Importance And Role Of Product Management To The Success Of Your Company Moderated by Cindy F. Solomon, Presented by Brian Lawley Part of AIPMM Webinar Series

1. October 3, 2012
AIPMM Webinar Series
www.aipmm.com
© AIPMM 2012

2. © AIPMM 2012 http://www.aipmm.com

3. Today’s Speakers
Moderator:
Cindy F. Solomon, CPM, CPMM
Host, Global Product Management Talk
Monthly Startup Product Talks Annual Startup Product Summit
Twitter: @cindyfsolomon @prodmgmttalk @startupproduct
Presenter:
Brian Lawley, CEO and Founder of the 280 Group
© AIPMM 2012 @AIPMM #prodmgmt http://www.aipmm.com

4. FEATURED PRESENTATION
© AIPMM 2012 http://www.aipmm.com

5. Optimal Product Management and Product MarketingTM
Brian Lawley
280 Group CEO & Founder
How Product Management Can Make or Break Your
Company
© 2012 280 Group www.280group.com

6. Housekeeping
• Questions
• Slides: www.280group.com/product-management-importance.pdf
• Giveaways at end
– Product Management LifeCycle Toolkit™
– One copy of each book
© AIPMM 2012
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7. Optimal Product Process Book!
- Everyone Gets a Copy
- Please share!
- http://tinyurl.com/freeoppbook
- Seven Phase Product LifeCycle
- CPM materials
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8. 280 Group Website Resources
© AIPMM 2012
• 8

9. Agenda
Background
• Seven Most Common Problems
• How Product Management Solves These
• Seven Phase LifeCycle
• Optimal Product Process
• Nine Key Documents
• How to Optimize at Your Company
• Questions & Giveaway

10. Helping companies deliver products that delight their ™
customers and produce massive profits
Assessment – Training – Certification – Consulting – Contractors – Templates – Mentoring – Books
© AIPMM 2012

11. Why The 280 Group?
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12. 280 Group Clients
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13. Product & Services
Product Toolkits Workshops,
Training Consulting
Management PM Office Coaching &
Certification Contractors
Assessments Portal Mentoring
PM Assessments Courses: We Provide: Templates: Available for:
• Process/People/Tools - Public • Product Managers - Product Lifecycle •Teams
• Gap Analysis - Private Onsite • Product Marketers - Launches •Projects
• Recommendations - Self-Study • Projects - Roadmaps •Individuals
• Executive Presentation • Interim Contractors - Competitive
Certifications: - Beta Programs Topics:
- Certified Product Manager - Product Reviews • PM Process
- Agile Certified Product Manager - Developer • Market Research
• Competitive Research
Course Offerings: PM Office: • Voice of the Customer
• Vision
- Optimal PM & PMM - Standard
• Conceive
- Phenomenal PM - Pro • Business Case
- Agile PM Excellence • Market Strategy
- CPM Intensive Books: • Requirements
- Social Media Marketing - Agile • Prioritizing
- Phenomenal • Road mapping
- Excellent • Pricing
- 42 Rules • Forecasting
- Optimal Product • Metrics
• Beta
Process
• Marketing
• End of Life
PM Portal • Agile
1
3
© AIPMM 2012

14. Agenda
• Background
Seven Most Common Problems
• How Great Product Management Solves These
• Seven Phase LifeCycle
• Optimal Product Process
• Nine Key Documents
• How to Optimize at Your Company
• Questions & Giveaway

15. Product Failure Statistics
Succee
d
• 30% fail because of a poor
value proposition
• 70% fail because of poor
customer requirements
Fail
© AIPMM 2012
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16. Why Products Fail
Wrong Product Ineffective Marketing
• Didn’t meet market needs • Poor marketing & PR
• Not clear who the customer was • No clear value proposition
• Wasn’t viable • Incorrect pricing
• Not competitive • Wrong channel(s)
• Costs too high • Product incongruent with brand
• Need not urgent
• Customer not willing to pay
• Not enough customers
Poor Execution Company Management
• Technology used • Technology driven
• Funding • Sales driven
• Operations • Lack of effective teamwork or PM process
• Sales • Downplaying competitor’s strengths
• Underestimating time, budget, effort, etc. • Dysfunctional corporate culture
• Solution didn’t solve the problem • Rush to failure
(Quality, Technology, Usability)
© AIPMM 2012
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17. 7 Common Problems 280 Group Sees at Companies
• Data collection:
– Hundreds of companies
– Fourteen years
– All industries
• Patterns across all products/markets/industry
• Result:
– Products suffer
– Profitability lower than it could be
– Low morale & stress
– Company suffers
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18. 1. Wrong Products and/or Features
• Lack of clarity on market & customer needs
• Products that customers don’t want/won’t pay
for
• Expensive resources wasted
• Opportunity cost for viable products
• Complete product failures
© AIPMM 2012
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19. 2. Whole Product Not Delivered
– No one in charge of all elements
– Each group optimizes for their own goals
– Customer has a bad experience
– Product & brand suffer
– Loss of repeat business
– Reputation
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20. 3. Lack of Alignment
• Confusion about target customer/market
• Executives/Sales/Marketing/Engineering pursue
different agendas and tactics
• Efforts not coordinated
• Results minimized or complete failure
© AIPMM 2012
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21. 4. Process: None, Too Much or
Confusion
Repeatability
Optimizing
•Causal analysis and
Measured resolution
•Identify and deploy
•Performance goals process improvements
Defined measured for process
and projects
•Organizational process
Managed defined
•Product integration
•Project process •Integrated project
Ad hoc defined management
•Requirements •Validation/Verification
•Unpredictable Management
•Reactive •Quality assurance
•Heroics •Still tends to be
reactive
Efficiency
© AIPMM 2012
Source: Carnegie Mellon SEI CMMI
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22. 5. Lack of Product Leadership
• Not clear where the buck stops
• Suboptimal decisions
• Product design by committee
• Lack of Vision
• Leader(s) may not have full range of skills:
– Business
– Technical
– People
– Strategy
• Result: Mediocre products
© AIPMM 2012
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23. 6. Tactical Reaction vs. Strategic Plans
• No one in charge driving strategy
• Day to day fire drills consume employee’s time
• Gives competitor opportunities
• Leaves money on the table
© AIPMM 2012
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24. 7. Lack of Role Clarity
• Democracy
• Stress
• Wasted time
• Politics
• Products suffer
© AIPMM 2012
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25. Agenda
• Background
• Seven Most Common Problems
How Great Product Management Solves These
• Seven Phase LifeCycle
• Optimal Product Process
• Nine Key Documents
• How to Optimize at Your Company
• Questions & Giveaway

26. Unique Position
• Central point of
communication
Sales
• Drive the vision & Press/Analysts Customers
strategy Marketing Support
• Whole product
• Roadmap/requiremen Engineering
PM Channel
ts
Partners Operations
• Lead all groups Executives
© AIPMM 2012
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27. Role: Product Management
• Market expert • Feature, schedule, and cost
– Customer and market research tradeoffs
– Identifies customer needs – Minimum Viable Product
– Voice of the customer • Brings products to market
• Strategic – Valuable and differentiated
– Owns vision and roadmap – Whole product definition
– Portfolio management – Beta programs
– Manages product lifecycle – Market plan realization
– Bridges engineering and • Manage relationships with
marketing business ecosystem members
• Business Case development and – Coordinating internal value
realization chain
• Presents “needs” – Suppliers, partners, and 3rd
party vendors
– Not the problem solver
– Does not design features
© AIPMM 2012
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28. Role of Product Marketing
• Marketing expert • Supports sales
– Competitive analysis – Demand generation
– Sales tools and training
– Ensures consistency of – Compelling reason to
messages across media buy
– Product pricing • Guides marketing
– Works with MarCom programs
– Balance revenues with
• Strategic program costs
– Success in the market – Positioning, value
– Launches new products proposition, messaging,
feature/benefits, unique
and on-going marketing selling proposition
© AIPMM 2012
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29. Product Manager vs. Product Marketer
• Product Management
– Ensuring delivery of valuable customer-focused
product
• Product Marketing Manager
– Ensuring demand for the product in the marketplace
• Roles can vary by company
– Smaller companies may combine roles
– Larger companies usually have separate roles
• These are guidelines not absolutes
© AIPMM 2012
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30. Agenda
• Background
• Seven Most Common Problems
• How Great Product Management Solves These
Seven Phase LifeCycle
• Optimal Product Process
• Nine Key Documents
• How to Optimize at Your Company
• Questions & Giveaway

31. Seven Phase LifeCycle™
• Phase: Stage in the product lifecycle
• Gate: Critical decision point ending a phase, and
starting the next
• Product LifeCycle: phases from conceive to
retire
One Phase Gate
Conceive Plan Develop Qualify Launch Market Retire
Source: AIPMM 2012
© AIPMM
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32. Worldwide Standard Foundation
• Association of International Product
Management & Marketing (AIPMM)
• Strategic partnership
• Further profession
© AIPMM 2012

33. Conceive Phase
• Brainstorm
• Generate ideas
• Prioritize
• Choose
© AIPMM 2012 33

34. Plan Phase
• Strategy
• Market Research
• Competitive Analysis
• Business Case
• Market Needs
• Product Description
• Roadmap
© AIPMM 2012 34

35. Develop Phase
• Engineering
• Tradeoffs
• Adjustments
– Schedule
– Feature
– Plans
© AIPMM 2012 35

36. Qualify Phase
• Internal
• Beta
• Early Customer
• Minor Adjustments
© AIPMM 2012 36

37. Launch Phase
• Announcement
• Availability
• Exposure
• Ramp Revenues
© AIPMM 2012 37

38. Market Phase
• Ongoing Programs
• Measure ROI
• Optimize
© AIPMM 2012 38

39. Retire Phase
• End of Life
• New Version
• Obsolescence
© AIPMM 2012 39

40. Agenda
• Background
• Seven Most Common Problems
• How Great Product Management Solves These
• Seven Phase LifeCycle
Optimal Product Process
• Nine Key Documents
• How to Optimize at Your Company
• Questions & Giveaway

41. 280 Group Optimal Product Process™
© AIPMM 2012
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42. Agenda
• Background
• Seven Most Common Problems
• How Great Product Management Solves These
• Seven Phase LifeCycle
• Optimal Product Process
Nine Key Documents
• How to Optimize at Your Company
• Questions & Giveaway

43. Optimal Product Process Templates
© AIPMM 2012
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44. Product Management LifeCycle Toolkit™
• Nine core documents
• No duplication
• Every critical decision/analysis point covered
• High productivity
• Course foundation
• Continuous improvement
© AIPMM 2012

45. Agenda
• Background
• Seven Most Common Problems
• How Great Product Management Solves These
• Seven Phase LifeCycle
• Optimal Product Process
• Nine Key Documents
How to Optimize at Your Company
• Questions & Giveaway

46. Applying Optimal Product Process
• Do a FULL assessment
• Process
– Current
– Gap analysis
– Strengths
– Weaknesses
• People
– Skill set
– Role clarity
– Organization
– Training
– Certification(s)
• Tools
– Standardized
– Productivity
– Continuous improvement
© AIPMM 2012
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47. How the 280 Group Can Help
• Perform full assessment with recommendations
• Plan for implementing improvements:
– Process
– People
– Tools
• Training & certifications
• Corresponding templates & tools
• Coaching/mentoring company/team/individuals
© AIPMM 2012
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48. Upcoming Courses
• San Jose, CA
• Austin, TX
• McLean VA
• New York, NY
• Toronto, Canada
• Europe
• Courses:
– Optimal Product Management & Product Marketing
– Certified Product Manager Intensive Prep & Exam
– Agile Product Management Excellence
© AIPMM 2012
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49. Drawing
• Optimal Product Process: http://tinyurl.com/freeoppbook
• One copy of each book
• Product Management LifeCycle Toolkit™
contact@280group.com
(408) 834-7518
© AIPMM 2012
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50. Optimal Product Management and Product MarketingTM
Questions & Giveaway
© 2012 280 Group www.280group.com

51. Please Join Us Again!
AIPMM Webinars
Oct 12 From Idea to Reality with Glen Lipka,VP UX, Marketo
Oct 19 Developing A Compelling Business Case
Product Talk Podcast & Twitter Chat #ProdMgmtTalk Mondays
Oct 15 Teresa Torres on Writing User Stories
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