Fully successful products result from teamwork among all functional
groups within a company, including Marketing, Product Development, Operations, Sales and Finance. Achieving this teamwork requires an integrated approach to product lifecycle management.
Unfortunately,
products at many organizations fail to achieve their potential. Often, a product
management function has responsibility for “cradle to grave” management, but the function is ineffective because
it is not properly empowered, the appropriate processes are not in place, or the managers lack the skill sets and understanding
of the activities that must be undertaken. In other cases, the product
managers are using a product lifecycle management process has not evolved with changing business conditions, so they may be
doing the wrong job well.
This
course provides the framework, tools and techniques for improving product management organization within an organization. It addresses all elements of successful product management, from the organizational
context to specific processes and deliverables that have been proven to work at each stage of the product lifecycle in a variety
of companies, and tips for adopting them within the unique culture and existing processes
at each company.
BUSINESS ISSUES ADDRESSED
Key
issues that this course addresses include:
· What should be expected of the product management function?
· How can an organization use quantified decision rules to drive activities, optimize tradeoffs
and ensure all functional departments are acting consistently?
· What is the “fuzzy front end” and how can it be managed to gain faster time-to-market?
· How to generate specifications that reflect what the customer really wants?
· How is the whole product different than the core product and why is it important?
· What should be the responsibilities of Product Management and which should remain with
the Functional Departments?
· How to select metrics and control systems that will lead to desired outcomes.
· How to manage risk and uncertainty without stifling growth.
FOR WHOM IS THE COURSE DESIGNED?
This course is intended for organizations that have an
existing product management function in place and that feel a need to make improvements.
These include:
· Companies
or departments who have implemented a product management function recently and want to take it to the next stage
· Companies
who have a mature product management function in place and desire a refresher
· Companies
who have recently undergone a structural change in their business model or other significant change and who need to retool
product management
· Companies who have recently expanded their product management organizations and want to educate the new employees
This course complements ”Implementing the Product Management Function", which targets organizations that are looking to implement a product management function for the first time. 
