Coming soon · Book Profile

Sprint_ How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

A step-by-step five-day process, pioneered at Google Ventures, for solving big problems and testing new ideas by mapping a challenge, sketching solutions, deciding, building a realistic prototype, and testing it with real customers.

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What it’s about

Sprint distills the authors' experience running more than a hundred design sprints with startups into a practical, day-by-day playbook for compressing months of debate and uncertainty into a single, focused week. Instead of guessing whether an idea will work, endlessly debating in meetings, or building a full product only to discover customers don't care, a small cross-functional team clears five days, maps the problem on Monday, sketches competing solutions individually on Tuesday, decides without groupthink on Wednesday, builds a realistic façade prototype on Thursday, and tests it with five target customers on Friday. The book uses vivid case studies—a delivery robot, an online coffee store, cancer clinical-trial software, workplace messaging—to show that any challenge, no matter how large or technical, can be sliced into testable questions and answered fast. The payoff is a 'time machine' that lets you see your finished product and customer reactions before making expensive commitments, turning risky bets into efficient learning.

The through-line

Who it’s for: A team leader, founder, or maker who has a bold vision—a product, service, message, or idea—and wants to bring it to life and make their work meaningful.
The problem: They face a big, high-stakes problem or opportunity and don't know where to focus effort, how to start, or whether their idea will actually work. They feel stuck in churn—endless email, slipping deadlines, meetings that burn the day—and anxious that they're wasting time and effort on the wrong things.
The plan: Set the stage: pick a big challenge, recruit a Decider and diverse team, and block five distraction-free days.
Monday: map the problem, ask the experts, and choose a target.
Tuesday: find inspiration and sketch competing solutions individually.
Wednesday: decide on the best solutions and build a storyboard.
Thursday: build a realistic façade prototype.
The payoff: You make rapid, focused progress and know for sure whether you're headed in the right direction. · You replace guesswork with clear customer data before committing time and money. · Your team gains confidence, shared understanding, and the habit of testing ideas fast.

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Only the Paranoid Survive · Andy Grove
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Good to Great · Jim Collins
Horowitz references Collins's research showing that internal CEO candidates outperform external ones, which he uses as a jumping-off point to discuss his 'Ones and Twos' theory of leadership succession.
Built to Last · Jim Collins
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Yertle the Turtle · Dr. Seuss
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The One Minute Manager · Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
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Crossing the Chasm · Geoffrey Moore
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The Alliance · Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, and Chris Yeh
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