Agile Experimentation in Everyday Life - A Guide to More Aha! moments by Miloš Belčević

When we say experiments, a classroom or a laboratory may be the first association, or possibly work (especially if you’re in tech or product). However, there’s a lot of universal value in experimentation, testing assumptions, and learning. The famous 'Inspect & Adapt' is not reserved for Scrum teams only, and it can be an important and positive approach to your life.

Agile experiments are important in our private life because they provide a framework for trying new things, learning from them, and making continuous improvements. We’re not living in a vacuum, and our realities are simply too complex for driving on ‘auto pilot’.

By setting goals, measuring results, and adapting based on regular feedback, we can make positive changes in our personal lives. On top, agile experimentation helps us overcome the fear of failure, since experiments are seen as an opportunity to learn and grow, rather than a test of our abilities (and value).

In this talk, I will share first-hand experiences, tips, and pitfalls for applying agile experimentation to our private life, fostering a growth mindset, improving problem-solving skills, and ultimately living a more interesting life.

1. Milos Belcevic
Agile Experimentation
in Everyday Life

2. Why experimentation?
mbelcevic.me

3. Agile Experimentation in 3 Steps
Identifying Areas for Experimentation

Designing and Running Experiments

Welcoming Feedback and Adaptation
mbelcevic.me

4. • Product & Operations Lead @ Feldspar
• Toptaler
• 10+ years of experience
• MIT startup to large corporations
• Author of BuildYourWay.me
mbelcevic.me
Milos Belcevic
Product & Operations Lead

5. Agile Experimentation in 3 Steps
Identifying Areas for Experimentation

Designing and Running Experiments

Welcoming Feedback and Adaptation
mbelcevic.me

6. Identifying Areas for Experimentation
mbelcevic.me

• Value & Effort, Risk & Reward
• Relevance & Importance
• Growth & Learning Opportunities
• Balance, Wellbeing & Manageability

7. Value & Effort, Risk & Reward
mbelcevic.me

• Optimize for lower risk & effort,
higher reward & value
• Same for running the experiments, too

8. Relevance & Importance
mbelcevic.me

• How relevant is an area?
• How important is an area?

9. Growth & Learning Opportunities
mbelcevic.me

• What can I learn?
• What can I improve?

10. Growth & Learning Opportunities
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11. Balance, Wellbeing and Manageability
mbelcevic.me

• Balance in terms of number
of areas of experimentation
• Balance in terms of the amount
of experiments
• Keep it manageable

12. Balance, Wellbeing and Manageability
mbelcevic.me

13. Agile Experimentation in 3 Steps
Identifying Areas for Experimentation

Designing and Running Experiments

Welcoming Feedback and Adaptation
mbelcevic.me

14. Designing and Running Experiments
mbelcevic.me

• Formulating a hypothesis
• Designing an experiment to test it
• Running the experiment / Execution

15. Formulating a hypothesis
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• Scientific Method (H0, Ha / H1)
• Hypothesis statement from
Product Management

16. Designing an experiment to test the hypothesis
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• Establish a “protocol”
• Causality (and not only correlation)
• Keep it manageable

17. Running the Experiment
mbelcevic.me

• “Responding to change over following the plan”

18. Agile Experimentation in 3 Steps
Identifying Areas for Experimentation

Designing and Running Experiments

Welcoming Feedback and Adaptation
mbelcevic.me

19. Welcoming Feedback and Adaptation
mbelcevic.me

• Being open-minded
• Short feedback loops
• Learning over proving A or B

20. Welcoming Feedback and Adaptation
mbelcevic.me
Identify areas of experimentation:
relevant, important, learning opportunity

Design and run a manageable independent
experiment

Welcome feedback

Have fun! :)

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