Each week I scour articles, wading through the dogs, and bringing you the best insights to help product managers, developers, and innovators be heroes.

 

What every company needs – avoiding making products no one wants. It sounds so easy – just make products customers will buy. The reality is many products fail to meet expectations, but product managers can help companies understand why customers need a product. This is the all important problem-solution-fit and this Fast Company articles provides helpful tips http://www.fastcodesign.com/3055429/how-to-avoid-making-products-no-one-wants

Better ways to innovate come from looking at Florence, not Silicon Valley. I love articles like this that remind us innovation is not new and many cultures have made important contributions throughout history. It was in Florence where Michelangelo was discovered and nurtured. Mentors mattered then and they matter now. Read the interesting article at https://hbr.org/2016/01/renaissance-florence-was-a-better-model-for-innovation-than-silicon-valley-is

Want more influence in product management – create the product dashboards the business needs. The dashboards include (1) acquisition, (2) engagement, and (3) monetization. Read the details at http://www.sachinrekhi.com/3-essential-dashboards-for-every-product

The 8 ways startups build-in innovation – which apply to larger organizations? (1) Surround yourself with a great team. (2) Ensure that you have good advisors. (3) Recognize that customers care about the whole experience. (4) Target a portfolio of solutions, not just one product. (5) Incent everyone on the team to be an innovator. (6) Give customers what they want, even if they don’t know they want it. (7) Align the interests of partners and other constituents. (8) You can’t improve something if you can’t measure it. Read about each at http://www.forbes.com/sites/martinzwilling/2016/01/21/8-practices-to-galvanize-innovation-in-your-startup

2016 innovation trends – corporate accelerators, coworking, and competitions. Last year we saw huge growth in the number of companies creating internal accelerators, with about twice as many as the previous year. Coworking spaces provide opportunities for exchanging ideas and are not just for startups. Competitions, like hackathons, are also continuing (even though I believe they should stop at companies). Read more at http://www.forbes.com/sites/falgunidesai/2016/01/22/innovation-formats-expand-as-corporate-accelerator-launches-peak

When experience is helpful and when it is not for innovation. Experience cuts both ways. It can help us make wise decisions and accomplish more in less time. When it comes to innovation, it can also deepen the faulty assumptions we have made about what customers want. Read about it more at http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/latest-articles/2016/01/24/is-experience-good-for-innovation/?Itemid=88

Be successful with the ONLY 3 ways to innovate a new product. (1) Build it, (2) buy it, (3) or collaborate to get it. But, there is more – the 5 critical keys to innovation success. Read them at http://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallphelps/2016/01/25/5-secrets-to-innovation-success/#66abd2af7a70