book

The Product Manager's Desk Reference 2E

Name: The Product Manager's Desk Reference 2E
Author: Steven Haines
ISBN: 9780071825818

by Steven Haines

October 2014

Intermediate to advanced

784 pages

21h 28m

English

McGraw-Hill

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Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Templates
Foreword Practice What You Preach: A Case Study on Steven Haines … Bob Corporale
Preface
Introduction The Accidental Profession

MODULE 1 FOUNDATIONS OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Introduction to Module 1
Chapter 1 What Is Product Management?
Question 1: What Is a Product?Product LinesProduct PortfoliosSolutions, Bundles, and SystemsProduct Elements and ModulesPlatformsQuestion 2: What Is Management?What Is a Product Manager?What Does a Product Manager Really Do?Question 3: What Is Product Management?Question 4: How Does Product Management Transform a Business?Discovery and InnovationNew Product Planning PhasesNew Product Introduction Phases (Execution)Post-Launch Product ManagementProduct Management: A Holistic ActivitySummary: Why Product Management MattersRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 2 The Product Master Plan
The Purpose of a Master PlanPlans ChangeThe Format of the Product Master PlanThe Value of a Product Master PlanAn Insurance Policy for Consistent CommunicationThe Basic Construction of the Product Master PlanProduct and Product Line Business DocumentsCross-Functional Product Team and Other Organizational InformationProduct Performance and Other Business InformationMarket DataResources and ToolsA Personal LibraryA Product Management LibrarySummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 3 Leadership: Creating Influence
You Are Always on StageStay Calm, Even when Your Hair’s on FireTransformationThe Most Important ValuesLeadership Behaviors and MindsetAdditional Skills and Subject Matter ExpertiseExperiential DevelopmentHow Do You Improve Your Skills and Experiences?SummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 4 Cross-Functional Product Teams: Getting Things Done
Cross-Functional Team DefinitionsDefinition: A Culture of DisciplineTeam MembershipTeaming Is Not Always EasyCuring the Dysfunctional TeamBuilding Blocks of a Cross-Functional Product TeamTeam MembershipMulticultural Product Team IssuesProduct Team ResponsibilitiesCross-Functional Product Team MembershipClarifying Roles and ResponsibilitiesThe Functional Support PlanTeam Membership Across the Life CycleCross-Functional Teams in the Global ArenaCross-Functional Team LeadershipSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 5 Problem Solving and Decision Making: What’s Next?
The Importance of Decision MakingDecision Making and Problem SolvingSaving Grace: A Case Study about Decision MakingDecision-Making TechniquesCombining OptionsThe Morphologic BoxThe Decision MatrixThe Decision TreeAnalysis Paralysis and Rational IgnoranceGut-Feel Decision MakingBusiness IntelligenceSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 6 Finance for the Product Manager: Keeping Score
The Language of BusinessThe Basic Financial StatementsThe Income StatementThe Balance SheetCash FlowDemystifying Discounted Cash FlowFinancial Planning for Product ManagersCreating Business Cases for Product InvestmentsAssembling ForecastsTesting Planning Assumptions Using Sensitivity AnalysisDeriving Product Cost ModelsEstablishing Pricing ModelsPreparing Product BudgetsManaging the BusinessMaking Sure the Product Is Achieving Its Financial GoalsFinancial RatiosLast Words on RatiosMaturity Assessment: Placing the Product on the Life Cycle CurveUsing ScorecardsSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
MODULE 2 BUILDING INSIGHTS AND DRIVING STRATEGIES BY MAKING THE MARKET YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS
Introduction to Module 2Why Insights Matter
Chapter 7 The Playing Field and the Players: Analyzing the Industry and Competition
Becoming the ExpertWhat Is an Industry?Industry ClassificationsPutting Industry Evolution into PerspectiveCarrying out Industry ResearchSecuring Additional DataProcessing the SignalsCompetitive EnvironmentCompetitive PositioningGaining an Edge: Performance CountsCompetitive Intelligence in Your CompanyCompetitive Intelligence in Your WorldEthics in Competitive IntelligenceWith Whom Do You Compete?Competitor SWOTHow Do They Do What They Do?The Final AnalysisSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 8 Finding Markets to Conquer by Understanding Customer Needs and Market Segments
The Common Denominator in Segmentation: Customer NeedsHow Markets Are SegmentedMarket Segmentation and the Marketing MixDescribing the Target MarketThey Don’t Know What They Don’t KnowPlanning and Carrying out Customer VisitsThe Voice of the CustomerUsing Personas (Or Customer Characterizations) as a Way to Capture NeedsYour Research StrategySummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 9 Preparing to Set Your Mileposts: Forecasting for the Product Manager
Forecasting BasicsForecasting Is a Cross-Functional ExerciseValidating Market and Demand PotentialForecasts Are Built on Beliefs about the FutureValidating Assumptions and Applying Customer PreferencesHow Much Can We Really Make? Deriving Market Share EstimatesCase Study: ForecastingSales ForecastingMaking the Sales Forecast UsefulDemand PlanningConcluding the CaseSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 10 Strategic Product Planning: The Inflection Point
Strategy Is a Dynamic ContinuumUsing a Generic StrategyStrategizing Is Like Solving a PuzzleThe Waterfall EffectDynamic Strategy for the Product ManagerStrategy in Your WorldThe Product as a Business: A Strategic Planning ModelAn Overview of the ModelThe Model in DetailStep A. Baseline the Business of the ProductOrganizing the DataExternal Data: Industry and CompetitionCustomer ActivityOrganizational Capabilities and Financial HealthCapturing Product Performance DataSynthesizing Data and Creating Useful InformationPrepare to Tell a Story about the ProductThe State-of-the-Business Product Strategy ReviewStep B: Recast the Vision for the ProductStep C: Identify Strategic OptionsA Note on Product RoadmapsSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
MODULE 3 THE START OF THE PRODUCT’S JOURNEY: THE NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Introduction to Module 3Limits and Benefits of ProcessesA Generic Phase Gate ModelProcesses Are Linear, Markets Are NotImportance of the Right Pace for New Product PlanningFaster is Not Always Better, But It Can’t HurtThe Value of Flawless ExecutionOrganization of the Chapters in This Module
Chapter 11 Making a Molehill Out of a Mountain: The Concept Phase
The Basic ProcessIdeation: What’s the Big Idea?Experimentation and DiscoveryCategorization of Product “Projects”Sorting out OpportunitiesLooking Down the Product PipelineProduct Enhancements as a Grouped Opportunity“So What?”: The Value Proposition for the OpportunityClarifying Your Identity with a Positioning StatementPositioning Means Making a DifferenceNarrowing the Field: Choosing Among OpportunitiesManaging Rejected OpportunitiesSecuring Approval to Move to the Next Phase: The Concept ReviewSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 12 Is There Really a Business Here? Assessing Feasibility
Using Functional Support Plans to Clarify Roles, Responsibilities, and DeliverablesThe Marketing Functional Support Plan (The Marketing Plan for the Product)Product Development/IT/Systems Functional Support PlanFinance Functional Support PlanCustomer Service Functional Support PlanSales Functional Support PlanOperations Functional Support PlanSupply Chain Functional Support PlanLegal/Regulatory/Compliance Functional Support PlanManufacturing Functional Support PlanInternational (or Global) Functional Support PlanResource Planning and SummarizationDocument Evolution During FeasibilityPlanning to Monitor the Future Performance of The ProductThe Power of the PrototypeThe Decision Matrix for the Feasibility PhasePhase Review: FeasibilitySummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 13 Appearances Are Everything: Defining and Designing the Product
Product Definition DocumentsThe PRD Outline and TemplateManaging RequirementsEliciting RequirementsDefining RequirementsOrganizing DocumentsManaging Requirements from Beginning to EndPrioritizing RequirementsInspections and Peer ReviewsRequirements Management and the Product Life CycleThe Evolving Product DesignLinking the Product Definition to “Building” the ProductMake Versus BuyCarrying out a Make Versus Buy Analysis: An ExampleThe Countdown Starts Now: Launch PlanningCounting Back: How to Meet the Launch GoalOther Parameters for Successful Launch PlanningSetting the Conditions to Recognize Future Life Cycle StatesThe Exit PlanThe Product Definition Phase ReviewSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 14 Justifying Product Investments: The Business Case
The Purpose of the Business CaseCharacteristics of Good Business CasesActivities and SequencingOrchestration of the CaseBusiness Case StructureCover PageExecutive SummaryFramingBusiness Need and/or Strategic FitMarket AssessmentProduct DescriptionProject ProposalAssumptions, Forecasts, and FinancialsOperations and ImplementationRisk Analysis and Contingency PlansRecommendationAppendicesKick Start the Business CaseCase Study: Creating a Business CaseThe Sample Business CaseConcluding CommentsSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 15 Synchronizing the Gears: The Marketing Plan for the Product
The Marketing Plan for the Product Is a Functional Support PlanGetting OrganizedMarketing Plans Always Begin with StrategyBuilding a Historical Marketing ProfileHistorical Inbound ProgramsCompetitor ResearchField Research DataMarket Segmentation and/or Customer ResearchIndustry Research ReportsChecking for Inbound Data SufficiencyHistorical Outbound ProgramsAdvertising, Promotion, and Customer Education Program InformationSales InformationMarketing and Selling CollateralUsing the Historical ProfilePutting the Marketing Mix in PerspectiveOutline for the Marketing PlanSetting the Team Up with a Realistic Marketing PlanEssential Sections of the Marketing PlanExecutive SummaryStrategic Context for the Marketing PlanThe Market Environment for the ProductThe Marketing Mix: Strategies and TacticsProductValue-Oriented PricingAdvertising, Promotion, and Customer EducationPlace: Sales and Distribution ChannelsMarketing AlliancesInternational Marketing ActivitiesProduct Launches Being Planned or Being Carried OutSales Support and Training ProgramsCustomer Service TrainingAdditional Research Programs NeededCross-Functional Deliverables and DependenciesIntegrated BudgetsMeasurements and MetricsRisksAppendices and Supporting MaterialSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 16 Execution and Oversight During Product Development
The Product Manager’s Role During the Development PhaseThe Product Manager as Facilitator, Partner, and OrchestratorTruth Mixed with CompassionProduct Managers Must Understand Execution and Mitigate ConflictsSurfacing Conflicts and Realities with “How” QuestionsRapid Product DevelopmentProgress TrackingFrequent Status Updates Are EssentialManaging Project Plans Helps Manage RiskAdditional Project Management ToolsProgress Validation Is EssentialProduct TestingThe Beta TestProduct DocumentationManaging Scope and Budget CreepManaging Change: Trade-Offs and Prioritization DecisionsThe Development Phase Review and ChecklistSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 17 Introducing the Product and Orchestrating the Launch
Launch Benchmarking OutcomesThe Product Launch Phase WorkflowExecutive Champions Need to Lead Important Product LaunchesConfirm the Market WindowSynchronize Your Documentation (The Business Case, Marketing Plan, and Launch Plan)Review Market and Beta Tests—or Conduct Them If NecessaryProduct Availability RatingsProvide Adequate Sales TrainingSales Goals and CompensationEnsure Readiness of Marketing Collateral, Website, and Integrated Promotional ProgramsArrange Coverage by Industry or Market AnalystsMake Sure Distribution Channels Are Able to Sell and Deliver the ProductEnsure Readiness of Operational SystemsPreparing for the Internal LaunchLaunch Metrics Must Be Assembled and Ready to TrackRisk ManagementBe Willing to Recommend Go or No-Go for LaunchThe AnnouncementThe Launch ChecklistSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
MODULE 4 CONTINUING THE JOURNEY: POST-LAUNCH PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Introduction to Module 4
Chapter 18 Auditing Results After the Launch
AfterwardUsing an Impartial AuditorMarket Window ComplianceExecutive SponsorshipBusiness Case SynchronizationAdequacy and Timing of CollateralAdequacy of Sales TrainingReviewing Operational ReadinessConformance to Launch Metrics Make Sure to Capture Lessons LearnedWin–Loss AuditsInternal Win–Loss AuditingExternal Win–Loss AuditingAssembling a ReportSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 19 Post-Launch Strategic Performance Analysis
Running the BusinessThe Importance of Measuring PerformanceThe Product Business Strategy ModelCollection of DataSources and Types of DataMarket DataFinancial DataSales, Service, and Operations DataObservational DataEvaluate the Data: What’s Happening Now with the Product?Identify the In-Market Life Cycle State of the ProductAnswer the Question: “What’s Happening Now with the Product?”Leading the Cross-Functional Product TeamProduct Team MeetingsSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 20 Post-Launch Strategic Mix Management
Steering the Product Using an Actionable, Integrated RoadmapDeriving Value-Based PricingStrategic ContextValue OrientationCreating Programs to Advertise, Promote, and Educate CustomersFundamental Advertising, Promotion, and Educational ProgramsUnderstand What Your Company Is Currently PromotingAction Plans to Promote Your Own Product and Educate Your CustomersImproving Customer Access by Selecting the Best Path to Your Chosen CustomerDeciding on the Best Path to Take and Creating an Action PlanIntegrating Other Aspects of the Strategic Mix for the Product’s BusinessCreating Unforgettable Customer or User ExperiencesProtecting the BrandGarnering Customer LoyaltyOperating EfficientlySummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 21 Life Cycle Product Portfolio Management
Dispelling Some Myths about Product Portfolio ManagementWhat Is Life Cycle Product Portfolio Management?A Portfolio Reference ModelThe Ideal Work Structure for Product Portfolio ManagementThe Cross-Functional Product Review BoardA Life Cycle Product Portfolio ModelMethodologyConsidering Existing ProductsProduct Projects in New Product IntroductionProducts Being PlannedCreate Your Own Product Portfolio ModelPortfolio Decision MakingAvailability of Data Is CriticalSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
Chapter 22 Enough’s Enough! Discontinuing the Product
Barriers to DiscontinuationThe Discontinuation DecisionProduct Discontinuation DocumentationThe Cross-Functional TeamOther Types of “Discontinuation”The Discontinuation NoticeSummaryRaising Your Product Management Experience Quotient (PMEQ)
MODULE 5 PROFESSIONALIZING PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Introduction to Module 5
Chapter 23 Charting Your Career
It’s Up to YouA Career StrategyWhere Are You Now?Assessing Knowledge, Skills, and ExperiencesCareer Action PlanningYour Applied Learning ProjectSummary
Chapter 24 Organizing for and Managing Product Management
Getting OrganizedLeading Product ManagementTransforming the OrganizationChartering and Supporting Cross-Functional Product TeamsEmpowermentActing as the Product Portfolio Review Council and Directing Product InvestmentsAssigning an Owner for All Product Management Processes and DocumentsProviding Data for Product ManagersCreating a Repository of Templates and ToolsResolving Problems as Escalated by the Product TeamsStaffing Strategies for Product ManagersEnsuring Ongoing Professional Development of Product ManagersSupport the Building of a Product Management CommunityEstablishing an Environment for Creating and Sustaining Customer PartnershipsInvesting in Market Research to Support the Product TeamsCoaching Product ManagersAt the Heart of Business: Product Management Matters
MODULE 6 THE PRODUCT MANAGER’S TOOLBOX
Customer Visit Plan TemplateFunctional Support Plan TemplateOpportunity Statement TemplateProduct Positioning Statement TemplateCompetitive Analysis DossierBusiness Case TemplateProduct Strategy TemplateProduct Marketing Plan TemplateProduct Launch TemplateProduct Discontinuation OutlineProduct Master Plan OutlineProduct Requirements Document Guideline and Template
Glossary
References and Resources
Index

Content preview from The Product Manager's Desk Reference 2E

MODULE 2

BUILDING INSIGHTS AND DRIVING STRATEGIES BY MAKING THE MARKET YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS

INTRODUCTION TO MODULE 2

Module 1 provided you with the foundation to support the knowledge, skills, and structure needed to be a product manager. With this framework established and in place, it’s time to consider the more specific techniques that allow product managers to turn their attention to the “markets” in which their products are sold.

Most fundamental texts about marketing or economics cover the topic of markets. Modern marketers and business people often talk about their strategic intent to focus on the market and on customers. However, some of the terms most commonly used to discuss strategic intent have numerous interpretations. These terms ...

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The Product Manager's Desk Reference 2E

by Steven Haines

MODULE 2