Anyway, there's plenty of time for mince pies. What I really want to talk about is the mad, bad and dangerous world of product development. Not what necessarily springs to mind when one thinks of untrammelled anarchy but it can be unless you're disciplined. Having done this a thousand times, and I'm currently doing it again, this focuses the mind.
We're currently reviewing 7global's hosted services, and working on an addition to come out in the New Year. It's one of these products we've been doing in a 'soft' way for years. Now we're re-engineering it for public consumption so I'm eating and sleeping R & D at the moment.
I've found unsuccessful (or at least overlong, underwhelming products and services) are 100% always the result of lack of process. The best ideas, the most original concepts, the most fecund potential markets mean nothing when execution is poor. The result can resemble a bar room brawl in a Western:
*Smash* the CTO shatters a whisky bottle over the Marketing Director's head.
*Crash* the Support Manager hurls the Sales Director onto the ubiquitous poker game table.
*Thunk* the FD floors the Presales Lead before being thrown into the piano player, bringing the rendition of Camp Town Lady to an abrupt halt.
To avoid these unseemly scenes I think there are 5 key steps to take to get this right, forged over the years on the anvil of failure and success. Like so many sensible steps they look simple but are harder to stick to. Worth re-iterating, though.
1. Getting started.
This needs to be the loosest stage. Brainstorming, looking at the competition, establishing clear ambitions for the product. Make sure people are relaxed- some of the best ideas can follow on from the worst at this stage. And vice versa.
2. Planning
You need to look hard at the intended scope. What can it do? What benefits will it deliver? What do people want? Too many times, people focus on the technology without thinking about the customer.
Product Team: "Oooh- look what it can do!"
Customer: "So?"
Product Team: "But look! It does that!"
Customer: "So?"
Strategy and scope are essential. Timelines, costs, resources must all be finalised to make sure everyone is on the same page.
3. Delivery
Making sure everyone is communicating is one of the most important aspects. Working in splendid isolation usually means things don't fit together when you sit down to review. "Oh, I see. You wanted it to do that."
Making sure there's strong project management is essential, too. If you've not done your bit there better be a pretty bloody good explanation.
4. Control
It's essential to keep revisiting the plan. If it's a good one, then it will adapt. The course of technology product development rarely runs smooth. On the plus side, new angles, features and benefits always emerge to enhance your product too. Be careful to manage these new developments (positive and negative) and keep to the objectives and strategy.
5. Launch
Launching a product is often the hardest thing of all. There you need to pull in all the elements of your organisation to understand, market, sell, deliver and support your new clients. Kicking it off in style is also imperative. Never miss an opportunity to sing and dance about the work you've done!
As I say, these are almost truisms. However, I read other people's truisms feeling slightly sheepish that despite their innate truth, I don't follow them myself. So now it's my turn.
Right, time for a bourbon and a game of cards...
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