lean communication - product camp silicon valley 2014

Lean Communications Accelerating Revenue by Aligning Diverse Teams in High Tech Companies

Saeed Khan

www.OnProductManagement.net

Twitter: @saeedwkhan, @onpm

http://www.onproductmanagement.net/

What is the biggest

barrier companies

face in effectively

executing their plans?

Strategy

Communication

Marketing Resources Budgets

Partnerships Pricing Technology Planning

Awareness Economics

Communication

Poor communication leads to:

– misaligned teams

– poor or delayed decisions

– increased expense

– reduced revenue

And what happens when

communication isn’t

always timely, complete

or accurate?

Copyright © Saeed Khan 2010

Creating Successful Products

Let’s analyze the communication that

occurs during the product development process


Inter-Team Communication

Product

Strategy

Product

Management

Start with product and business discussions


Product

Strategy

Product

Management

Engineering

Product

Marketing

Include Engineering and Product Marketing



Product

Strategy

Product

Management

Engineering

Product

Marketing

Marketing

Sales &

Alliances

Professional

Services Technical

Support

Technical

Presales

Other internal groups join in



Product

Strategy

Product

Management

Engineering

Product

Marketing

Marketing

Sales &

Alliances

Professional

Services Technical

Support

Technical

Presales

Industry

Analysts

Technology

Partners

Offshore

Developers Customers

System

Integrators

OEM

Partners

PR

Agencies

VARs

Distributors

External groups also participate



Product

Strategy

Product

Management

Engineering

Product

Marketing

Marketing

Sales &

Alliances

Professional

Services Technical

Support

Technical

Presales

Industry

Analysts

Technology

Partners

Offshore


System

Integrators

OEM

Partners

PR

Agencies

VARs

Distributors

It’s actually rather complex



Product

Management

Offshore

Developers

Technology

Partners

Industry

Analysts

VARs

Distributors

OEM

Partners

System

Integrators

Customers

PR

Agencies

Product

Strategy

Engineering

Technical

Support

Technical

Presales

Product

Marketing

Professional

Services

Sales &

Alliances

Marketing

Each “Team” includes many people and interactions




And those people are likely spread across the globe


How do people “manage” this today?

• Tracking Software

• Status meetings

• Emails, Spreadsheets

• Shared Folders, Portals

• Dashboards, Webinars

• Conference calls

• “It’s up on Sharepoint”



This happens for every release of every product

your company sells


Is this communication

model timely, complete

and accurate?

Possibly.


Is this communication

model efficient,

adaptive and scalable?

Absolutely not!


Communication is like

Manufacturing.

So what can we learn from

Lean Manufacturing?


Lean Production

• Lean is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination.

Source: Wikipedia


Lean Production

• Working from the perspective of the

customer who consumes a product or

service, "value" is defined as any action

or process that a customer would be

willing to pay for.

• Basically, lean is centered on preserving

value with less work.

Source: Wikipedia


Principles of Lean

• Focus on the (information) customer

• Empower the team

• Optimize the whole

• Plan for change

• Build Quality In

• Continuously improve

• Eliminate waste


Creating a Lean Process

1. Specify what creates value from the customers

perspective

2. Identify all the steps along the process chain

3. Make those processes flow

4. Make only what is pulled by the customer

5. Strive for perfection by continually removing

waste

Who does what and when?

Product

Research

Product

Design

Product

DevelopmentPre-Beta Beta

Pre-

Launch

First

Customer

Ship

General

AvailabilitySustaining

Product Strategy

Product Management

Engineering

Product Marketing

Technical Support

Technical Presales

Direct Sales

Marketing

Channels/Alliances

Professional Services

Technology Partners

OEM customers

Direct Customers

System Integrators

Distributors/Vars



Product

Research

Product

Design

Product


Pre-

Launch

First

Customer

Ship

General


Product Strategy

Product Management 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 1

Engineering

Product Marketing

Technical Support

Technical Presales

Direct Sales

Marketing

Channels/Alliances


Technology Partners

OEM customers

Direct Customers

System Integrators

Distributors/Vars

3

2

1

Heavily Involved

Moderately Involved

Loosely Involved

Not Involved



Product

Research

Product

Design

Product


Pre-

Launch

First

Customer

Ship

General


Product Strategy


Engineering

Product Marketing

Technical Support

Technical Presales

Direct Sales 1 1 1 2 3 3 3

Marketing

Channels/Alliances


Technology Partners

OEM customers

Direct Customers

System Integrators

Distributors/Vars

3

2

1

Heavily Involved

Moderately Involved

Loosely Involved

Not Involved



Product

Research

Product

Design

Product


Pre-

Launch

First

Customer

Ship

General


Product Strategy


Engineering

Product Marketing

Technical Support

Technical Presales


Marketing

Channels/Alliances


Technology Partners

OEM customers

Direct Customers 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3

System Integrators

Distributors/Vars

3

2

1

Heavily Involved

Moderately Involved

Loosely Involved

Not Involved



Product

Research

Product

Design

Product


Pre-

Launch

First

Customer

Ship

General


Product Strategy 3 2 2 1 1 1 1


Engineering 1 2 3 3 3 2 2 1 1

Product Marketing 1 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 3

Technical Support 1 2 2 3 3 3

Technical Presales 1 1 1 2 3 3 3


Marketing 1 2 3 3 3

Channels/Alliances 1 1 1 2 2 3 3

Professional Services 1 1 1 2 3

Technology Partners 1 2 2 2 1 1

OEM customers 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3

Direct Customers 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3

System Integrators 1 1 2 2 3 3 3

Distributors/Vars 1 1 1 2 2 3 3

3

2

1

Heavily Involved

Moderately Involved

Loosely Involved

Not Involved


Flow of Information and Communication

Product

Research

Product

Design

Product


Pre-

Launch

First

Customer

Ship

General


Product Strategy 3 2 2

Product Management 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2

Engineering 2 3 3 3 2 2

Product Marketing 2 3 3 3 3

Technical Support 2 2 3 3 3

Technical Presales 2 3 3 3

Direct Sales 2 3 3 3

Marketing 2 3 3 3

Channels/Alliances 2 2 3 3

Professional Services 2 3

Technology Partners 2 2 2

OEM customers 2 2 2 3 3

Direct Customers 2 2 2 3 3 3

System Integrators 2 2 3 3 3

Distributors/Vars 2 2 3 3

3

2

1

Heavily Involved

Moderately Involved

Loosely Involved

Not Involved


Map out key cross-team

activities and define

necessary deliverables at

each stage for each team



Who needs information?

What do they need?

When do they need it?

Who must provide it?

How is it optimally delivered?



Product

Strategy

Product

Management

Engineering

Product

Marketing

Marketing

Sales &

Alliances

Professional

Services Technical

Support

Technical

Presales

Industry

Analysts

Technology

Partners

Offshore


System

Integrators

OEM

Partners

PR

Agencies

VARs

Distributors

One Information Chain


Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers

Information Needs along the Chain


Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers


Does the product meet my needs?

Will it work in my environment?

What are the costs?

What are the benefits?

Start with the end “customer”


Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers




What are the costs?


I need a data sheet and

technical collateral

I need SKUs and pricing

information

I need an ROI calculator

Who are the reference

accounts I can provide?


Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers


What does the product do?

Who can benefit from it?

What are those benefits?

How is it licensed?

How is it positioned versus

the alternatives?




information






What are the costs?



Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers





information




What market problems do we address?

How can we outflank our competitors?

What product changes do we make to

maximize revenue?

What are the objectives of the release?




How is it licensed?


the alternatives?



What are the costs?



Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers





information







maximize revenue?





How is it licensed?


the alternatives?



What are the costs?


Do the product goals

support overall business

objectives?

How can we grow our

existing customer base?

What market changes

will we have to react to?

What go-to-market

strategy do we need?


Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers

Deliverables Created In the Chain




information







maximize revenue?





How is it licensed?


the alternatives?



What are the costs?


Market Assessment

Product Strategy

Technology Strategy

Competitive Landscape


Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers





information




Market Requirements

Problem Statements

Competitive Analysis

Product Roadmap

Release Overview




How is it licensed?


the alternatives?



What are the costs?


Market Analysis

Product Strategy

Technology Strategy



Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers





information




Market Requirements

Problem Statements


Product Roadmap

Release Overview



What are the costs?


Market Analysis

Product Strategy

Technology Strategy


Product Positioning

Data Sheets

White Papers

Price books

Success Stories

Sales Tools

Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers


Market Requirements

Problem Statements


Product Roadmap

Release Overview



What are the costs?


Market Analysis

Product Strategy

Technology Strategy


Product Positioning

Data Sheets

White Papers

Price books

Success Stories

Sales Tools

Product Presentations

ROI Analysis

Customer Business Case

Proof of Concept


Product

Strategy

Product

Management Product

Marketing Sales &

Alliances

Customers


Product Presentations

ROI Analysis

Customer Business Case

Proof of Concept

Market Requirements

Problem Statements


Product Roadmap

Release Overview

Product Positioning

Data Sheets

White Papers

Price books

Success Stories

Sales Tools

RFI/RFP

Business Justification

Implementation Plan

Market Analysis

Product Strategy

Technology Strategy



Implementing the Lean

Communication Model


Implementing Lean Communications

• Start with the Product Management and

Product Marketing teams

– These two teams have the most downstream

impact on other teams

• Analyze what you are producing and for

whom?

• Understand the information gaps

– Is information needed by others? When? Why?

– How can other teams reuse content and

information you create?


• Map out deliverables for each stage

of development process

• Introduce changes to other teams

during the product development and

release cycle

• Track the flow of documents, if

possible

Implementing Lean Communications


Product Management Deliverables

Product

Research

Product

Design

Product


Pre-

Launch

First

Customer

Ship

General


Product Strategy


Engineering

Product Marketing

Technical Support

Technical Presales

Direct Sales

Marketing

Channels/Alliances


Technology Partners

OEM customers

Direct Customers

System Integrators

Distributors/Vars

3

2

1

Heavily Involved

Moderately Involved

Loosely Involved

Not Involved


Product Management Deliverables

Product

Definition

Product

Design

Product

Development

Pre-Beta Beta/Post

Beta

Pre-Launch FCS/GA Sustaining

Statements of

Direction

(SODs)

Product

Requirements

Document

(PRD)

Release

Overview

Beta

Requirements

Document

(BRD)

Beta

Customer

Training

Closing Beta

Customers

Launch

Assistance

User Group

Participation

Market

Requirements

Document

(MRD)

Features

Requirements

Documents

(FRD)

Product FAQ Beta

Recruitment

Manage

Beta

Process

Final

Platform

Availability

Matrix

Early

Customer

Tracking

Product

Strategy

Planning

Product

Roadmap

Preliminary

Platform

Availability

Matrix (PAM)

Updated

Product

Requirements/

User Stories

Beta Training

(Internal)

Beta

Findings

Report

Final

Release

Overview

Requirements

Gathering

Internal Beta

Release

Feedback

Internal

Training

Competitive

Analysis


Define each Deliverable

Release Overview

• A Release Overview is a cross-functional document aimed to provide necessary release information to downstream groups. The Overview should include the following information:

– Key dates including Beta, FCS and GA

– PAM changes for the given release

– High level description of the release, major themes and key features

– Major issues to be aware of WRT the release, including licensing changes, product repackaging etc.

– Within reason, detail on each of the features that are in the release, along with key benefits of those features

– Listing of any physical materials that will be created/updated for the release. This applies primarily to CDs and printed documentation, but could include other packaging items such as boxes etc.

• This document is the primary resource for release information for groups such as Product Marketing, Sales Consulting, Education Services, Support, and Alliances.


Characteristics of Deliverables “Grids”

• Deliverables “Grids” define a set of

standard, necessary cross-team

deliverables (and sometimes

activities) for each group across all

stages of the product development

cycle



• Deliverables “Grids” are product and

release neutral.

i.e. they can be used to standardize

communication processes across

teams regardless of product or

release



• They inform others of what must be

delivered by them and what will be

produced for them in any given stage

of the product development cycle.


What are the benefits of explicitly implementing a

Lean Communication Model?


Benefits of Lean Communication

• Bring teams into better alignment through

out Product Development and Release

process

• Ensure all parties have timely information to

make optimal go forward decisions that are

within their area of responsibility

• Enable better training and communication

for those customer facing teams in a timely

manner

• Minimize time to revenue


Lean Communications Accelerating Revenue by Aligning Diverse Teams in High Tech Companies Saeed Khan www.OnProductManagement.net Twitter: @saeedwkhan, @onpm


http://www.onproductmanagement.net/