product leading

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The Leading Reference for Telecoms & IT

ProductManagementJournal Volume 6 £10

product

ConensThe Role Wha does a produc manager do anyway? p04

Leadership Tools Produc Manager Personas and 20 hings o make you grea p08

Saring UpHow o inroduce produc managemen or he rs ime p10

How are we Doing?Measuring produc managemen p15

Carve-upSpliting responsibiliies across muli-naionals p18

Insigh: MoivaionHow happy is your donkey? p22

LeadingProduc managemen and

produc markeing eams.



product

focus

0207 099 5567www.producocus.com

Inensive public & privae coursesTools, emplaes and checkliss

Focus on Telecoms and ITLearn bes pracice

TrainingProduc Managemen and

Produc Markeing



INTRODUCTION

Product Management Journal Volume 6 3

As he manager o a eam o producmanagers how would you answer he

quesions - are we se up righ and are wedoing a good job?

In his journal we atemp o answer hesequesions. We don’ believe here are easyanswers. I depends on your business, howyour company is srucured and he producsyou’ve go. However we do hink we can poinyou in he righ direcion, give you someinsighs and show you examples o bespracice.

And, you don’ have o be a eam leader obene rom his journal. As a producmanager or produc markeer you’re boundo be ineresed in wha your role is abou,how you‘re managed and how you’re measured. Anyway, maybe you’ll beleading a eam yoursel in he uure.

We also look a wha i akes o se-up produc managemen or hers ime and wha you should do i you’re he rs produc managerino a company.

This is he sixh ediion o our Journal. We publish wice a year. Werecenly pu our back issues online. This means you can ge access o allhe aricles, ools and checkliss rom previous issues on our websieincluding: Launching, Proposiions, Business Cases and Pricing.

Our goal is o provide handy, shor inroducions o key areas oproduc managemen. We hope you nd his journal useul and i you’veany quesions or commens - please ge in ouch.

Who’s who?The Product Management Journal ispublished by ProducFocus as an independenpublicaion or producmanagers in Telecomsand IT. Produc Focusis run by Ian Lunn (op)and Andrew Dickenson(below) .

Produc Focus can beconaced by visiingwww.producocus.comor calling 0207 099 5567.

WelcomeLeading he way for produc managers in Telecoms & IT



In he world o produc managemen job iles don’ always help whenrying o undersand wha someone acually does. In our experience he

produc managemen and produc markeing roles are markedlydifferen as you move rom company o company.

A Produc Focus he approach weake is o look a all he aciviies hashould ake place in a business hasells producs. Based on ha, i ispossible o work ou wha you and youream is responsible or and whaohers should be doing.

To make hings simple we dividehe aciviies ino hree main areas(see Fig.2). The rs is strategic

product management i.e. working ouwha he righ produc is or hebusiness. Inbound product

management is he se o aciviies ha help he business deliver heproduc. This is ypically a more echnical role working wih hedevelopmen eam. The nal area is outbound product management which includes he aciviies ha help he business sell he produc. This

ends o be a more commercial or markeing role.In he ramework we lis he specic aciviies ha would ypically

all ino each area. We use he erminology we’ve come across whenworking wihin he indusry bu deniions do vary and some o heseaciviies are di cul o pin down ino jus one area. The imporanpoin is ha in every business ha sells producs hese aciviies need

o be done by someone.

4 Product Management Journal Volume 6

STRATEGY

The roleWha does a produc manager do anyway?

Technical Product Manager

Address: xxxxxxxxxxx

Mobile: xxx xxxx xxxx

Jeoff Cous BSc, Msc CIM

Product Marketing Manager

Office: xxxxxxxxxxxx


Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Janine Doherty, FCIMOffer Manager

Email: xxxxxxxxxxx

Tel: xxx xxxx xxxx

Peter Les

Product Specialist



Lucy Gibbs

Senior Propositions Manager

Tel: xxxxxxxxxxx


Zena Marchington

Product Manager



Ian Slater

PrincipalProductManager


Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxx


Jim Brand

Fig.1 Jobiles can bemisleading



Strategic activitiesWorking out what the right product is for the business

Market research

Customer and sales feedback

Competitive research

Product performance

Company and market strategy

Tracking technology developments

Innovation (generating ideas)

Market and portfolio analysis

Build, buy or partner

Proposition development

Business cases

Pricing

Communicating product plans

Communicating propositions

Roadmaps

Evangelising

Leading a team

Own relationship with senior mgmt

Technology, supplier, partner selection and management

Requirements and product documentation

Project management

Development (design, build, test)

Roll-out across business and ongoing support

Own relationship with development

Inbound activitiesHelping the business deliver the product

Outbound activitiesHelping the business sell the product

Launch planning / go to market

Product marketing, promotion and PR

Developing sales and support material

Supporting events and sales calls

Channel management and support

Own relationship with marketing

Geing insight Analysis and planning Giving direction

FEATURE


Even in very small organisaions i’s unlikely ha one person isresponsible or all o hese aciviies. Normally here are a variey oindividuals spread across he company who cover hese asks. Howevero succeed his virual produc eam mus collaborae closely.

I’s also imporan o make he disincion beween beingresponsible or an aciviy versus being accounable. I you’reresponsible you’re he one who does he work and delivers he oupu. Iyou’re accounable, he business expecs you o ensure he aciviymees he business needs. For example, as a produc manager your

research deparmen may be responsible or commissioning cusomerresearch bu you are accounable or making sure hey ge answers ohe quesions you need answered o make he righ produc decisions.

You can use he RACI ool (see Fig.3) o dene who does whichproduc aciviy in your business. Each aciviy is lised in a marix andpeople are assigned as eiher responsible, accounable, consuled orinormed. I’s common o nd gaps, uncerainy and overlap and heseare oen he roo cause o many problems. ▶

Fig.2 Producmanagemen

aciviies ramework

Wise Words

“Nohingsrenghens judgmen andquickens heconsciencelike individualresponsibiliy.” Elizabeh Sanon




THE ROLE

There are hree models commonly used o hink abou he srucure oproduc managemen (see Fig.4).

Full ownership

This model says you have ull ownership o he produc in he business.You are responsible or managing all he dimensions o your produc

and driving all he aciviies haconribue o is success.

We believe his is a goodapproach as i osers a can-doatiude. However, realisically,

mos produc managers don’have direc conrol over all heresources and acors ha canconribue o heir produc’ssuccess, or example, discouningby sales or allocaion o

developmen resources. They have o use heir powers o inuence omake hings happen.

Parnership o peers In his model he inbound produc manager is responsible or runninghe produc, undersanding he echnology, dening he roadmap,worrying abou coss and proabiliy. They parner wih a producmarkeer who undersands he marke, develops proposiions, workswih he markeing guys and worries abou sales volumes, pricing andrevenue arges. These wo roles work ogeher in an equal parnershipand hrough a healhy ension deliver he bes marke ofer.

This is a common approach implemened by many companies andworks well i responsibiliies are clearly dened. When here isconusion over who does wha, or who makes he nal decision, hedanger is ha healhy ension can develop ino an unhealhy conic.

Muli-uncional eam

In his model a eam works ogeher o manage a produc – or morecommonly a porolio o relaed producs. The simples seup migh be

Who is Responsible The person assigned to do theactivity

R

Who is AccountableThe person who makes the finaldecision (sign-off) and hasultimate ownership of the activity

A

Who is ConsultedSomeone who should be consultedbefore an activity takes place

C

Who is InformedSomeone who should be informedaer an activity has happened butdoes not need to be consulted

I

Fig.3 RACI ool

“I aim o keep agood eam balance.Some individualsare more echnical,some morecommercial andsome betera projecmanagemen buacross he eamwe’ve go all hebases covered.”

Mathew Vizor,Head o MobileBroadband,Vodaone Group



FEATURE


o have a produc direcor running he eam, working wih seniormanagemen and handling he sraegic produc managemenaciviies. They would be suppored by a more echnical inbound

produc manager working wih developmen and a more markeingsavvy oubound produc manager.

This can evolve so ha elemens o produc managemen are hivedof ino specialis eams and no longer repor ino producmanagemen. For example a separae eam ocussed on pricing or onproduc commercials. These eams can bring grea experise oaciviies ha produc managers migh only do once in a while. Thedanger is ha decisions are made wihou a holisic view o he produc.This also creaes he challenge o providing produc leadership across awidely dispersed virual eam o people working in areas ha oenhave quie diferen agendas.

Conclusion

No one model or produc managemen s every organisaion and webelieve a number o models can be made o work. I depends on hecompany size, porolio o producs and philosophical approach oproduc managemen.

However i you lead a eam o produc managers, or i you work in aproduc managemen eam, make sure you’re clear on who is

responsible or wha and ha somewhere, someone is ackling all heproduc relaed aciviies.

Fig.4 How producmanagemen issrucured

ProductManager

(inbound &strategic)

ProductMarketer

(outbound &strategic)

ProductManager

(all activities)TechnicalProductManager

(inbound)

ProductMarketer

(outbound)

ProductDirector

(strategic)

Full Ownership Partnership of Peers

Multi-Functional Team

I you run a producmanagemendeparmen andwould like o chaabou your currenseup, please giveus a call on 020 7099 5567



BEST PRACTICE

Produc Manager Personas are useul in ha hey help o communicaehe ypes o behaviour a produc manager needs o exhibi o be

successul. These will change depending on where heir produc is in isliecycle and he business conex. Which ones are imporan or you

and your eam?

• The Produc Advocae champions and promoes heir produc wihin

and ouside he business.• The Trouble-shooer moves across he business soring ou produc

problems, resolving cusomer issues and xing broken processes.• The Exper Compromiser is he person who akes a view on wha’s

bes or he produc balancing all he commercial, echnical,operaional and sraegic issues.

• The Subjec Mater Exper knows heir produc inside ou (or knowswhere o go o ge he answers).


Tool sTo help you do your job beter

The Reliable Project Manager

The Trouble-shooter

The Subject Maer Expert

The Expert CompromiserThe Mini-CEO

The Product Advocate

The Owner of the Numbers

The Voice of the MarketFig.5 ProducManager Personas



• The Owner o he Numbers is he person everyone goes o or a deniiveview o key merics such as revenue and cusomer numbers.

• The Reliable Projec Manager delivers wha hey say hey will deliver on imeand o budge.

• The Voice o he Marke undersands wha he marke wans and acs as aocal poin or his inormaion wihin he business.

• The mini-CEO runs heir produc as i i was heir own company siting wihinhe wider business.

20 hings ha make a grea produc leader

There’s an old adage ha ‘employees join a company bu hey leave a manager’.

So i you’re managing a eam here’s a check lis o he characerisics you’llneed o be grea a your job and o keep your eam happy.

1

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

17

19

Dedicaed o creaing a grea produc and grea user experience

Acively osers a creaive, un work environmen

Criicises privaely and consrucively, praises publicly and generously

Keeps heir manager inormed (o he degree heir manager wans)

Proacively raises issues o heir manager – no nasy surprises

Expresses opinions honesly bu once a decision is made is ully on-board

Builds grea eams and reas every employee wih respec

Dedicaed o sel-improvemen – reviews misakes and learns lessons

Always demonsraes proound respec or he cusomer

Personies he company’s values hrough words and deeds

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Always mainains a posiive atiude – never loses heir cool, never gives up

Lisens sincerely, speaks houghully

Is compleely dependable – does wha hey say hey will

Brings he whole managemen eam along on major decisions

Discusses problems wih heir manager discreely and consrucively

Hires grea people, develops hem and cares abou heir careers

Quick o ake blame i hings go wrong bu credis ohers when hey go well

Never gossips or complains abou managemen or co-workers

Considers longer-erm sraegic issues as well as shor-erm acical issues

Always works o build he long-erm value o he company


CHECKLIST

Based on a blog enry by Mary Kagan a www.svpg.com

Produc Team Leadership




I you’re he ounder o a sar-up or running a growing produc-basedbusiness a some poin you’ll ask yoursel... a wha poin do I bring in a

produc manager? Is i worh paying or someone wih experience orwill someone keen bu less expensive do? Whom should hey repor o

and wha should I expec hem o do?

The early days

Mos sar-ups are driven by a ounder wih a srong vision. They have aclear insigh ino heir cusomer’s problems and a grea idea o solve

hem. They qui heir job, hire ariend and se-of o make heirmillions. In a produc-basedcompany hey ake he lead –selling o cusomers, drivingdevelopmen and markeing hevision. The company sars ogrow and beore long hey ndheir ime is lled wih invesormeeings, hiring and 101 oherhings. They don’ have ime anymore o ake he produc lead…

Wha happens nex?

Someone else seps in and akesover e.g. he Engineering Direcor,and produc aciviies spreadacross he organisaion.

Then somehing sars o go wrong (see Fig.6). I migh be ha hereare muliple versions o he produc in he marke and everyone realises

STRATEGY

Sar UpInroducing produc managemen

Fig.6 Things owach ou or whenhe produc lead ishanded o oher parso he organisaion

DevelopmentFocus on new techniques,tools & toys rather than

what’s best for the business

Lack of insights limitsability to spotopportunities

Marketing

Focus on brand, campaigns,give-aways and advertising

See job as outbound marketingrather than geing the insights

needed for product strategy& requirements

Finance

Focus on short-termprofit at the expense of

long-term growth

Costs cuts in areas thatimpact customer

satisfaction &sales

Sales

Roadmap

driven by thelatest big deal

The urgency of newcontracts leads to many

code streams and versions

!



START UP


i’s ime o consolidae. Or exising cusomers sar o complain andsomeone needs o look a he prioriies or improving cusomersaisacion. Or delivery daes keep slipping as more and more ispacked ino each release. A ha poin he CEO decides i’s ime obring in a produc manager.

Who o hire and where do hey si?

This can go wo ways – eiher a senior produc manager is brough inwho has he experience and know-how o ake on a leadership role, or a junior produc manager is hired o pick up some o he aciviies ha aregeting dropped.

I doesn’ make sense or a junior produc manager o repor o heCEO so hey are pu ino developmen, markeing or sales. The dangerhen is ha hey become a suppor role or he primary objecive o hedeparmen. I hey repor ino developmen heir ocus will endowards collaing requiremens and projec managing deliveries. I heyrepor ino markeing chances are hey will spend much o heir imeproviding conen or marke communicaions and i hey repor osales hey will be used or demos and sales suppor.

The oher opion, and he one we recommend, is aking on a seniorproduc manager who can provide rue produc leadership. I’s a bigrole... undersanding he marke, ariculaing he produc vision andbalancing shor-erm imperaives wih long-erm sraegic goals. I alsoinvolves arbiraing beween developmen, sales, nance and markeingo make he bes produc decisions or he company. I’s a senior roleha needs senior-level sponsorship – ideally reporing o he CEO.

No waning o le go

Many CEOs nd i hard o le go o he produc leadership role. Theirrs produc is like heir rs child and hey passionaely wan i osucceed. Tha’s ne and hey can coninue o provide guidance andvision. Bu, as he company grows, hey will reach a poin a which heyhave o le go. Maybe hey don’ have he ime, maybe hey’re no longerclose enough o he marke or maybe hey don’ have he righ skills.They need a produc manager. ▶

“Producmanagemen is hehardes role: youhave o arbiraebeween hedifering objeciveso producion/ developmen, salesand managemenwih no direc

conrol over any ohem. In shor, aimes, i is a verylonely place o be.”

Michael Dimelow,Direcor oMarkeingprocessor division,ARM

I you need someadvice on how oinroduce producmanagemen inoyour business, wecan help.




STRATEGY

I you’re he rs produc manager ino he business he nex secion

looks a how o ge o o a ying sar.

Ge clariy on he scope o your job

The range o possible responsibiliies or produc managemen isenormous and unless you’re joining in a senior role i’s unlikely ha hisull scope will be, or should be, realised. The specics need o beclaried wih your manager as expecaions may vary widely. A goodsaring place or any discussion are Figs.2 and 3 in he rs aricle.

For example, in a sar-up, he CEO may coninue o ac as producvisionary aking responsibiliy or sraegy and marke insigh. They

may also wan o reain some degree o conrol over produc direcionso hey can respond quickly o changes in he marke. In heseorganisaions, produc managemen may be quie acical, workingclosely wih developmen o launch he nex version and markeing osuppor sales.

Ge clariy on business expecaions

Whils he role migh be clear, you’ll also wan o clariy and manage heexpecaions o he business. Managemen are likely o expec

improvemens in a range o areas such as ideniying beterbusiness opporuniies, more ecien use o developmenresources, improved sales because o sronger proposiionsand beter produc inormaion on which o base heirdecisions. These diverse expecaions need o be undersoodand managed beore you can begin o se your own prioriies.

Ge a senior sponsor

Are you a he managemen able? I no you’ll need a seniorlevel sponsor o help you ge esablished. Producmanagemen will drive change in he business and i isessenial ha is inroducion has he backing o seniormanagemen. Wihou heir buy-in, sraegy developmen,developmen prioriisaion, and pricing can all all oul oin-ghing beween deparmens.

Wise Words

“You can havebrillian ideas, bui you can’ gehem across, yourideas won’ ge youanywhere.” Lee Iacocca



START UP


Talk o everyone

Unlike aking over an exising role, aking on he rs producmanagemen posiion in a company can be like sepping ino he lion’sden. Your role has creaed uncerainy, is likely o change businessprocesses and ake-away decision making and oher responsibiliiesrom heir curren owners. The key is o ge ou and mee everybody,undersand heir produc-relaed pain poins, esablish relaionships,and build your credibiliy.

Focus, ocus, ocus

Many people wan you o

sor ou heir problems(see Fig 7). This migh geyou some quick wins and abuzz o saisacion buhere is always oo much odo and i’s easy o gesideracked ino consanreghing. So, ocus onyour prioriies, be selecivein wha you work on andmake sure you spend imeo esablish your vision,sraegy and credibiliy.

The rs 100 days

The honeymoon period ohe rs 100 days les you

sep back and review heundamenals. While here will be many demands on your ime weadvocae 3 areas on which o ocus...

1. Take ownership o produc sraegy. This les you open updiscussions across he business on is direcion and helps esablishyour leadership posiion. Aer compleion you should lead efors wihsakeholders o ideniy how hey will suppor he produc sraegy. ▶

Fig.7 Manypeople will wanyou o sor ouheir problems

..I can’t doanymore untilyou decide...

F I N A N C E

What’re the .........product figures.......assumptions..........drive some

fresh marketinginitiatives....

...strategic accountneeds...........

..customer escalation..

..product bugs.......



2. Prioriise issues wihin he porolio. Prioriise produc issuesbased on heir business impac and alignmen wih sraegy. This will seyou up o efecively drive he developmen organisaion and bessuppor your channels.3. Do an audi. Look a he ools, processes, deparmen ineraces anddocumens ha already exis. You can hen decide wha is ft or

purpose and wha needs o be changed.Puting efor ino hese areas will ge you up o speed quickly,

provide he conex or your uure decisions and bring your companyhe ocus i needs o align is resources around agreed prioriies.

The monhs and years ahead

Beyond he rs 100 days, as he company and role grows, here’s a riskha produc managemen will become a botleneck. To avoid his i’s

imporan o regularly review he skills, srucure andobjecives in produc managemen and he processes iuses (see Fig.8).

Growing he eam by recruiing many generalissofers exibiliy bu i’s di cul and expensive o ndhese people - a move o a muli-uncion eam may be abeter opion (see page 7). I’s also worh reviewing iproduc managemen should be a sandalone eam orrepor ino Markeing or Developmen.

Processes can be anoher cause o problems. Ashe business grows and changes, processes can become

cumbersome or inefecive. Key processes o look a include innovaion,develop & deliver, launch, in-lie review and wihdrawal.

Conclusion

The rs produc manager has a grea opporuniy o make a broad-ranging and meaningul conribuion o a company’s success. There willundoubedly be pressure o narrow your ocus o sales suppor, eaureprioriisaion or launch conrol. Try o resis his and ake a lead indeveloping he sraegy and produc-readiness o he business. And don’t orget to bring in some product experts i it there’s too much

ground to cover or you need specialist support.


STRATEGY

Maintainingperformance

Processes Objectives

Teamskills &

structure

Fig.8 Mainainingproducmanagemenperormancerequires consanreview

Wise Words “I I had one hour osave he world I’dspend 55 minuesdening heproblem and veminues looking orhe soluion.”

Alber Einsein

Our 3-daycourse, ProducManagemen &Produc Markeingor Telecoms andIT, gives a horoughgrounding in allaspecs o he role




Le’s sar by breaking his ino wo quesions. How do you measure i aproduc is successul? And, is a produc manager doing a good job?

Why revenue doesn’ ell he whole sory

A rs glance, measuring produc success seems relaively sraigh

orward using nancial merics like revenue and pro. This is howsenior managemen keep score and ypically se op-down goals. Bu isi a good idea o measure produc managers solely on he nancialsuccess o heir produc?

Financial merics mus always be viewed in he conex o he overallmarke. For example, 50% revenue growh migh be considered a greasuccess bu i he marke is growing a 200% you migh quesion i heproduc manager is doing a good job!

Targeing produc managers on revenue also leads o a ocus onshor-erm acical aciviy ha will bring in money quickly - oen a heexpense o pro. However, mosproduc managemen roles requirea balance beween shor-ermacical work and longer-ermsraegic projecs ha will drivesuccess in he uure.

Pas perormances does nopredic he uure

Hisorical reporing on revenuesand cusomer numbers is likelooking ou o he rear window as you drive your car. I shows you whereyou’ve been bu i isn’ a very good way o nding ou wha’s coming upahead. To drive orward you need o choose merics o measure heaciviies ha predic success and ha you can ge hold o early enough

Delivering?Measuring produc managemen

BEST PRACTICE

Merics: You Are Wha You Measure!

By John R. Hauser and Gerald M. Kaz, April 1998

This excellen paper explores he hesis ha he merics usedby an organisaion will afec all he acions and decisions oemployees unil he rm becomes wha i measures. This is nei you ge he merics righ bu i’s very easy o ge hem wrongleading o uninended consequences.

Example - cusomer call cenres are oen measured on henumber o calls handled per hour leading o rushed calls. Thecall cenre may mee is arges bu a wha cos o he moreimporan meric o cusomer saisacion?

Wise Words

“Any business or

indusry ha paysequal rewards o isgoo-ofs and eagerbeavers sooner orlaer will nd iselwih more goo-ofs han eagerbeavers.” Mick Delaney



o be useul e.g. speed o launch, ime o revenue, average order value,monhly churn, criical bug coun and roadmap reresh.

Seting business objecives

To sar you need o undersand he key operaional goals ha areimporan or he produc and heir link o nancial oucomes hasenior managemen care abou. A produc’s mauriy and markeconex will dicae wha’s mos imporan.

The nex sep is o creae business objecives ha link o hese, orexample, i he imporan operaional goal is speed o marke, he

objecive could be ‘Develop a launch sraegy ha ges o marke aleas a monh beore he op wo compeiors’.

So how are produc managers measured?

In our 2010/11 annual survey o produc managemen and producmarkeing almos 50% o respondens were measured on revenue.Around a h menioned ull Pro and Loss (P&L) or margin

responsibiliy. However, over 90% weremeasured by objecives - ypically hese were

a mixure o business and personal objecives.For example, non nancial business

objecives racked cusomer and inernalengagemen as well as key aspecs o producperormance. Oher merics includedcusomer saisacion, new wins and channelsuppor.

Innovaion

Speed o marke

Produc adopion

Produc opimisaion

Cusomer Saisacion

Bringing he righ producs o he righ markes

Geting rom idea o launch aser han hecompeiion

Acceleraing he produc ake-up rae

Making he mos o producs already in marke

Increasing reenion, recommendaion and repeapurchases

Business OucomeDrives uure revenues & pros

Quicker o revenue

Faser revenue growh

Maximises revenues & pros

Increases revenue

Operaional Goal Descripion


BEST PRACTICE

“We have a sric developmen and eedbacksysem based on objecives ed rom he board.

Key merics or my produc managers are:cusomer wins, roadmap shaping/exension,gross revenue, produc launches and regularengagemen wih he op en cusomers.Cusomer engagemen is criical o ge heinsighs needed o keep our proposiionsrelevan.”

Michael Dimelow, Direcor o Markeingprocessor division, ARM




Inernal perormance was ypically measured using echniquessuch as 360 0 eedback where a produc manager collaes eedbackrom heir work colleagues, heir boss and any direc repors.

Seting personal objecives

We divide he knowledge and skills required o be an efecive producmanager ino knowing what to do and being able o get it done . SeeFig.9 below. To be a grea produc manager you need o be srong in allareas. Seting personal objecives o develop behaviours andcompeencies migh include, meeing more cusomers o ge a beterundersanding o hemarke (in Box A),

sudying o improveprojec managemenskills (in Box D) or evenatending one o ourraining courses (Box C).

Why seting objecives

is difcul

The annual review andobjecive seting process in large companies is conrolled by HR. I runso a se agenda and can suck up los o ime. Unorunaely i oenmisses he mark. Company changes and marke developmens meanobjecives quickly become ou-o-dae. You need o urn his round andmake sure his process works or you and your eam, or example,reviewing objecives requenly during regular one-o-one meeings.

Conclusion

Measuring produc managemen is no easy andseting good objecives is dicul. However as a eamleader you need o be prepared o answer he quesionAre we doing a good job? I you can demonsrae howindividual and eam objecives link o key operaionalgoals ha drive revenue and pro, hen you’re in asrong posiion. I you can’, your budge andheadcoun may be a risk.

Fig.9 Efeciveproducmanagemen – youneed o cover allhe boxes

“Oen he greaes diculy in anyassessmen sysem is geting agreemenacross he managemen eam on he roledeniions and merics or evaluaingproduc managemen compeencies. Puin he efor o ge his righ, and here’s abig payof wih an assessmen rameworkor reviews, pay & bonus seting ha isransparen, air and undersandable.”

Mike Beech,Head o Produc Markeing, RM

What to do

Market & technologyProducts, customers,technology, competition,suppliers

OrganisationProcesses, structure, contacts,governance

Skills, strategy, tactics, e.g.launching, pricing, businesscases, propositions

Project management skills,influencing, communicationskills, leadership

Geing it done

Specific

General K n o w l e d g e a n d s k i l l s

Product management Personal effectiveness

A B

DC

MEASURING



In any large organisaion, wheher i’s an army, a counry or even amuli-naional company (MNC) here is a consan ension beween

concenraing power a he cenre and devolving i o local unis. Cenralisaion gives economies o scale, consisency and direc conrol.

Decenralisaion gives he abiliy o reacquickly and adap o local condiions.

In muli-naional companiesproduc managemen and producmarkeing are a he hear o his batle(see Fig.10). And, i you have ever worked inan MNC or any lengh o ime, you arelikely o have experienced he pendulum oconrol or producs swinging rom hehead oce o he regions and back again.

Each ime he pendulum swings, responsibiliies change, eamsexpand or conrac and boundaries o conrol ge redened. This oenleads o resenmen, conusion and salled perormance.

The case or cenral conrol

Proponens o cenralisaion poin o various eciencies. Developingproducs once raher han leting each local uni do heir own hing

saves money. Cenral conrol makes i easier o globalise localsuccesses and share hem wih oher markes.

A head oce produc manager can see he ‘big picure’ and sharemarke research and bes pracice o deliver he bes soluion or hebusiness as a whole.

A urher advanage comes rom consolidaing each counry’s buyingneeds cenrally so he company can drive beter deals wih suppliers.


ORGANISATION

Carve UpResponsibiliies in Muli Naional Companies

Fig.10 Conroland poweroscillae beweenhead oce andregional oces

Head OfficeRegional Offices

P e n d u l um o f Po w e r



CARVE UP


The case or local conrol

The supporers o local conrol poin o he need o adap producs,proposiions and produc markeing o sui he local marke. This needslocal knowledge.

In-counry produc managers can provide insighs ino localcompeiors and pricing, specic regulaory and legal requiremens andcusomer prioriies. This is much more dicul or cenrally basedproduc managers.

A urher advanage o local conrol is he passion ha i engenders “it was invented here” . The local produc owners’ passion and belieprovide he oundaion or success in heir marke – somehing easily

los in producs conrolled by cenral dicae.Finally, cenralisaion can slow hings down. When being rs o

marke is imporan, devolving conrol allows local produc groups oreac more quickly.

Geting he balance righ

A common model is o have he inbound produc managemen aciviiessuch as developmen ake place cenrally and have local produc eamsake care o produc markeing (see Fig.11). The global eams providehe overall produc sraegy, roadmap and disseminae bes pracice.The local eams provide marke insighs, produc reporing androadmapsuggesions.Many UScompaniesoperae in hisway in he UK.

ConclusionWhen produc managemen and produc markeing is carved up acrossinernaional boundaries here is a clear danger o overlaps, duplicaionand conusion. The decision making and implemenaion o localisaionrequire excellen communicaion beween he local and global eams.The rick is o be clear on who is responsible or wha and he RACI ool(see page 6) can help.

Local Team

Insights, Recommendations

Product ReportingBest

Practice

Strategy, Roadmaps & Recommendations

Global Team

Fig.11 Efecivecommunicaionsbeween remoeeams is criical

“The balancebeween he Groupand Local roles willvary rom companyo company bu i’sall abou leveragingeconomies oscale and creainga global brandwih consisenproducs. So, orexample, creaing

producs onceand sharing hem,aggregaingpurchasing andvendor inuence,and sharing bespracice.”

Teodora Quiroga,Head o VGEProducs,Vodaone



The book is aimed a sofware produc eams. Mary draws on hisexperience a Nescape, HP and eBay along wih many years o

consuling and blogging a www.svpg.com o provide a grea se oguidelines, insighs and checkliss.

The major emphasis in his book is on building producs hacusomers acually wan. The book conains los o pracical advice on

how o go abou doing jus ha.For example, he advocaes ha as par o discovering he produc

requiremens a produc soware eam should always creae ‘high-deliy’ prooypes ha can give a realisic represenaion o heproposed user experience. Wih he ools available oday he believesprooypes should be cheap, easy and quick o do. He also believes heyare a grea way o providing unambiguous specicaions odevelopmen and geting useul eedback rom arge cusomers.

He also says ha you should se-ou o launch a minimal produc.This means discovering he minimal uncionaliy necessary o have asuccessul produc and being clear ha’s wha’s needed a launch. Thisavoids he common rap o cuting eaures o hi a launch deadline onlyo nd you’ve compromised he whole proposiion i.e. “i you removeha leg, he dog won’ hun.”

Mary also has some ineresing views on how o measure yourproduc. His avourie is a meric called he Ne Promoer Score (NPS).You ask your cusomers how likely hey would be o recommend your

produc o ohers on a scale o 0-10. Those who rae 9 or 10 areconsidered ‘promoers’, hose who rae 6 or less are called ‘deracors’.Subracing he deracors rom he promoers gives you your NPSscore and ells you i you have more people cheering or you hanagains you. Many companies already use his meric (see www.nepromoer.com) and he companies ha rae highly won’ surpriseyou e.g. Apple, Amazon, Google and eBay.

An excellen book – well worh geting hold o.


The JournalReviews and feedback for produc managers

Inspired - How ocreae producscusomers love, byMary Kagan

Book Review

Wise Words

“Engineeringorganisaions areypically designedo ocus on building

a produc righ,raher han buildinghe righ produc.” Mary Kagan



SURVEY

Have your viewEach year our annual survey on produc managemenand produc markeing hrows up resh insighs.

The key hemes o emerge his year were:• A lack o clariy on roles and responsibiliies• Di culy in nding ime or sraegic work• Produc managemen no being properly

undersood or valued by he businessThere were also posiive messages rom he survey:• Training ime up by 10%• On-ime projec delivery up by 20%

Ineresingly, getinginsighs ino cusomerproblems, echnical rendsand compeiive changeswere raed as he biggesweaknesses by producmanagers.

Our survey looks aindusry norms. I you wano keep up wih bespracice, ake a look a our blog (www.producocus.com/blog).




Have you hough abou wha moivaes you and your eam? O course,no one believes i’s as simple as conrolling a donkey, wih a carro as a

reward and a sick as punishmen.A happy donkey hrives and is more producive. And or people doing

highly skilled jobs like produc managemen i’s abou inernal rewards:eeling good abou wha we do.

Produc managemen and produc markeing roles can be veryrewarding. There is always los o do and you’re usually a he cenre ohings. I’s a role ha can endlessly srech your abiliies and ges youinvolved wih all pars o he business.

Frederick Herzberg’s heory on job moivaion alks abou hygieneacors. These are hings ha make us unhappy i hey’re missing budon’ necessarily moivae us i increased. For example, i a company’spolicies are unair or pay raes are considered poor i can afec ourperormance. However once we’re happy wih hem, urherimprovemens won’ persuade us o work any harder.

Wha does moivae us are hings like compleing imporan asks,being recognised or our achievemens and successully aking onresponsibiliy. For mos o us i’s more han jus hese - i’s being inconrol o our own desiny, creaing new hings and useully conribuingo somehing bigger han jus ourselves.

So as a manager i’s no abou conrol, i’s abou rus. Se he goals,sep back and le your eam deliver.

Here’s a quick checklis o hings you can do o help…


The InsighMoivaion - How happy is your donkey?

Clear roadblocks for the team so they can get on with their jobs.

Provide the tools and space so they can really perform.

Shield the team from senior management vacillation.

Provide feedback and training to help them improve themselves.

Provide the big picture so they can see how what they do matters.

Make work a fun and enjoyable place to be.

Wise Words

“Never ell peoplehow o do hings.Tell hem wha odo and hey willsurprise you wihheir ingenuiy.”

General George S

Paton, 1947



0207 099 5567www.producocus.com

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