Pragmatic-Framework_Roles.pdf
- 1. F R A M E W O R K R O L E S & R E S P O N S I B I L IT I E S 1 MARKET Market Problems Responsibilities: • Discover problems in the market by interviewing customers, recent evaluators and untapped potential customers • Validate urgent problems to show their pervasiveness in the market Skills: • Talking to the market, gathering data and then doing detailed independent analysis • Inquisitive and strategic approach toward uncovering persona market problems • Written and verbal communications • Facilitating productive interviews, focus groups and various meetings • Presentations • Primary research • Analytical thinking • Data synthesis Win/Loss Analysis Responsibilities: • Understand patterns tied to why recent evaluators of the product did or did not buy a product • Uncover what steps they took in the buying process Skills: • Talking to the market, gathering data and doing detailed independent analysis • Objective (not involved in sales effort) • Gaining the trust of sales to evaluate the process, not the salespeople • Written and verbal communications • Analytical thinking • Data synthesis • Strategic thinking THE PRAGMATIC FRAMEWORK provides a standard language for entire product teams, including a blueprint of key activities needed to bring profitable, problem- oriented products to market. Each box of the framework represents specific responsibilities and activities that must be performed by the product team. And each of those in turn requires individuals with specific skills for performance at a high level. Below, we dig into each of the boxes and provide a list of the key responsibilities and required skills. This information represents best practices learned working with over 8,000 companies over the past 25 years, but should be tailored for your specific requirements and needs. Pragmatic Framework™ STRATEGY EXECUTION MARKET FOCUS BUSINESS PLANNING PROGRAMS READINESS SUPPORT Market Definition Distribution Strategy Product Portfolio Product Roadmap Business Plan Pricing Buy, Build or Partner Product Profitability Innovation Market Problems Win/Loss Analysis Distinctive Competencies Competitive Landscape Asset Assessment Positioning Buyer Experience Buyer Personas User Personas Requirements Use Scenarios Stakeholder Communications Marketing Plan Revenue Growth Revenue Retention Launch Awareness Nurturing Advocacy Measurement Sales Alignment Content Sales Tools Channel Training Programs Operations Events Channels
- 2. F R A M E W O R K R O L E S & R E S P O N S I B I L IT I E S 2 Distinctive Competencies Responsibilities: • Identify, articulate and leverage the organization’s unique abilities to deliver value to the market Skills: • Understanding how products are built, delivered, sold and supported • Ability to take a broader view of how the organization delivers value Competitive Landscape Responsibilities: • Identify competitive and alternative offerings • Correctly assess the frame of reference when choosing the comparison universe (i.e., knowing what kind of problem you’re really solving and what kind of product you’re really offering) • Assess competitive strengths and weaknesses • Develop a strategy for winning against the competition Skills: • Talking to the market, gathering data and detailed independent analysis • Analytical thinking • Data synthesis to evaluate product competition and determine when to fight and when to run • Strategic thinking Asset Assessment Responsibilities: • Inventory assets (technical, skills, services, patents, other) and determine ways that they can be leveraged to accelerate solving a market problem Skills: • Strategic thinking • Sound judgment FOCUS Market Definition Responsibilities: • Articulate segments using “problem-based segmentation” • Map needs with target markets and analyze the market segments to actively pursue • Ensure that the targeted segments are large enough to support the current and future business of the product Skills: • Analytical, with the ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story • Strategic thinking • Mathematics • Sound judgment • Market knowledge of personas, problems and market segments Distribution Strategy Responsibilities: • Determine which channels best align with your markets’ buying preferences • Research and understand how users want to receive the product and how they want to use the product • Determine what the value or incentive is for distributors and if you can still make a profit Skills: • Analytical, with the ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story • Strategic thinking • Financial savviness • Partner or business development • Specific knowledge of distribution channels for the business Product Portfolio Responsibilities: • Integrate products, services and partners into a coherent set (or portfolio) focused on solving a problem for the market • Manage the portfolio like a product (business plan, positioning, buying process, market requirements and marketing plan) Skills: • Strategic thinking • Judgment capabilities • Financial savviness • Matrix management, program management and previous experience managing multiple products or a product line Product Roadmap Responsibilities: • Illustrate the vision and key phases of deliverables for the product—with the roadmap being a prediction, not a commitment Skills: • Advanced knowledge of product/portfolio vision • Technical and business acumen • Knowledge of market priorities • Ability to synthesize market needs with efficient developmental workflows Foundations Implement a proven, practical blueprint for your entire organization on how to be market driven. Learn more at PragmaticInstitute.com/Foundations
- 3. F R A M E W O R K R O L E S & R E S P O N S I B I L IT I E S 3 BUSINESS Business Plan Responsibilities: • Perform an objective analysis of a potential market opportunity to provide a basis for investment • Articulate what you learned in the market and quantify the risk, including a financial model • Make go/no go recommendation based on the data Skills: • Written and verbal communications • Presentation abilities • Analytical, with the ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story • Strategic thinking • Internal influencer • Financial acumen (forecasting, market share, top and bottom line) Pricing Responsibilities: • Establish a pricing model, schedules, guidelines, procedures and other pricing parameters Skills: • Analytical • Capabilities as a leader/influencer • Profit & loss responsibility Buy, Build or Partner Responsibilities: • Determine the most effective way to deliver a complete solution to the market Skills: • Analytical • Technical acumen Product Profitability Responsibilities: • Monitor and analyze key performance indicators to determine how well the product is performing in the market, how it impacts the company operations and how it ultimately contributes to profit • For internal products or services, instead of revenue or profit, determine success in improved usage or adoption rates Skills: • Analytical • Strategic thinking • Financial acumen • Profit & loss understanding Innovation Responsibilities: • Focus team creativity on solving market problems by leveraging your organization’s distinctive competencies Skills: • Analytical, with the ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story • Strategic thinking • Technical acumen • Communication skills • Capabilities as a leader/influencer PLANNING Positioning Responsibilities: • Formulate an in-depth understanding of problems by segment and persona • Describe the product by its ability to solve market problems • Create positioning documents by segment and persona for use in external messaging Skills: • Ability to empathize with the market and market problems • Data synthesis • Ability to build consensus with internal audiences at all levels • Writing expertise Buyer Experience Responsibilities: • Research and document the buying process target personas use to select a product • Form an understanding of the barriers that buyers encounter during their selection process • Create a buyer’s journey map • Assess available tools and support that align with each step of the buying process Skills: • Ability to engender credibility with the market in order to gather insights • Understanding of win/loss and buyer personas • Data synthesis • Empathy • Primary research capabilities Price Set the right price for each product and each market. Learn more at PragmaticInstitute.com/Price
- 4. F R A M E W O R K R O L E S & R E S P O N S I B I L IT I E S 4 Buyer Personas Responsibilities: • Define the archetypical buyers involved in the purchase of company products and services • Create and share persona documents for each buyer type Skills: • Understanding of win/loss and market interviews • Data synthesis and trendspotting from interviews with all components of market • Ability to make a persona “come alive” to all parts of the organization and to keep it fresh and relevant User Personas Responsibilities: • Define the archetypical users of your products or services. Answer this question: Who do you need to solve problems for? Skills: • Synthesis, trend spotting from interviews with all components of market • Ability to make personas come alive to all parts of the organization • Ability to keep personas fresh and relevant Requirements Responsibilities: • Articulate and prioritize problems that solutions should be built for • Build an effective relationship and team between product and development • Serve as a checkpoint along the way to provide context and clarification to development Skills: • Technical and product-specific acumen • Written and verbal communications • Deep market knowledge and understanding of personas and their problems • Understanding of design best practices Use Scenarios Responsibilities: • Illustrate market problems in a way that puts the problem in context • Create problem-based requirements • Document and provide context on how the problem shows up in a day in the life of the user Skills: • Ability to gather market data and then do detailed, independent analysis • Data synthesis • Ability to provide context in a way that is easily relatable to various audiences • Storytelling • Clear and concise writing Stakeholder Communications Responsibilities: • Manage proactive communications with relevant stakeholders from strategy through execution • Provide relevant, timely and easily consumable updates to all internal and external audiences • Define key metrics and goals related to project progress and success • Measure and report on progress toward metrics and goals Skills: • Understanding of roadmap, release plan and project plan • Written and verbal communications • Ability to delegate and work well with project management resources • Ability to manage resources up, down and sideways PROGRAMS Marketing Plan Responsibilities: • Articulate the strategies and programs that will generate awareness and leads for the upcoming fiscal period—including measurements and goals. Skills: • Analytical, with the ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story • Strategic thinking • Internal influencer • Written and verbal communications • Presentation capabilities Revenue Growth Responsibilities: • Define specific plans and budgets for selling products and services to new customers Skills: • Analytical (ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story) • Strategic thinking • Deep understanding of the market and market problems • Understanding of field sales and field marketing support Build Align product and development teams to build remarkable products. Learn more at PragmaticInstitute.com/Build Focus Maximize your team’s impact by using market data to identify and present the right product strategies. Learn more at PragmaticInstitute.com/Focus
- 5. F R A M E W O R K R O L E S & R E S P O N S I B I L IT I E S 5 Revenue Retention Responsibilities: • Define specific plans and budgets for ensuring customer loyalty and selling additional products and services to existing customers. Skills: • Analytical, with the ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story • Strategic thinking • Shows understanding of customer base and the problems they face • Written and verbal communications Launch Responsibilities: • Define specific launch goals and strategies • Develop launch plans and supporting documentation • Ensure cross-organizational readiness • Track and communicate launch status • Build and lead cross-functional team Skills: • Ability to inspire others to action with or without implicit authority • Delegation ability • Communication skills and ability to effectively pivot communication based on audience • Time-management and project management • Ability to work and empathize across internal departments Awareness Responsibilities: • Create and deliver thoughtful information to influence key market constuents • Influence key audiences via strong content • Deliver presentations to internal and external audiences Skills: • Written and verbal communications • Pitch artist capabilities • Storytelling • Ability to build street credibility • Strong understanding of the industry, the market and market problems Nurturing Responsibilities: • Develop a lead nurturing process to turn prospects into satisfied customers and upsell or cross-sell existing customers on new products and services Skills: • Understanding of business goals and market problems • Analytics and measurement focus • Digital marketing Advocacy Responsibilities: • Identify customers who are willing to participate in testimonials, case studies or reference accounts • Capture and share stories of customer success • Utilize advocates in a variety of programs including evemts and thought leadership Skills: • Analytical, with the ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story • Sales-oriented thinking • Written and verbal communications Measurement Responsibilities: • Measure and tune product efforts to ensure alignment with corporate goals Skills: • Strategic thinking • Math acumen • Data management • Written and verbal communications • Excellent presentation abilities • Analytical, with the ability to gather data, synthesize the data and tell a story ENABLEMENT Sales Alignment Responsibilities: • Align your organization’s selling process to the buying process. Describe information needs for key personas at each step in the process • Align sales support content to various stages of the sales process Skills: • Ability to partner to integrate tools for sales team support • Understands buying process • Understands sales process and what drives sales to become strong partners Market Focus your team on the marketing strategies that deliver results. Launch Elevate your team’s product and marketing launches. Learn more at PragmaticInstitute.com/Market Learn more at PragmaticInstitute.com/Launch
- 6. F R A M E W O R K R O L E S & R E S P O N S I B I L IT I E S 6 Content Responsibilities: • Provide content for buyer personas focused on a specific step of the buying process • Curate content from product users or product teams that aligns with stages of the buying process and drives campaign objectives Skills: • Strong product writing and communications • Agility to learn from marketing analytics and evolve content to meet product success metrics • Understanding of the market and the issues faced Sales Tools Responsibilities: • Create tools for salespeople focused on a specific step of the selling process Skills: • Technical product writing and communications • Sales operations focus Channel Training Responsibilities: • Design and deliver training programs to help the sales channels focus on how to sell the product, not how to use it Skills: • Communications and presentations • Partner and channel understanding • Sales engineer and product demo and delivery knowledge • Close alignment with the new-product introduction process and new capabilities SUPPORT Programs Responsibilities: • Provide market and solution information to support internal and external marketing programs • Provide market understanding and positioning to ensure programs align with corporate goals Skills: • Deep understanding of the market and market problems Written and verbal communications • Understanding of field sales and field marketing support • Written and verbal communications • Presentation capabilities Operations Responsibilities: • Provide needed market and solution information to support the operations group Skills: • A deep understanding of the market and market problems Written and verbal communications • Relationship building • Business and technical acumen • Written and verbal communications Events Responsibilities: • Provide product and market expertise for events such as conferences, tradeshows, webinars and seminars. Skills: • Written and verbal communications • Pitch artist • Storytelling • Street credibility • Understanding of the industry, the market and market problems Channels Responsibilities: • Provide ongoing support for the sales channel. • Look for opportunities to make support more repeatable Skills: • Technical product expertise • Troubleshooting capabilities • Customer service FOCUS BUILD M A R K E T L A U N C H P R I C E Pragmatic Curriculum All of our courses provide real-world insights, actionable best practices and proven tools to maximize results. We give you the freedom to build your own curriculum, selecting the courses that matter most today, with the ability to expand your training and your skill set over time. Learn more at PragmaticInstitute.com/Courses