This blog is all about making product developers, managers, and innovators more successful and their organizations successful with them. As I do each week, below is a roundup of articles around the web with insightful product development, management, and innovation practices, tips, and examples – and sometimes controversial ideas.

Around the Web

Customer and market research before design – the recipe for product development. “Simply put, if you don’t know who you’re building the product for, then you don’t know why you should be building it. And if you don’t know why, then it doesn’t really matter how you build it — you’re already on the fast track to disaster.” Read more from Next Web http://thenextweb.com/dd/2014/11/02/product-research-101-research-diving-design/

Highlights of the 2014 Global Innovation 1000 – what you need to know for your innovation strategy. “One of the aims of the Global Innovation 1000 study, our annual analysis of R&D spending, has been to demystify the process—and to find universal principles that can be applied by any company, in any industry.” Read more from Innovation Excellence http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2014/10/28/the-2014-global-innovation-1000-study-from-strategy

Innovation doesn’t just happen – how to use aspirational themes to drive innovation. “What’s the best way for companies to tease out innovative ideas and deliver innovative new products and services amid the stresses of day-to-day operations?” Read more from Innovation Week http://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/executive-insights-and-innovation/innovation-doesnt-just-happen/d/d-id/1316992?

Want to build a culture of innovation? First understand your organization as a system. “Understanding the organization as a system is one of four main components of Deming’s system of profound knowledge. Deming (1994) identifies three concepts key to understanding the organization as a system.” Read more from John Latham http://johnlatham.me/understanding-organization-system/

The Trinity of Product Development – The Triple Constraint for product managers. “The members of this special group are: (1)  TIME.  When will the product be launched? (2) COST.  What resources will be available? (3) TARGET.  What exactly are you trying to develop?” Read more from Innovation Excellence http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2014/11/04/the-trinity-of-product-development/

Why innovation dies out as companies become successful in their market – lost interview from Steve Jobs. “It turns out the same thing can happen in technology companies that get monopolies, like IBM or Xerox. If you were a product person at IBM or Xerox, so you make a better copier or computer. So what? When you have monopoly market share, the company’s not any more successful.”
Read more from Business Insider http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-on-why-innovation-dies-at-tech-monopolies-2014-11

Forbes’ Summary of the 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2014. “Key take-aways from the study include the following…” Read more from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2014/11/03/the-50-most-innovative-companies-of-2014-strong-innovators-are-three-times-more-likely-to-rely-on-big-data-analytics/

The first 90 days at a startup as a product manager – what to do. “30 days: launch a contained feature or change. 60 days: determine and communicate the state of product discovery. 90 days: own the full stack of product direction.” Read more from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2014/11/05/what-should-a-startup-product-manager-focus-on-in-the-first-30-60-and-90-days/

How product managers can communicate clearly – your secret weapon. “As I find myself delving further into product management, I realize a chief characteristic of all good product managers is open, clear and concise communication.” Read more from Women2.0 http://women2.com/2014/11/04/clear-communication-product-managers-secret-weapon/

What leading CEOs are reading. “A new infographic from business intelligence and analytics platform Domo and business management website CEO.com breaks down top CEOs’ favorite books, revealing a few quirky picks far from the realm of business and economics.” Read more from Entrepreneur http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239237

Large companies are told to act like a startup to innovate – easy to say, but look at these companies that do it. “Disruptive, Agile, Lean Start-up, Start-up – numerous descriptors and terms which increasingly are being utilized to define the approach and mindset which large companies should take.” Read more from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhendricks/2014/11/05/large-companies-innovating-parts-of-their-company-with-startup-mentality/

 

 

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