcome.
• 0.35-1.14: ‘Pregnancy’! Preparation for launch. Building up the excitement.
• 1.14-1.27: LAUNCH. Be proud!
• 1.27-1.53: Share the rhythm and melody of your product. Get people to understand you. “How can I contribute and sing along?”
• 1.54- 2.54: Create harmony between you and your audience (co-create) “start singing together”.
• 2.45- 3.00: Share and repeat your purpose. Make clear why you are here and who you are. You are grounded. Welcome!

Now with the internet I believe that any start-up can create the circumstances to sing to a large audience like U2 does every week. It’s American Idol for start-ups. You just need to make sure that the first note is right!

Well I didn’t expect this to be my first real blogpost in 3 years

Back to blogging

I am back to blogging. No idea why. Not a clue yet what I will blog about. Let’s see what happens..

AR game Mirage Money

I just downloaded Mirage Money from the Vodafone Betavine site

I enjoyed playing it. It is almost as your own little mobile Wii set. You need to collect money(that is floating towards you) buy turning and moving your mobile phone through actual space. The game makes use of the 3-D motion controlled accelerometer of the N95. It has two modes. Virtual and Real. In the real mode it gives you a real Augmented Reality feeling. Have a look at the screenshot.

From Content to Context

Yesterday at our MoMo event I gave a 15 minute talk on context. I divided the presentation in three part:

• 3 differences in context by media
• 3 steps towards development of services
• 3 examples of contextual services

Here it is!

If you understand some dutch or you are just curious how I sound, you can watch the video here

Some Smart Words on Mobile Search

via 

Robot Phones..

Oh yes.. I like the way this is going… THE Transformation to an intelligent device(yes I know it is still a toy..)

Via