Entrepreneurs and startup founders
Starting a new venture and need to validate your business idea before building a product.
About
Running Lean is a systematic process for iterating from Plan A to a plan that works, before running out of resources. This mind map template, based on Ash Maurya's methodology, covers 356 nodes across four major branches: Meta-Principles, Document Plan A, Identify the Riskiest Parts of the Plan, and Systematically Test the Plan. It includes detailed guidance on creating a Lean Canvas, conducting Problem Interviews and Solution Interviews, and measuring Product/Market Fit using the Sean Ellis Test. The template is designed for entrepreneurs and startup teams to validate business hypotheses efficiently.
Terms and ConditionsWhen to use this template
Product managers and innovation teams
Running a lean startup and want to systematically test riskiest assumptions using experiments.
UX researchers and customer development leads
Preparing for customer discovery interviews to understand problems and solutions.
How to use this template
Step 1
Access the Template
Open the .xmind file in Xmind desktop or web app.
Step 2
Understand the Core Process
Review the Meta-Principles branch to understand the overall process.
Step 3
Define Your Business Hypotheses
Navigate to Document Plan A and fill in your Lean Canvas nodes with your business hypotheses.
Step 4
Prioritize and Design Experiments
Use the Identify Riskiest Parts of the Plan branch to prioritize risks and design experiments.
Step 5
Execute and Measure Progress
Follow the Systematically Test the Plan branch to conduct customer interviews and measure progress.
Frequently asked questions
The template includes 356 nodes covering Meta-Principles, Document Plan A (Lean Canvas), Identify Riskiest Parts of the Plan (experiment design), and Systematically Test the Plan (customer interviews, MVP, metrics).
Follow the branches under Systematically Test the Plan: start with Problem Interview to validate the problem, then Solution Interview to test your solution, and finally MVP Interview to verify demand.
Yes, it's designed for early-stage startups. It helps you document hypotheses, identify risks, and run low-cost experiments before building a full product.
Absolutely. You can edit the nodes under Document Plan A → Create Lean Canvas to replace placeholder text with your own business model hypotheses.
It's a survey to measure Product/Market Fit: ask users how they'd feel if they could no longer use your product. If >40% say 'very disappointed', you have strong fit.
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