Ensure you’re building the right features

• Identify the true costs of implementing and maintaining a feature

• Knowing when and how to say “no” to a feature request

• Know how to build and launch successful features

• Know how to rescue features that flop

• Know what to do with features that simply aren’t making the grade

Optimize your product management function and process

• Define processes to meet your needs

• Optimize current process

• Determine which development processes (agile versus waterfall) are appropriate

• Analyse and make recommendations to optimize current process

• Leverage proven product management methodologies to quickly implement world-class process

Perform market analysis

• Identify and size target markets

• Determine which markets are appropriate for your company’s unique talents

• Perform customer and market research

Customer research to determine critical needs required for your products

• Determine critical product requirements

• Fast surveys and customer interviews to rapidly and inexpensively validate ideas

• Conduct market research using secondary research sources such as analyst firms and industry experts

Conduct competitive analysis

• Develop an accurate and non-biased picture of your competition

• Help you determine whether to enter a market based on the current competitive environment

Define products based on customer needs

• Write MRD's (Market Requirements Documents), PRD's (Product Requirements Documents) and define products

• Give engineering teams clear and concise information about customer needs

• Prioritize feature sets into “Must Have”, “Nice to Have” and “Next Release”

• Develop short-term and long-term product roadmaps

Perform product roadmapping

• Capture, analyse and prioritize all requirements

• Create a multi-year release plan

• Use best practices such as “Themes” and “Golden Features” to create a well thought out plan

Work with and guide engineering teams

• Determine feature versus schedule trade-offs

• Make difficult feature decisions

• Decide whether products are ready for first customer ship

Manage test customers

• Write initial customer success stories

• Gather initial product feedback

• Secure early customer wins to validate additional financing

Ship products

• Define and manage all shippable components

• Work with operations to create BOM and manufacturing plans

• Create product packaging

Technologies

Being a tech guy I profoundly believe in the importance of IT and technology as key pillars that support necessary changes in the way business is conducted today and tomorrow.

As a product manager I aim to add value to business by understanding changing market dynamics and technology shifts to develop product plans that will maximise revenue and growth.

During my career I’ve focused on developing the ability to help translate complex technology into simplified descriptions that are understandable and relevant to business managers. This has included understanding the needs and problems of c-level exec’s and describing technical solutions to their problems in a business benefits context.

I have a good working knowledge across a broad range of technology from Mobile Apps to networking, systems and platforms.  I’m enthusiastic about my products and driving their business success through agile product management and evangelism either via face to face meetings with customers and prospects or through the use of social media channels and webinars.

I’ve also worked across a range of platforms and systems from IBM to AWS to Microsoft to Linux to Apple iOS and Google’s Android running across mainframes, PC’s, smart phones and tablet devices. I’ve worked with centralised big iron legacy applications through to today’s cloud based SaaS systems and distributed thin client mobile Apps.

Business today is changing faster than at any point in history. To stay relevant and competitive and profitable business have to compete on a global scale and implement new agile methodologies to support fast entry and evolution required to drive and maintain business growth. Companies who embrace and respond fastest to the new more agile global economy are more successful in expanding their business reach than those who take a slower more conservative approach.

Experience

During my career I’ve focused on developing the ability to quickly and effectively translate market opportunities and requirements into strategic vision, roadmaps and product solutions.  

I’ve always been an “product guy” and someone who is passionate about technology and understanding how new technology can be applied to deliver business with a competitive advantage resulting in improved business success and profitability.

My passion for technology has resulted in me constantly refreshing my knowledge through lifelong learning and research enabling me to determine how to apply new technology to my specific areas of business focus. I’m also interested in the broader impacts of technology and how it can support and drive global social and economic change.

As an IT product guy I’ve delivered B2B, B2C and cloud based SaaS solutions. I have solid software development life cycle experience with a shift from waterfall to modern scrum based agile development and have driven product development from idea through to successful market launch. I’ve also created short term and longer term strategic product plans and business plans for a range of software products.

I’ve consulted across a broad range of industry verticals from banking, finance, telco and airlines through to governments. As a product manager I fundamentally believe in a Pragmatic product management approach to products where the best products come from talking to customers to gather insights and market requirements to become the “voice of the market” within the development process.

Business today is changing faster than at any point in history. To stay relevant and competitive and profitable business have to compete on a global scale and implement new agile methodologies to support fast entry and technology change required to drive business growth. Companies who embrace and respond fastest to the new more agile global economy are more successful in expanding their business reach than those who take a slower more conservative approach.

Some key trends I’m seeing in 2021 include: the importance of data governance and ethical use of data, Open API’s, Micro Services architecture, Robo Advice / Data driven insight and the challenge of making sense of huge amounts of information contained in ever expanding Big Data stores which represents both a huge challenge and opportunity for business to establish competitive advantage through mining and utilization of big data. New intuitive BI analytics reporting and dash boarding tools will be fundamental to business leveraging information in a timely and relevant manner allowing better more informed decisions and supporting a more personalised and more profitable dialogue with customers and business partners.

Agile methodologies are also driving new ways of developing products and software and systems and apps involving rapid prototyping and rapid delivery and deployment of “things” that make a business more responsive and relevant internally within a business and externally with business partners and customers.

Fast access to key business metrics and information continues to support better decision making. Big data and Business intelligence tools are delivering new insight into consumers buying patterns, their engagement, needs, likes and dislikes.

Contact me for more information on my services and leveraging a product based analytical and data driven approach to driving product improvement to deliver better business outcomes.