Stop Wasting Time on Technology Development Stephen Fenwick
Dec 17, 2015
Speaker Bio
• Technology Development Specialist, Concept to Market
• 10 years in technology industry (Navman, Intel, etc)
• Worked in areas that extended company’s technological capabilities
• PhD in Computer Science (Australian National University)
Overview
• The problem:– A lot of technology development effort gets
wasted
• Why does this happen?– Difficulty integrating views of multiple
stakeholders
• How can we improve?
What’s so Hard?
• Small Auckland company building PC-based PBX product– Several reworks of technology before project cancelled
• Dialogic/Intel built CT Media (telephony middleware)– Strong technical drive– Good initial reception – especially trade press– Revenue was underwhelming – local office eventually
closed• Navman car navigation– Major problems deciding what product features to pursue
after initial success
The Pain
• Forget those bozos, we know best• Build it and they’ll come• Let’s just have fun• Just tell us what to build and we’ll build it• That looks like a customer, let’s chase it
Becoming Effective
• Understand different perspectives• Allow different voices to be heard• Reach as much agreement as possible– Avoid adversarial “win-lose” approach– Use objective data to avoid “loudest voice wins”
• Now plan way forward
Product development is:Enabler of business growth
Needs to know:How new product will advance business.
Is everything going OK?
Everything’s great…
That’s all wrong – you need to change everything!
Arrgh!!
This is how our technology development helps meet the company’s goals…
Where’s the revenue to justify the development expense?
Here’s half the budget you asked for.
With that budget we can expect revenue of $xx by this date.
Product development is:Cost centre with uncertain future revenue stream
Needs to know:Accurate picture of costs and projected revenue of new product
I’ve just sold a …. We can do that, right?
Yes, we can sell that
The new key product features are…
Product development is:Tool to help meet sales quota
Needs to know:Key product features and how to sell them to customers
What do you need?
We see an uptapped need for… How can we supply this need?
We have an idea for ... Do you see a market for this?
Product development is:An offer to meet needs of new markets
Needs to know:How product’s capabilities map to market needs
What can you give us?
Here’s a great new feature. It’s just what you were waiting for, right?
This feature is great.
What do you like/dislike about the product?
This sucks!!!
Product development is:Going to make my day easier/more fun/…
orOh no… why have they changed everything?
Needs:Product that is easy to use and helps them
Bringing It Together
Encourage open, non-adversarial discussion to determine the best path forward
1. Pose the questions in the right way2. Allow all voices to be heard3. Summarise findings effectively4. Now plan strategy
Encourage Many Ideas
Real-Time
Traffic
Touch Screen
Camera
Symbian OS
Cost Reduction
Usability Testing
Improved Geocoding
Refresh Industrial
Design
Automotive Grade
Better Guidance
How Not To Ask
• Let’s build a product (or next release)! What shall we put in it?
Real-Time
Traffic
Touch Screen
Camera
Symbian OS
Cost Reduction
Usability Testing
Improved Geocoding
Refresh Industrial
Design
Automotive Grade
Better Guidance
A Better Way
• Focus on product capabilities one at a time• Avoids immediate focus on trading off
favourite ideas• Gather 360° perspective on each proposal
Communicate Proposal
121 Lucerne RdRemueraAuckland
Points of Interest
Landmarks
“Improved Geocoding”
Gather Viewpoints
Significant development cost,
but where’s the revenue stream?
Not a new feature, so hard to sell
This will help expand the market
beyond early adopters
Can I find my home? If not, I’m
not buying.
Can I find where I want to go? If
not I’m returning the product
Our aim is automotive
grade reliability.
Geocoding is a major source of bug reports, so is a clear weakness that should be fixed.
Summarise
CostCost to market: $500,000Time to market: 9 months
Benefits for CompanyHigher customer satisfactionLower rate of customer returns: $300,000 per annumWider adoption of product: $1,000,000 per annum
Strategic FitReadiness for automotive gradePushes product towards mainstream
Benefits for Customer/UserRapid ability to find intended destination
You now haveAbility to discuss impact on overall business of tech
development
Clear picture of costs and benefits; ability to
assess impact of budget changes.
Clearly articulate who you expect to buy product and why.
Understanding of how particular areas of functionality meet
market needs.
Ability to choose functionality that adds
real value.
Understanding of how users will actually use
the product.
Plan Product Releases
• You now know what’s possible• Define objectives of each product release– Target market– Specific customer needs– Revenue objectives
• Select features according to those objectives– You now have data to do this objectively
Conclusion
• Treat communication with multiple stakeholders as core part of tech development.
• Remember these stakeholders have very different viewpoints.
• Aim for styles of communication that engage different viewpoints in constructive way.