Developing Products Successfully

Editor's Notes

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• #13: Research - Seed\n\nA tree will drop a number of seeds which will be dispersed over a wide area with only a few germinating and producing seedlings. At the start of a project there are always a range of opportunities. The Research phase should investigate these opportunities thoroughly to objectively assess their potential.\n\nResearch for product development is ‘Applied’ which means all components of what we do are applied directly to the creation and commercialization of a product. All research should meet this threshold.\n\nAll projects benefit directly from research, even small projects it is related to the project scale.\n\nResearch is ‘The’ Risk Management tool. It can isolate risks related to the market, technology, IP, through to potential distribution hurdles. One of the reasons we are so focussed on it is through direct experience.\n\nResearch in the context of a product development needs to be broad and encompasses setting:\n\nThe project vision, key high level objectives (as opposed to tasks);\nDefining the Product Strategy (how are we going to approach this);\nDefining the Team, Roles and reporting (Reporting is very important);\nThe programme structure & scope;\n Technical Objectives & Deliverables;\n Milestones (when we know we have achieved something)\n Product System - Customers, PLC, Specific Requirements, Production, Distribution & Use.\n\nThe IP focus generally in an initial research programme will usually be trying to understand what IP exists so would be ‘Freedom to Operate’.\n\nThe research enables us to accurately understand what it will take in reality.\nResearch provides the platform for creating great ideas.\n\nDevelop a 1 page summary of your timelines, milestones, deliverables, and risks. Have beside your desk as an easy reference.\n
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• #16: Idea - Germinated Seed\n\nMost ‘ideas’ that are bought to us are directions: like I was to develop a new type of matchbox. Ideas are concepts that have the ability to physically realise the direction creating a new way of doing something or providing a functional benefit or improved performance.\n\nIdea Generation should be deliberately broad and challenge the incumbent ideas and pre-existing perceptions. Ideas should be exploratory but not wasteful a single good idea is worth a 1000 poor ones.\n\nIdeation should be rapid and should avoid getting into excessive detail. use tools which enable flexibility and speed over accuracy. Ideally concepts should be identifiably different and keep within the compass bearing you have set yourself and your team. Creativity actually thrives with borders and is more likely to deliver your intended results if there is a clearly defined opportunity and scope.\n\nAll idea generation work should be clearly documented, dated and presented in a manner which enables good communication and objective assessment within your team. \n\nIdeas should be assessed in a provisional manner against the requirements that you have established and an initial assessment of the novelty of the IP should be investigated if possible.\n\n
• #17: Prototype - Seedling\n\nOnce an idea has been germinated it is iteratively developed through a range of mechanisms both digital and physical. There are many contexts where digital tools and techniques encroach strongly into areas that may have traditionally required prototyping.\n\nDuring the most iterative part of the development cycle there should remain a strong connection between the development team and the intended users and stakeholders and the market. The project should remain in a dynamic state for as long as possible before all aspects are locked down. \n\nMarket and platform changes happen very quickly now and the team needs to be able to respond to these adequately ahead of time. (Developing a product now can mean thinking several years down the track).\n\nOften we are developing the brand and packaging concurrently to the product to enable early discussions with market partners. This gets their buy in and excites them with new ideas and is a great way of staying engaged with customers (as you have something to talk about).\n\nTesting and performance validation are an important part of the iterative prototyping cycle. We generally want to know that we are going to pass a test before we sit it. \n\nDisclosure of IP is managed to a late stage through NDA’s with Patent, Trademark and other expenditure delayed as long as possible within the programme to defer costs and increase the lodging timeframes. However you may be confronted with situations where a larger disclosure is necessary.\n\n
• #18: Production - Sapling\n\nOnce a kauri tree hits sapling stage it is growing fast. Once a product development hits the productionisation stage all the different elements collide and create a resource and cost peak in the project that generally needs careful management and thought in advance.\n\nThe performance is well understood (and internally proven) we often move to external testing and validation. This provides alot of benefit to partners and can often provide the endorsement and certification that is required to get new partners over the line. If it can be aligned with established standards, that is better.\n\nThe change created by a new product can often be wide ranging and needs careful management and planning. This is the period where capital costs can be incurred, although we generally advocate running pre-production as long as it can meet the performance standards required to delay capital cost.\n\n\n
• #19: To Market - Ricker\n\nIn reality we spend the whole process ‘getting to market’ and use every available opportunity talking and presenting to people in the market.\n\nOften we will create a full prototype of packaging and collateral to provide a clear idea to marketing and distribution partners. This allows them to visualise how the product will look on their shelves or within their organisation.\n\nThis can often be very early and we adopt a ‘Fake it until we Make it’ approach where we are often even presenting the proposition before full validation (although always based on credible facts).\n\nIt is important when taking products to market to ‘Know the market’ and ‘Own the Problem’ you are trying to solve. ‘You need to be the expert’.\n\nWhen presenting the product remember that ‘a feature is not a benefit’. You need to clearly articulate the benefit the features provide and then work out an effective way to communicate this message.\n\nIn product brands our core focus is the naming system, and ensuring we have freedom to operate in the markets that we need to operated in. This will generally include public domain searches such as URL’s and other items which are of use in commerce.\n\n
• #20: In Market - Mature Kauri\n\nOnce they are established products have the ability to generate or seed other products like a mature Kauri disperses its seeds. Creating another product within the same family is easier than taking a first generation new product to market.\n\nOn all products we expect that it will take time to reach maturity and full resolution, so establishing feedback loops where information from customers and retailers can be captured and used is important.\n\nPoint of Sale is an area where the rubber meets the road with the customer so is a point of focus at or shortly after market entry. Communicating effectively within the retail context is vital to a products market success. Monitor how products are presented in-store and enforce standards of display. It should be no surprise that some of the best brands have established retail in order to control their own brand and more effectively tell their brand story. Think about an apple store vs dick smith or natuzzi vs farmers.\n\nCustomer Experience is now a common term used not just in services but for products. POS can directly affect how a customer feels about a product. This includes the primary, secondary and tertiary packaging.\n\n
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