The New Manager’s Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in the Corporate World

CHAPTER

9

UNDERSTANDING PRODUCTS

After you read this chapter, you should be able to:

• Explain why products are the lifeblood of any company.
• Describe how product investments are justified using a business case.
• Utilize a make-versus-buy analysis as part of a business case.
• Consider the impact of design thinking on products that create the desired customer experience.
• Use project management as a technique to efficiently plan and monitor work.

Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.

—SHAKER PHILOSOPHY

Have you ever seen one of those TV shows that feature a passionate inventor who’s trying to convince an investor to finance her innovation? ...