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

 

Product Innovation Tips Around the Web

If you tried SCRUM and it didn’t work, learn how to correct the common dysfunctions. “I’ve worked with several companies to effective transform from backwater processes to effective, efficient, and successful product delivery teams through the use of agile philosophies and a variety of agile methodologies.  The problem is, nearly every team has some level of dysfunction already (and likely always will), and if you go in blind to those dysfunctions, or with a belief that all you need to do is “be Agile”, then you’re destined to fail — but I would posit that it doesn’t matter what process you choose, if you ignore your dysfunctions they will always come back an bite you in the end.” Read more at Clever PM http://www.cleverpm.com/2015/06/23/common-dysfunctions-of-scrum-teams-part-1

How external R&D, and the various models, contribute to new innovation. “Before going through those value-enabling elements of external R&D, it’s worth summarizing and exemplifying the range of models being explored today.” Read more at http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucebooth/2015/06/26/external-innovation-force-multiplier-for-rd/

Identify the truly “must-have” features for an MVP. “In short, there isn’t a one-size-fit-all MVP strategy. You have to adapt depending on the industry you’re catering to, the problem you’re solving and the existing competition.” Read more at Entrepreneur http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247685

How to sell innovative ideas to senior leadership. “During the process of innovation, selling your idea can be one of the biggest challenges. Once you go up several layers they begin to speak a different language.” Read more at http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2015/06/27/the-language-of-innovation-leaders-selling-innovation-the-right-way/

Does innovation require bold thinking? “We live in a world where it’s easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize others for trying brave and untried that probably won’t achieve their desired result. This is what most analysts do, and it’s also what most business leaders do; they’re not bold.” Read more at Game-Changer http://www.game-changer.net/2015/06/24/the-best-leadership-advice-be-bold

Leaders – advice for keeping your best employees. “The best advice I can offer on how to keep your best employees is this: Be willing to let them go. It’s no surprise that every manager wants to keep their best employees. But a good manager doesn’t hoard talent, instead they develop their employees by investing in them, building on their strengths, and providing opportunities to innovate. Here’s how…” Read more at Fortune https://fortune.com/2015/06/28/john-ambrose-retaining-employees/

How to deal with unresponsive stakeholders. “In other words, the stakeholder is proportionally way more important to you than you are to him or her. This reality is hardly ever going to change, so what can you do to make sure you still ship on time?”  Read more from Folding Burritos http://foldingburritos.com/articles/2015/06/26/how-to-deal-with-unresponsive-stakeholders

Can you answer these 10 questions during a project manager interview? “Hiring any product manager can be a challenge in and of itself, and hiring a good one is like striking gold. In order to weed out the best from the rest, ask the following questions when interviewing for this integral role.” Read more at Business: http://www.business.com/human-resources/10-interview-questions-to-ask-when-hiring-a-product-manager/

Move NPD from product-focus to customer-focus to stand out in a crowded market. “For a new product to gain a market share and be adopted, a process for discovering the market needs, locating the customer and validating any assumptions must be designed. The following overview will get you started in this design process. Read more at B2C http://www.business2community.com/consumer-marketing/a-four-step-process-for-launching-a-new-product-in-a-crowded-market-01263420

An interview about why Mars Drinks is building a $30K “coffee shop” campus to foster Innovation. “To find out how Mars Drinks creates a culture of innovation I decided to speak with their global president Xavier Unkovic. You may wonder why a beverage company is so interested in the future of work, but Mars Drinks is 100% focused on the workplace. In fact, they recently spent almost $30 million to create a gorgeous new campus in Westchester, Pennsylvania.” Read more at Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2015/07/02/how-to-foster-innovation-with-a-coffee-shop-culture/

Product marketing  vs. product management vs marketing. “There are product managers and there are marketing managers. Then, there are product marketing managers. We are the ‘double agents’ who bridge the two. Product marketing usually emerges at companies after product management and marketing departments become hyper-focused on their own disciplines.” Read more at LinkedIn from Justin Topliff https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-product-marketing-how-different-from-management-regular-topliff

 

Still Valuable – Flash from the Past

Product Managers must read this memo – We Don’t Sell Saddles. This member was written to the makers of Slack shortly before the product made its first limited release. It is a example of what is important in team leadership, motivation, and product development. Read it at Medium https://medium.com/@stewart/we-dont-sell-saddles-here-4c59524d650d