Course coordinator
Mr Cameron Turner
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 4
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
The Lean Start-up method provides a structured approach for developing new ideas into successful innovations that solve real customer problems. Failure to solve real problems is why 95% of start-ups and more than 80% percent of new products fail. As a result, not only start-ups but also organisations from small non-profits to large multinational enterprises are increasingly adopting the Lean Start-up method to test and refine their ideas.
In this capstone course, you will learn the Lean LaunchPad, a specific variation of the Lean Start-up, as a structured approach to minimise the risks of failure and increase the chances of success when transforming ideas into reality. You can work on your own idea or on ground-breaking technologies developed by partner organisations. You will create a business model based on in-depth customer interviews, rapid prototyping and agile development. You will also gain a holistic understanding of the Lean LaunchPad approach in different contexts by sharing learnings with your peers.
This Capstone course has been designed to give students a unique experience in the best practice process of how to unlock or create value either by solving an unresolved problem (Puzzle) or taking a new disruptive idea to market (Mystery). Using a bespoke UQ method called Humble Discovery, students will be trained in the logic, method and associated tactics and tools drawn from design thinking, lean start-up, ethnography, anthropology and behavioural science. Students will use Humble Discovery to develop an innovative Business Model which can be executed through a start-up, existing organisation or a not-for-profit pathway or partnership.
Students will work on a project throughout the course that can either be based on a problem or opportunity the student identifies, or a project presented by the lecturer. To excel at this course and the Humble Discovery method students should undertake 50+ interviews and conversations with stakeholders. If done correctly, this will facilitate the acquisition of empathy and understanding with stakeholder's unsatisfied aspirations, unresolved pain and/or unrealised gains. Once empathy is realised, students will design and develop a solution and integrated delivery business model that unlocks or creates value better than any other business model in the market.
Students spend most of the course undertaking stakeholder interviews and running experiments to gain data, evidence and confidence they are solving the right problem or discovering if the proposed solution is desirable. The results from these interviews and experiments will gradually help students build up a Business Model Canvas (BMC). Assessment will be based on the student’s engagement with the Humble Discovery process, the insights they discover and their ability to translate their empathy and insights into strategies to design, a desirable, feasible and viable business model. Students will present their insights in class every 2 weeks. Students will complete the semester with a detailed BMC with all the assumptions they have and have not yet tested, the insights they have collected and the rationale for their BMC assertions.
The course coordinator and Lecturer is the UQBS Entrepreneur in Residence and Industry Professor, Cameron Turner. See Bio below
Cameron is a serial entrepreneur and works with corporations, entrepreneurs, investors and research agencies to commercialise inventions and ideas via new business models. Cameron has extensive experience working with start-ups, innovators and researchers to take game-changing ideas to market. Cameron has founded four high-tech start-ups to commercialise world first innovations based on university research including:
- Progel Pty Ltd, commercialising a food, supplement and pharmaceutical micro encapsulation technology;ﾠwww.progel.com.au
- Aussie Colours Pty Ltd, releasing new drought proof, flowering ornamental plant varieties;ﾠwww.aussiecolours.com.au
- Bioherbicides Australia Pty Ltd, taking a biological herbicide to market that controls woody weeds of national significance;ﾠhttp://www.bioherbicides.com.au
- Perkii Pty Ltd, launching a range of scientifically advanced, patented probiotic drinks, www.perkii.com.au
Feel free to contact me on cameront@uq.edu.au or 0437448773.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
8 units of level 7 Business School or relevant interdisciplinary courses
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
EIBS7305 or 7307
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Mr Cameron Turner
Mr Joel Andrade
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
- Full Name
- Student ID
- Course Code
Aims and outcomes
The aim of this course is for students to learn how to use the Lean start-up and Lean Launchpad tools and processes necessary to create a successful start-up company using a validated Business Model Canvas. The goal is for students to master these processes, thus the requisite skills and experience to form a start-up company with the best chance of success. Furthermore, students will gain problem-solving and customer development skills that will be useful in any field of endeavour.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Create a validated Business Model Canvas.
LO2.
Evaluate the potential for a new business opportunity.
LO3.
Create a compelling presentation to convince a wide range of customers, investors and stakeholder of the potential for a new business opportunity.
LO4.
Create and articulate a new business opportunity by exploiting unaddressed customer problems and opportunities.
LO5.
Evaluate and validate or invalidate assumptions and hypotheses with a diverse range of customers about a range of problems and solutions.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation |
Humble Discovery Opportunity Presentation
|
30% |
10/04/2025 5:00 pm
|
| Presentation, Reflection |
Insight and Empathy Reflection
|
30% |
Group Presentation Submission 29/05/2025 2:00 pm Individual In-Class Presentation 29/05/2025
Individual Presentation during class. |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project |
Final Business Model Report
|
40% |
9/06/2025 2:00 pm |
Assessment details
Humble Discovery Opportunity Presentation
- Team or group-based
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Presentation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
10/04/2025 5:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Peer assessed, Longitudinal.
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L05
Task description
Students will primarily be working in groups on a project for all 3 assessment items, although students will be evaluated individually to assess their contribution to the group assignments.
There are two components to Assignment 1
Component 1 - The Student group will prepare a pre-recorded PowerPoint presentation and submit it along with a PDF of their slides to Black Board.
The Presentation must cover the following components:
- Big Data – Situational analysis of context, trends, innovations and challenges
- Humble Discovery – Qualitative interviews and observations of stakeholders
- Experiments – In person and online experiments to identify and engage stakeholders to gain and test assumptions and insights.
Component 2 - Each student will present in class a brief summary of the key Humble Discovery Insights they contributed to Assignment 1
1. Big Data – New products, services and business models exist and are relevant at a specific point in time. One must consider the past, present and emerging context and environment when endeavouring to challenge the status quo.
Students should assemble a cohesive analysis of the status quo context by:
- Highlighting the most relevant insights gained through analysis of their Business Model Environment Map (BMEM) questionnaire to identify current and emerging challenges, trends and opportunities, and how they are relevant to their project. (BMEM details supplied in class)
- Identifying the top 3 organisations and the 3 fastest growing start-ups/social enterprises solving the relevant problem or exploiting a relevant opportunity.
- Create an ecosystem map, identifying all the key stakeholders and the relationships between them.
Students should summarise the most relevant insights and how they relate to their project.
2. Humble Discovery - Humble discovery is a method that relies on building empathy to understand specific people groups for the purpose of improving their lives with new solutions for unresolved problems and unrealised or latent opportunities. It requires exploring and reflecting on one's own skills and passions and asking a series of questions including: Who are we here for? What do they need that they cannot get now? How can we help them do better? These questions are at the heart of innovation and require us to think deeply about the human experience. The act of collecting and analysing stories from conversations with people produces insights. We call this "Thick Data" and it includes using qualitative and ethnographic methods to uncover people’s functional, social and emotional jobs to be done, their goals and associated driving and restraining forces that keep the status quo in stasis. The innovator collects and makes sense of the insights that emerge from collecting these stories. The innovator then uses cognitive inference, that is, connecting unrelated data to create a picture of what someone wants or needs but cannot get. It only requires a small sample size which can deliver a depth of meanings and stories.
Tasks for this assessment item include:
a) Conduct a minimum of 20 in person conversations (not surveys) across at least three types of stakeholders including users, beneficiaries, economic buyers and decision-makers. Record the key insights from these conversations and synthesise all the data to identify unsatisfied social, emotional and functional jobs, and goals and the associated driving and restraining forces that are preventing stakeholders from achieving unrealised opportunities.
b) Present 2 Stakeholder Insight Profile's. One for the primary user and/or beneficiary and one for the decision maker and or economic buyer.
3. Experiments - Demonstrate how you have used experiments to identify and engage relevant stakeholders for further interview and conversation and also to test accuracy and the scale of the assumptions and insights that emanate from you big data and humble discovery insights.
Examples of no-cost experiments are found in Module 4 and include:
· A very basic landing page
· A simple LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok or Reddit post
· Online or in person seminars, webinars and focus groups
· An Immersion experience (see IDEO’s Field guide to Human Centred Design)
· Stakeholders diary (see module 4)
· Any tool described in the Stanford Pretotype table (see module 4)
· Get potential users and customers to look at or try a low fidelity MVP
· Use your imagination
AI Statement
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written (and or audio visual) submission independent of AI tools.
Students cannot have any audio visual (ie AI generated avatar) presenting any part of their assessment.
Please Note: The presentation will be recorded for marking purposes per UQ Policy.
Submission guidelines
Students will be required to
- Present an extract of their assignment in class
- Upload a copy of their slides and
- Upload an audio-visual recorded presentation of their slides
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Extensions or deferrals are not available for this presentation. An extension may be available for the submitted material only.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
10% Late Penalty applies to submitted material only. Late submissions are not accepted for in-class presentations. Failure to present at the scheduled time may result in a mark of zero for the presentation portion of this assessment.
Insight and Empathy Reflection
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Presentation, Reflection
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
Group Presentation Submission 29/05/2025 2:00 pm
Individual In-Class Presentation 29/05/2025
Individual Presentation during class.
- Other conditions
- Student specific, Peer assessed.
- Learning outcomes
- L03, L04
Task description
Assignment 2 has 2 components.
Component 1 is done as a group and is submitted via Black Board and includes:
A Pre-recorded PowerPoint Presentation and a PDF of the slides of the Proposed Business Model and how it is better than the incumbent current business model - Max 10 Mins and every group member must present.
NB: Use the below format
- Ways to present the business model canvas: avoiding mistakes and delivering a killer presentation (strategyzer.com)
- Strategyzer Webinar: Ways To Present The Business Model Canvas - YouTube
Component 2 is delivered individually in class and includes:
Each student must present in class a 2 Min reflection including:
- The most surprising and important Humble Discovery conversations, observations and insights; and
- How will you use this capstone experience in your future work and life?
Please Note: The presentations will be recorded for marking purposes.
AI Statement
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written (and or audio visual) submission independent of AI tools.
Students cannot have any audio visual (ie AI generated avatar) presenting any part of their assessment.
Submission guidelines
Component 1 is an audiovisual pre-recorded presentation is done as a group. One member of each group must submit the presentation and a copy of the slides via Black Board
Component 2 is delivered individually in class in the final session of the semester.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Extensions or deferrals are not available for this presentation. An extension may be available for the submitted material only.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
10% Late Penalty applies to submitted material only. Late submissions are not accepted for in-class presentations. Failure to present at the scheduled time will result in a mark of zero for the presentation portion of this assessment.
Final Business Model Report
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Project
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
9/06/2025 2:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Peer assessed.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Assignment 3 can be submitted as a group.
The submission must contain all the assumptions, evidence of validation and details of insights gained from data collection and synthesis and convergence of BMEM and stakeholder conversations and observations. Essentially this final report is a compilation of the entire semester's work and should be able to stand alone with a prospective investor, partner or customer and offer a compelling rationale to act.
The final report will include:
- Humble Discovery Insights - Outline the insights and assumption journey from the start of the semester to the end including:
- How did your understanding of who your stakeholders were and how your understanding of their wants and needs changed through the semester. To demonstrate this use changes in your Stakeholder Insight Profiles for:
- Consumer/user/beneficiary
- Customer/Economic Buyer/Decision maker;
- Evidence from interviews, observations and experiments validating the need for your solution
- Interview data - A table listing all the interviews undertaken and the associated insights gained.
- Experiments and MVP’s - Outline all the experiments and MVP's used to identify target customers, test solutions, gain evidence of problem-solution fit, validate or invalidate assumptions and demonstrate your first best customers' and relevant stakeholders willingness to engage and act.
- The Final Business Model including:
- Detailed description of each of the 9 BMC segments which includes evidence your Business Model is desirable, feasible and viable;
- An evaluation and justification of how your business model rates against the Strategyzer Innovative BMC Assessment Questions for Leaders; and
- How your business model is different to the prevailing Business Model of competitors.
NB: All interview Data needs to be documented including:
- the date and method of the interview
- the name, position and demographics of the interviewee
- the insights gained from the interview including quotes
AI Statement
This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written (and or audio visual) submission independent of AI tools.
Students cannot have any audio visual (ie AI generated avatar) presenting any part of their assessment.
Submission guidelines
Upload the assignment through the Blackboard Turnitin link.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 |
Seminar |
Understanding and Influencing Human Behaviour – For good At the outset, we're going to dive straight into the main purpose of innovation. Spoiler alert – It’s not about making you rich. Innovation is the engine that drives the advancement of humanity, for better and worse to be honest. We’re going to dive into the different types of innovation, from small incremental to large and transformational. We will also learn that innovation requires influencing humans to change their behaviour, which is probably one of the hardest things you will ever try. But the best and only place to start is to acquire empathy and understanding with UQ's proprietary approach called Humble Discovery. Students will present projects to the class outlining either a problem or a solution/idea they want to explore. Learning outcomes: L02, L05 |
Week 2 |
Seminar |
Discovering and Understanding Your Who This week we will explore the logic, methods, tactics and tools an innovator needs to be able to navigate through the ambiguity and uncertainty of the innovation process. We will introduce you to the field of ethnography; understanding people and their worlds and how you can use it to develop and deliver products and services that users, customers and stakeholders will use and love. In order to develop a new intervention that solves targeted stakeholders' problems or unlocks new value we need confidence and evidence we are solving the right problem or building something people will use. This week we will explore how to gather this evidence. An overview of the requirements for Assignment 1 will be provided. Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 3 |
Seminar |
How Do You Discover Problems Worth Solving and Opportunities Worth Creating? So how do we discover the right problems to solve and the best new opportunities, products and services to create that people will love? This is the most important question in the process of innovation and entrepreneurship and the hardest skill to develop. This week, we're going to learn how to interact with lots of people in such a way to “discover” their problems without asking them directly and “create” new opportunities they will love. Learning outcomes: L03, L04, L05 |
Week 4 |
Seminar |
Identifying Insights, Testing Assumptions and Finding Stakeholders Perhaps the biggest discovery we’ve made about challenging the status quo is that we need to test every assumption and do not proceed until we have validated or invalidated our assumptions. People are complex so this task is difficult. However, many methods, tools and tactics have been developed to enable innovators to test whether their understanding of their stakeholders and associated problems, solutions and opportunities are valid. This session will introduce you to a series of tools and tactics to increase your capacity to discover real problems needing solutions and strategies to exploit new opportunities. Learning outcomes: L04, L05 |
Week 5 |
Seminar |
Experiment Workshop and Students Present an Update of Their Humble Discovery Insights
Learning outcomes: L02, L05 |
Week 6 |
Fieldwork |
UQ Ventures Visit At UQ Ventures St Lucia, students will hear about the extensive UQ Start-up support programs. Presentations will be made by UQ Ventures staff, the iLab start-up accelerator Entrepreneur in Residence and past iLab alumni. Students will have an opportunity to pitch their start-up project idea. Learning outcomes: L04, L05 |
Week 7 |
Seminar |
Past Student Presentations and Guest speakers Past Lean Start-up students will present their final project summary and what they learned throughout the course. Learning outcomes: L02, L04 |
Week 8 |
Seminar |
A Desirable, Feasible and Viable Business Model The Business Model Canvas (BMC) was developed as a tool to describe and prototype how new and established organisations can differentiate, design and describe their business model. While the term business model has been standard management vernacular for decades, if not longer, the advent of the BMC by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur and the subsequent incorporation of the BMC into Steve Blanks’ Lean Launchpad start-up methodology firmly entrenched the BMC as an enduring artifact in strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship teaching and practice. Learning outcomes: L01 |
Mid-sem break |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
In-Semester Break No Class |
Week 9 |
Seminar |
Assignment 1 Summary Presentation Students will be required to present a summary of: 1. Humble Discovery insights incl 2 x empathy maps and Customer Foothold Persona. 2. Their use of multiple MVP's and experiments to identify and engage relevant stakeholders. Learning outcomes: L03, L05 |
Week 10 |
Seminar |
Creating Disruptive Business Models Guest Lecturer this week - details to be announced on Blackboard Alex Osterwalder’s company Strategyzer has gradually been refining a series of tools that enable innovators, entrepreneurs and game changers to use the BMC to invent new business models. This culminated in their latest book “The Invincible Company”. While it’s primarily designed to help established organisations innovate to avoid disruption, chapter three is particularly relevant for game changers and innovators looking to invent new disruptive business models. Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 11 |
General contact hours |
Consultations with Lecturers - NO CLASS (Seminar): There is no Class this week. Students are encouraged to make an appointment with the Lecturers to discuss their project. |
Week 12 |
Seminar |
Viability, Scalability and Communicating (Seminar):
Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 13 |
Seminar |
Final Project Reflection Students will present to the class a summary of their project and personal reflection The presentation must include: A Reflection on the three biggest insights you discovered about: 1. Your project - Describe the most surprising insights you learned about your target customer(s) functional, social and emotional Jobs to be Done; 2. You - How has the course changed your understanding of yourself, your motivations, decisions and behaviours? How will this capstone experience impact your future work and life? Learning outcomes: L02, L04, L05 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.