COURSE NUMBER: MBA 290T.2

COURSE TITLE: Hands-on Rapid Prototyping

This course is dual-listed with the Evening-weekend MBA program.

UNITS OF CREDIT: 1

INSTRUCTOR: Chris D. McCoy

E-MAIL ADDRESS: chrisdmccoy@berkeley.edu

PREREQUISITE(S): No prerequisites needed. However, sound understanding of the Customer Discovery and PFPS are extremely helpful.

CLASS FORMAT: Mix of lectures and hands-on activities. No case studies. Students will work in groups on a final project. Class duration is 5 weeks.

REQUIRED READINGS: Currently, some required reading, no required textbooks. However a strongly-recommended reading list can be found here: http://bit.ly/rapid-prototyping-resources

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:

10% Class participation / attendance

20% In class hands-on activities and homework

70% Final project and check-ins

CAREER FIELD: Entrepreneurs / Intrapreneurs / Product Managers

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Many people have great ideas but seldom act on them. The Hands-on Rapid Prototyping course aims to equip students with the tools and insights to quickly in/validate their hardware, software and service concepts, gaining real customer feedback and initial traction. To realize these objectives, students will take part in hands-on activities, become familiar with the latest prototyping tools and leverage the Rapid Innovation Cycle (RIC), a process that helps kickstart the development of new and innovative products and services.

The course will empower students to rapidly transcend from “I have a great idea” to “I have a prototype that I’ve in/validated with real customers...and data-driven product insights.” By the end of the course, students should have a robust product development toolkit and a strong understanding of how to measure the market potential of their concepts through prototyping.

DISCLAIMER: This class is not a one-unit sleeper course. Treat it like a three-unit course that only goes for five weeks and then stops. It is loosely structured with intention. You will get what you put into this course. Entrepreneurship is not a job, nor a career...it’s a calling. Entrepreneurship is immersed in ambiguity and this class gives you a safe space to explore challenges associated with this type of environment. It is an intensive, hands-on bootcamp-style course to help you internalize entrepreneurial methods in customer validation.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Chris earned his PhD degree in mechanical engineering in 2013 from UC Berkeley alongside a Management of Technology certificate from the Haas School of Business in 2009. In 2010 he went to Madrid, Spain on a Fulbright grant where, in addition to his research commitments, he taught the first edition of Hands-on Rapid Prototyping (then called Hands-on Rapid Innovation) at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in 2011. The course content has since been adopted at IE Business School, UC Berkeley and adapted even for the corporate environment and is consistently rated as one of the best electives available in top-ranked MBA programs. After completing his Ph.D., Chris consulted for a large California utility company where he was responsible for managing and developing internal work management software for SAP and leading management and executive teams through technical governance processes to ensure safe, reliable, and coordinated changes to these digital systems. Putting all of his skills and experience into practice, Chris left consulting to build a company called You3Dit Inc. which helps people bring their ideas to life via a global network of designers and fabricators. You3Dit Inc. has now worked with larger companies such as Cisco Systems, Analog Devices and Startups alike and is a SkyDeck Accelerator company.