The first five chapters focus on PrD’s five principles: Design to Fail; Create, Discover, and Analyze; Make Assumptions Explicit; Iterate, Iterate, Iterate; and The Faster We Go, The Sooner We Know.

The second five chapters address the risks and hazards of using this power tool.

Chapter 9, The Perils of PrD, offers reasons not to use the approach. Chapter 10 illuminates the need for diversity on the team. Chapters 11–13 focus on the hazards of poor objectives, distracting artifacts, and inappropriate attitudes.