|
|
article
page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
But do we just abandon all process? Clearly no. Do we stop applying gating criteria that establish the fitness of an idea or product at transition to each new phase? Also no. Do we need phases and gates? Yes, we are talking about needing a degree of repeatable structure that ensures the company is moving forward with the best of the best ideas.
Let’s look at how that balance of speed and performance could be achieved given advances in technology, tools, and new business directions being undertaken by today’s expanded telecom ecosystem.
|
|
However, not all the components are yet commercialized, but enough are available to support at least small product changes with full tool kits. |
|
|
he or she is still an outsider and will not be able to turn over the right rocks quickly enough to find all of the requirements, issues, and opportunities. And if the consultant is just of normal human powers, he or she may be thrown out if they come up with a schedule or budget that no one wants to hear. And if the consultant has less than |
|
|
|
Easy, or at Least Clear, Fixes
- Use modern tools
Essential to any chance of success is to get the requirements right. There will be numerous technical requirements which must be documented and validated. Do not just pull these from the last RFI you can find. There are corporate targets to be met, there are customer requirements to be met. Who are the intended customers anyway? Are there nested customers like families? What are the problems they face that your product will solve? What are the benefits they will receive? How will they measure your value? How will you measure your value?
The Marketing Service Description (MSD) was designed to capture the needs of customers, and of each involved group in the company. Done poorly, it can be so onerous and bloated that it gets abandoned early in the process – yet it should be the “assembly line” that is used seamlessly from the first concept to the end of the product’s life cycle. While it might be a team-oriented document, one way to ensure that the MSD is not done well is to assign it to a team. That old adage: “A responsibility shared is a responsibility shirked” applies here! The MSD must be owned by one person. Another way to ensure a failed MSD is to outsource its development to an external consultant. Why is bringing in a consultant so awful? Well, even if the consultant is very diligent and conscientious,
|
|
desirable qualities, he or she may think it a good idea to try to spin the engagement out for as long as possible before being found out.
So, how can an MSD be done well, owned by one person, with contributions from all in a timely and thorough manner? The MSD, and any other living document thrives when a collaboration technology is used – like a Wiki. Such tools make it easy for everyone to see what has been done, what remains to be done, and who the owner will be asking for the next contribution. Customer surveys, performance data, gating reports, budget accruals and more can be held in one easy to access location through the entire lifecycle. No longer just for engineering and marketing, it becomes equally accessible by operations and sales teams.
- Build governance into the culture of NPI
Diligently applied, a collaboration tool-based MSD can enable the company to accurately set priorities and manage progress. No matter how efficient the process and the supporting tool, if its use is not enforced by company policy and company culture, it will not be used. Products will be rushed to market with little more than wishful thinking to support their success. “Too busy”; “too hard”; or our
article
page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|
|
|
