Global Product Management Talk

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you another episode of The Everyday Innovator. The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. George Farkas is CEO of an electronics engineering service company in the Pacific Northwest called Tsuga Engineering. His company creates portable power components for electronic devices, such as integrated power in backpacks and business cases. Over his career George has helped several companies develop products that provide customers value.  He is also certified as a New Product Development Professional (NPDP) by the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA). Highlights from the discussion include: The winning product formula is developed by studying the customer and collaborating as a cross-functional team to deliver what the customer values. Using aggregate market data only, in isolation from real customers, results in a “me too” product that is more likely to be a failure. Watch out for those who say “we know what the customer needs” – the way to know is to iterate and co-develop prototypes with customers. Wrong assumptions early in the process can set product development work on a path that leads to failure because time is not available to correct the issues. Skipping proven product development and management processes leads to expensive failures. Executives role in product innovation includes developing the company culture to support innovation and create alignment in strategies. Executives need to understand the best practices in product innovation processes and know that such training exists. Don’t design a product based on opinions – base the design on real customer needs.

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you another episode of The Everyday Innovator. The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. George Farkas is CEO of an electronics engineering service company in the Pacific Northwest called Tsuga Engineering. His company creates portable power components for electronic devices, such as integrated power in backpacks and business cases. Over his career George has helped several companies develop products that provide customers value.  He is also certified as a New Product Development Professional (NPDP) by the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA). Highlights from the discussion include: The winning product formula is developed by studying the customer and collaborating as a cross-functional team to deliver what the customer values. Using aggregate market data only, in isolation from real customers, results in a “me too” product that is more likely to be a failure. Watch out for those who say “we know what the customer needs” – the way to know is to iterate and co-develop prototypes with customers. Wrong assumptions early in the process can set product development work on a path that leads to failure because time is not available to correct the issues. Skipping proven product development and management processes leads to expensive failures. Executives role in product innovation includes developing the company culture to support innovation and create alignment in strategies. Executives need to understand the best practices in product innovation processes and know that such training exists. Don’t design a product based on opinions – base the design on real customer needs.

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you another episode of The Everyday Innovator. The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. Louise Musial, VP of Business Strategy at PCD Works, is an author of numerous articles for technical magazines and lecturer on the topics of Innovation, Open Innovation, and business trends in R&D.  Highlights from the discussion include: An example of a partnership with a University research group that led to commercializing a product that makes clean water from waste water. The need for innovation in water – availability of clean water and reclamation of waste water Distraction-free innovation with the right people involved creates focus How the problem is framed impacts the solution Putting aside assumptions can create paths that lead to innovations Story telling is a useful tool for product innovators – filter what is unnecessary and keep the message simple but compelling Carefully observing customers is an important aspect of voice of the customer research Asking the same question multiple times in different ways improves understanding and can uncover assumptions When discussing requirements, ask “What does that mean to you?” Keep ideation teams small (12 or less) and take steps to break down barriers, develop rapport, and establish trust to be effective Sketching concepts helps explore concepts as a group Knowledge is created through what we learn from failures Failures are steps to innovation – the belief that “it is possible” creates breakthroughs

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you another episode of The Everyday Innovator. The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. Louise Musial, VP of Business Strategy at PCD Works, is an author of numerous articles for technical magazines and lecturer on the topics of Innovation, Open Innovation, and business trends in R&D.  Highlights from the discussion include: An example of a partnership with a University research group that led to commercializing a product that makes clean water from waste water. The need for innovation in water – availability of clean water and reclamation of waste water Distraction-free innovation with the right people involved creates focus How the problem is framed impacts the solution Putting aside assumptions can create paths that lead to innovations Story telling is a useful tool for product innovators – filter what is unnecessary and keep the message simple but compelling Carefully observing customers is an important aspect of voice of the customer research Asking the same question multiple times in different ways improves understanding and can uncover assumptions When discussing requirements, ask “What does that mean to you?” Keep ideation teams small (12 or less) and take steps to break down barriers, develop rapport, and establish trust to be effective Sketching concepts helps explore concepts as a group Knowledge is created through what we learn from failures Failures are steps to innovation – the belief that “it is possible” creates breakthroughs

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you another episode of The Everyday Innovator. The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. Brian Gardner is the founder of StudioPress, creator of the Genesis Framework and Themes for WordPress, and Chief Product Officer at Copyblogger, the company that teaches business owners how to do online marketing that works. He is an ideal example of a product innovator and business creator.  Brian saw a need and created a solution that people valued and were willing to pay for. He continues to be the “idea guy” behind product innovations at StudioPress. Highlights from the discussion include: Test the feasibility of product concepts with customers before beginning development. As an example, Brian asked people if they would buy a WordPress theme before he started creating it Innovative products are often borne out of necessity to solve problems and create value for customers As an example of innovation, Brian shares the creation of the Genesis Framework to separate WordPress theme functionality from theme layout and style A familiar user experience increased acceptance of Brian’s products Always listening to the customer community and being responsive to feedback leads to product improvements and new products customers want Learning takes place through trying things for yourself and experimenting Observing what is working for others is a good source of ideas Project management and customer service experiences prepared Brian for creating his own company Just-in-time-learning of what you need to know quickly increases your value Innovation takes a team of people with different strengths to be successful

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you another episode of The Everyday Innovator. The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. Brian Gardner is the founder of StudioPress, creator of the Genesis Framework and Themes for WordPress, and Chief Product Officer at Copyblogger, the company that teaches business owners how to do online marketing that works. He is an ideal example of a product innovator and business creator.  Brian saw a need and created a solution that people valued and were willing to pay for. He continues to be the “idea guy” behind product innovations at StudioPress. Highlights from the discussion include: Test the feasibility of product concepts with customers before beginning development. As an example, Brian asked people if they would buy a WordPress theme before he started creating it Innovative products are often borne out of necessity to solve problems and create value for customers As an example of innovation, Brian shares the creation of the Genesis Framework to separate WordPress theme functionality from theme layout and style A familiar user experience increased acceptance of Brian’s products Always listening to the customer community and being responsive to feedback leads to product improvements and new products customers want Learning takes place through trying things for yourself and experimenting Observing what is working for others is a good source of ideas Project management and customer service experiences prepared Brian for creating his own company Just-in-time-learning of what you need to know quickly increases your value Innovation takes a team of people with different strengths to be successful

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you another episode of The Everyday Innovator. The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. Welcome to my first “Everyday Innovator” discussion with a product development professional. For my inaugural interview, I had the pleasure of discussing product development with industrial designer, Darshan Rane, who creates prosthetics for Otto Bock Healthcare.  He enjoys creating products that provide an exceptional consumer experience. He has developed products in the fields of healthcare, fitness, and martial arts. Highlights from the discussion include: Industrial designers are found in a wide range of organizations beyond Apple and automotive manufacturers. They are involved in all aspects of innovation, from identifying ideas and conducting user research through product development and commercialization. Understand what users need and value by: observing asking “correct” questions and avoiding assumptions “walking in their shoes” A cradle-to-cradle view is needed when designing a product Unlock the power of open-ended questions by adding “what else” Understand the constraints of the product development project, such as cost objectives, shipping restrictions, reimbursement levels, etc. Only fight with your customers when developing fighting products! and, a bit funny, keep units of measurements clear – there is a big difference between inches and centimeters as a designer!

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you another episode of The Everyday Innovator. The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. Welcome to my first “Everyday Innovator” discussion with a product development professional. For my inaugural interview, I had the pleasure of discussing product development with industrial designer, Darshan Rane, who creates prosthetics for Otto Bock Healthcare.  He enjoys creating products that provide an exceptional consumer experience. He has developed products in the fields of healthcare, fitness, and martial arts. Highlights from the discussion include: Industrial designers are found in a wide range of organizations beyond Apple and automotive manufacturers. They are involved in all aspects of innovation, from identifying ideas and conducting user research through product development and commercialization. Understand what users need and value by: observing asking “correct” questions and avoiding assumptions “walking in their shoes” A cradle-to-cradle view is needed when designing a product Unlock the power of open-ended questions by adding “what else” Understand the constraints of the product development project, such as cost objectives, shipping restrictions, reimbursement levels, etc. Only fight with your customers when developing fighting products! and, a bit funny, keep units of measurements clear – there is a big difference between inches and centimeters as a designer!

Hi Global Product Management Talk Audience. I am pleased to welcome you to the first episode of a new podcast for product managers, developers, and innovators by my friend Chad McAllister.  The podcast is all about helping people involved in developing and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. In this first episode, Chad shared five topics to introduce the  podcast: 1. How he became fascinated with product management, development, and innovation and why he teaches the topics now as an innovation management professor and product management trainer 2. Why he is conducting valuable interviews, including how he started interviewing during a 1-year RV trip 3. Highlights of some innovation lessons from past interviews 4. What to expect in the upcoming weekly interviews with professionals that can help product managers, developers, and innovators 5. A free gift for listening About the Host, Chad McAllister, PhD I was a boy who loved to take apart things to see what was inside – what made something work. Not too much of a stretch that I found a love for electrical engineering during college. After graduating, I worked with teams in In small, large, and global companies, including four start-ups, developing products. Sometimes the products made customers into raving fans and sometimes it was left to me to pick up the pieces and figure out what went wrong. In pursuit of best practices and proven methodologies, I found great value in earning certifications from several credible professional organizations, including PMI, PDMA, and AIPMM, as well a PhD in business (focusing on requirement issues in product development). Today, with 25+ years in hands-on product development, I provide training and education.  

Kimberly Wiefling, Founder and President, Wiefling Consulting, Inc. and Author of Scrappy Project Management recently spoke and presented 2 workshops at The Product Summit in San Francisco. She helps organizations achieve what SEEMS impossible, but is merely difficult. How? By turning managers into leaders and groups into teams. A physicist by education, she realized long ago the limits of technology devoid of human skills – the so-called “touchy feely” aspects of working in teams so vital to success, and so frequently overlooked.  Kimberly says, "In spite of great advances in tools and business processes, many product development teams continue to fail for entirely predictable and avoidable reasons! I'm thrilled to be invited to share my insights and experience with effective product development teams with the Global Product Management Community!"

The Study of Product Team Performance identifies the key factors that differentiate high performing product teams from their less successful counterparts. Actuation Consulting conducted the third annual global study of product teams with the goal of continuously improving our understanding of why some product teams excel while others struggle. “We also sought to expand our knowledge of the factors that drive or influence the best outcomes,” states Greg Geracie, President of Actuation Consulting, that has conducted the study of Product Team Performance for the past 3 years. Greg will discuss the findings, including the use of industry best practices, return on investment (ROI) and its application, the product team’s relationship with the Sales and Marketing organizations and how well the product team understands and aligns its efforts to the sales cycle. Download the Findings on The Study of Product Team Performance 2014 http://bit.ly/1lHUmkh News Announcing The Product Summit San Francisco November 20-23, 2014; 4 days of immersion into product excellence with one track lightning talks by experts, visionaries and product management practitioners, Workshops, No Code Prototype Hackathon, and ProductCamp unconference. Early bird registration open: productsummit.org

Most technology startups never make it to the funding state, and only a small percent of those that are venture-backed generate positive returns for their investors. An even smaller number of startup founders enjoy a prosperous exit. A success story in tech entrepreneurship—Bernd Schoner is the cofounder of ThingMagic, a garage-grown RFID technology company led by a small group of MIT Media Lab graduates. An early innovator of the Internet of Things, Schoner led his company through the ups and downs of a startup, ultimately selling to Trimble Navigation, a multibillion-dollar, multinational tech company, where he currently works as the VP of Business Development for ThingMagic. In his new book, The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide: How to Bootstrap Your Startup, Lead Through Tough Times, and Cash In for Success (McGraw-Hill, May 2014), Schoner brings aspiring entrepreneurs face-to-face with the harsh realities of a tech startup. He provides an all-encompassing look at entrepreneurship, from inception to exiting, highlighting both the glory and the pain.  Bernd explains the major phases in a technology company’s life cycle, helping entrepreneurs avoid common pitfalls and survive crises when they strike. He guides the reader from the initial bootstrapping process through venture-capital financing and provides valuable advice on how to sell a technology company profitably—even in a bad economic environment.

PS2: Gal has an amazing history in Product Management. He originally started at Blue Pumpkin Software as a Systems Engineer before moving up to a Product Marketing Manager role. From there he became a Sr. Product Manager at Witness Systems when they acquired Blue Pumpkin. Then became a Director of Product Management for several years at Model N, then another couple years were spent as a Sr. Director of Product Management at Baynote. From there he acted as a Co-Founder for Diamonds or Dogs before moving back into a Sr. Director of Product Management role at Tealeaf. He now acts as the VP of Product Management at SocialChorus, a unique platform for building brand advocacy. @gjosefsberg https://www.linkedin.com/pub/gal-josefsberg/0/730/728# Product Superheroes Podcast with Bob Schoenthal, syndicated on the Global Product Management Talk channel, is a fast paced sixty minutes of discussion focused on the people behind the products and the techniques they use to build better products. Bob chats with product managers, product designers, product developers and other passionate product people. http://startupproduct.com/product-superheroes/ --------------------------------------  

There should be no internal barriers to the broad opportunities that are opened by the internet. Online strategies should be as straightforward to implement as sending an email. Tech Liminal, in Oakland, California, was founded by Anca Mosoiu to help achieve this new level of productivity and creativity by bringing business professionals, community leaders and technology experts together. Anca Mosoiu, Tech Liminal’s founder and CEO, is a software engineer and consultant with decades of experience building web sites and applications for organizations of all sizes. A graduate of MIT, Anca uses her technical education and practical knowledge to create an accessible, technology-focused community in Oakland where diverse minds meet and learn to apply the right tools to solve the right problems. Subscribe to @webcastdigest Daily free online events for continuous learning http://bit.ly/1jwp5vn Thanks to our sponsor @AIPMM great webinar series http://bit.ly/IOlw1O Pipeline Virtual Conference and Hub for Innovative Product Development http://bit.ly/1rzKdTu Special Discount: Mastering Product Positioning: Udemy Course http://bit.ly/1hF18Fe Get a free audio book when you sign up for a 30-day free trial at audiblepodcast.com/prodmgmttalk

Episode 1: Product Superheroes with Bob Schoenthal.  Bob talks with product development, design and management superheroes in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley area. About Case Case Sandberg started off his development and design career by turning frequent freelancing into a full time web agency.  When he moved to the Bay Area he started working for one of his longest running clients and eventually the company was acquired by Shutterfly.  He is currently still with Shutterfly working as a front end engineer,  as well as frequently hosting hack-a-thons and working on an innovative startup idea. @casesandberg Host, Bob Schoenthal is an experienced product manager, tech and passionate product enthusiast. His focus is on mid-sized companies in the Hawaii real estate sector and Bay Area B2B and B2C startups and early stage companies. He's an avid tech conference and winning hackathon participant. Bob organizes Startup Product Talks Silicon Valley and is heading up the Product Camp San Francisco team. @mightybobarian ---------------------- Get a free audio book when you sign up for a 30-day free trial at audiblepodcast.com/prodmgmttalk AIPMM Webinar Series: http://aipmm.com/aipmm_webinars Daily, curated educational free online events for your continuous learning. @webcastdigest http://bit.ly/1arEtJg Startup Product movement for product excellence. Career board: http://jobs.startupproduct.com Mastering Product Positioning Online Course 50% discount http://bit.ly/1hF18Fe