Throughout 2009, I struggled to find the right tool set for the product development and roadmap planning. I was mostly working with external resources, with limited budgets and I also made the switch from PC to Mac, so there were a lot of adjustments.

I moved from Visio to OmniGraffle and from MS Project to Omni-Plan, but what I found for the most part, was that there are a lot of tools out there that achieve similar results, so it’s not the ‘technology’ that’s important, it’s how you use it.

My advice? Have a plan in place, not only for ‘project management’, but for yourself personally, as a Product Manager. Know that for internal concept work, you are only going to use quick and dirty tools like Skitch, and you’ll only consider wireframing tools once you know the concept is solid. Have a plan, and be brave.

Here’s some of my favourites from 2009 which I plan to continue using in 2010…

Planning tools
OmniPlan for roadmaps and Green-hopper/Jira for issues management and sprint planning

Wireframing tools
OmniGraffle for basic wireframes (recommend the Pro version only), Skitch for super quick mark-ups, Jing for video screen captures, and Photoshop for more detailed designs. I also find Formspring (and similar form creation tools) useful – it’s particularly helpful for demos, so you can actually show your colleagues/clients a working prototype of your forms (with conditions etc).

Document management
Confluence for ‘wiki’ style communication, GoogleDocs for document collaboration (not the most advanced tools, but they are reliable and easy for everyone to access) and drop-box for file sharing.

(I can see a pattern emerging in my personal usage with OmniGroup and Atlassian products, but I’m no loyalist, so if you have any other recommendations, I’m open to ideas!)

I’m also keen to try Google Wave as a collaboration tool for product planning. After all, it’s been designed as a collaboration tool, so it will be interesting to see the uptake in industry.

The other tool I’d like to use more in 2010 is my voice. In 2010, I’d like to have more phone calls, more skype talks, more face to face meetings, more voiceovers on my videos, more informal chats and overall, more vocal communication. Tone conveys so much, and without it, so much is lost. Emoticons just don’t cut it anymore.

In keeping with my voice-activation aspirations for 2010, I’ve arranged a F2F meetup for Product Mavens – our first meetup for 2010!

When: Thursday, 21 Jan, from 8.30am onwards (til about 10am)

Where: Cook & Archie’s 1a/4 Buckingham St, Surry Hills

Topic: What tools or frameworks will you be using to plan your product roadmap and related activities for 2010?

Hope to chat with you soon!

Sometimes, I find it easier to understand a process when I don’t apply it to my ‘area of expertise’. Whether my product is the next Twitter of Facebook, or if I’m simply planning to make a birthday cake, the process is essentially the same.

You’re probably wondering at this point how pesto fits into product planning? Well, wonder no more!

Pesto is a super simple product, so it serves as a great test case… but don’t be fooled! There are tonnes of user cases. There’s lots of flavour options (I often make coriander & almond pesto, carrot pesto etc). There are many competitors. And within pesto ‘the category’, there are a myriad of product lines. Each product line suited to a different market segment … a different vision.

Let’s start with a quick poll…

If you have a great product planning process, then you probably shouldn’t read this. But feel free to add your comments and tips below!

I think the key to a great product is great planning. And it’s hard to have a great plan without a great process. Today, instead of using dry ingredients like sign up screens and server loads, let’s look at the high level product process through pesto goggles.

Have you ever made pesto? No? Well, then let’s start with a basic recipe: Combine basil, garlic, pine nuts Parmesan or Pecorino cheese and olive oil.

It’s dead easy. Right?

WRONG! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve eaten horrid pesto (think: that jar of pesto that’s been sitting in the back of your friend’s fridge since 1986).

Revisiting focus!

In an earlier blog post, I spoke about (brutal) focus, broken into the following sections (thx @liubinskas)

• Vision
• Market Segment
• Core Feature
• Key Metric

As we learned earlier, pesto has 5 simple ingredients: basil, garlic, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil. But it’s dead easy to fuck up.

Let’s journey through this process to start up Mishy’s Multinational Pesto Corporation Pty Ltd, which will no doubt be cash flow positive by year end.

Vision:

For the pesto product plan, my vision couldn’t be clearer! I want to make the world’s #1 Best Pesto! It’s so simple… Let’s move on.

Market segment

Who am I making this pesto for? Who is my #1 ideal customer? Is it sold at a Saturday market? In the local corner shop? In a supermaket chain? Who is it best for? Am I really going global right away?

We encounter our first stumbling block. We need to refine the vision…

Vision 2.0:

I want my Pesto to be the #1 Pesto on sale at the Fox Studio Saturday Farmers Market (let’s start small, we don’t want to get carried away).

That’s better. The vision now helps me understand my market segment. I even know when and where I’m distributing, and the likely customer reach (mid-upper class foodies and families).

The more refined my vision is, the more likely I’ll get an early win. But is my vision too narrow? Maybe I should aim higher? #1 Pesto on sale in Australia? Too high! #1 Pesto on sale in Sydney’s Gourmet Markets & Stores?

Ask yourself ‘is my vision realistic?’ If your vision is too big, you’ll most likely feel deflated before you reach your end goal. Start small and build up from there.

I’m settling with “#1 Pesto on sale at Sydney’s Farmers Markets & Gourmet Grocery Stores”

This still covers a lot of ground. Sydney (whilst not as big as New York or Shanghai) does still have a lot of gourmet food outlets & farmers markets.

So, now we go back to market segment…

Market segment 2.0

I’m going to target middle aged affluent, educated women who live in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.

Why? Because (based on personal experience & broad stereotypes) often these women either don’t want to cook, don’t have time to cook or don’t know how to cook. They also like to buy presents for dinner parties, for friends, for their children, for Christmas/Chanuka/Housewarmings, thus they can extend my reach.

Core feature

It’s always tough to pick one core feature. I think for this product, it’s a given that it needs to taste like great pesto, but does it need to be the best tasting pesto in the world? Probably not. Is freshness important? Yes. But is it the core feature? Not likely. I need my pesto to stand out. I need one single feature that will make it remarkable. That will make it stand apart from all the other pesto on sale at the market.

So, in this instance, I’m being brave and opting for stunning packaging as my core feature. I know that if it doesn’t stand out, it won’t sell. It needs make noise. It needs to look like a gift. Something you could take to your friends place for dinner in place of a good bottle of wine or box of Lindt chocolate.

I know, I know, of course, it has to taste great (ie. it has to work), but for my market segment it really needs to look impressive. Whether they gift the pesto or keep it for themselves, it needs to feel like a real treat. An indulgence. It should even have a gift tag so people know that it’s perfectly acceptable to give to a dinner party host. (In future I may even include an option for the pesto pamper hampers which can be delivered, like flowers, to your loved ones, but let’s keep it simple for now!)

So, in sum, my core feature is actually the bottle which showcases the pesto!

Key metric

This could simply be ‘number of sales/day’ to begin with.

In future, I’ll track number of hampers sent, number of repeat sales, or number of subscribers (in my ideal world, people subscribe to pesto) but like I said, I’m keeping it simple while I’m in start up mode.

What else have a learned about my product through this process?

I know it needs to be good quality. It needs to taste fantastic. It needs to look expensive. It needs to be fresh. I can’t cut corners because these people expect the best (no substituting pine nuts for walnuts to reduce the cost ok?). It needs to last for a while out of the fridge if I’m going to sell it at Farmers Markets.

I know my price point (a little less than a decent bottle of wine eg. $15-20). Maybe I need to bundle the pesto with free home made lavosh crackers so they feel like they are getting good value? That would also mean that it’s ‘ready to go’ straight from the Farmers Market to the lunch table.

I know my vision, my market segment, my key feature & my metric… Now what?

The next step is research! Confirm your assumptions. Go to the markets. Check out what else is on sale. Taste the competition. Speak with the stall holders. Find out how much foot traffic is likely each Saturday. Check out the Gourmet food outlets in the area. Get out there and ask some questions!!!

I’ve done some research… where to from here?

Now I know what I’m making, who I’m making it for, what my goal is and how I’m going to track my success, I just need to make a checklist of the next steps:

1. Budget – how much is it going to cost to produce and how much do I need to sell to make a return?
2. Time line – do I to have something ready this Saturday or is there a 6 month waiting period for a stall at the market?
3. Resourcing – am I making it at home, by myself? In my tiny mortar and pestle? Or should I outsource it? Will I run the stall or hire a more polished sales person?
4. Distribution – Where are you going to target first? Start with the Fox Studios Farmers Market, then tackle Ultimo, Glebe, Rozelle?
5. Marketing – How are you going to market your product? Are you going to advertise or is word of mouth sufficient? Are you offering a starter special (2 for 1) or will this cheapen the brand? Are you hosting a dinner party for gourmet foodies to up-sell your product? (I know most product plans don’t include marketing, but I think it’s important to have an idea of how the product is going to be marketed, so you can ensure you are creating something desirable for the customer you’re trying to reach. If you don’t know how you’re going to reach your market, how are you going to get your plan off the ground?). It’s a bit of chicken-and-egg, but if you don’t plan you plan to fail!

Of course, this is only a high level product plan. But it’s a step in the right direction toward global domination (or whatever it is that you’re trying to achieve). Remember, the more refined your plan is to begin with, the less headaches you’ll have down the track!

What’s your #1 product planning tip?

Tip: If you want your pesto to stay green add a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley to the mix.

But, what’s the point of winning a prize at a charity event if you don’t do something good with it?

So, I’m auctioning off my prize so I can raise more money for RSPCA!

If you’re interested in donating $’s to RSPCA in exchange for an awesome gaming headset, add your bid to the comment section of this post!

Specs for the Plantronic Game Con:

• Closed-ear headset delivers an immersive audio experience.
• Concealed mic boom stays hidden until you’re ready to use it.
• Specially designed earpods redistribute pressure for maximum comfort.
• In-line volume and mic-mute controls allow for easy audio adjustment.
• Noise-canceling microphone lets you communicate clearly.
• Rugged, military-like design and extra-strength cables make your hardware hardcore.

PLUS there’s more! You’ll also receive:

• Plantronics Torch
• Plantronics USB
• Plantronics Official Beanie
• Plantronics carry case
• Plus, I’ll even bake another batch of cupcakes for you!

All this could be yours! (So long as you’re ok with Surry Hills pick up or local inner-Sydney delivery only)

Highest bidder by midnight 7th September wins!

So, what’s the starting bid? $50?

My nan’s 93 years young and an avid skype user, so I’m awarding my nan the People’s Choice – Skype: Oldest User Award.

I don’t know that she is for sure the oldest, but I’m awarding this to her until proven otherwise (or until Skype issue a take-down notice).

Do you want to take the award away from my nan?

Then you’ll need to find someone even older that uses skype and they’ll need to comply with the following criteria:

• They must have their own skype account, linked to their own email address
• They must initiate a video call (without assistance)
• They must look into the camera during the call
• They must know how to hang up (without assistance)

FYI – My nan’s also on gmail/google chat, she has her own mobile and digital camera, so she’s a tough contender.

FTW!

Update 20 Oct 09: Looks like my nan lost her title as Skype’s oldest user, although she was still the first person to try out Google Talk, so she’s still cool in my books

Recipe: Try out my Nan’s zucchini bread

It was interesting to watch the unbridled optimism shift toward defeat and mediocrity as small, tangible (and most importantly realistic) goals were set.

The session’s main aim was to focus on the…

• Vision
• Market Segment
• Core Feature
• Key Metric

Yet, it amazes me how much I gained from this experience.

Here’s my ‘take homes’…

1. Join in – If you aren’t part of the conversation then you’ll never get anywhere.
2. Be brave – Pick an idea and run with it. After all, there are no stupid ideas, just ideas that need to be refined.
3. Failure is fine – If you don’t try, you can’t fail, and if you’re not failing (somewhere) then you haven’t tried hard enough.
4. Love your team – If you’re working in a small team on a tight time-line and budget, there’s no room for ego. It’s important to actually want to work with your team (even if you don’t get your  way).
5. Focus! Focus! Focus! I know it’s obvious, but no matter how many times I hear it, it’s always good to hear it again!

Thanks & congratulations to Kim, Bart, Brian, Mick and all the participants & organisers at #bootupcamp!

That’s why I love presdo

So, if you haven’t tried it yet, you should.

Thinking about it as I write this post, I’m actually more in love with the simple registration process than I am with the product. I’m not sure about the core value, how it really adds benefit or even competes with all the other calendar tools out there, but for now, I am enjoying the simplicity.

I’ve been trying to create these invisible processes for a project I’m working on, but I tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks! It’s nice to see one executed so well!

Here’s the simple process that Presdo use:

• Step 1 – From the home page, enter title of event (no registration at this point)
• Step 2 – Customise your event (change the date, time, location, invite people, add a description etc). The location tool is really useful – it recognises obscure places.
• Step 3 – Either save to your calendar (google etc) or send the invite
• Final step – new users will need to click on an activation link… and presdo!! You’ve registered!

Try it out and let me know what you think (that’s what the comment box is for).

The page is icky pink, the stars have changed to hearts, and there’s a happy valentine message in a banner at the top of the page (see below).

Whilst it is ‘cute’ and a nice sentiment, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with a document reader wishing me a Happy Valentines Day! Plus it would be a bit depressing if this was the only Valentine you received!

Anyway, I’m all for customisation, themed pages and the like, but just not sure how I feel about Google-docs wishing me a happy valentine…

Am I being a party-poop?

m

0_o

ps. Don’t mind me, I have a general rule around these type of days… “If Hallmark has a card for it, then I probably don’t want to celebrate it”.

The reciprocity diagram works for existing social interaction within society, but shifts when you apply it to social media. What we are willing to exchange with our ‘home’ is the same/similar to what we are willing to exchange with our ‘village’ and even the ‘inter-tribal’ sector.

How it used to be.

In traditional village societies, it was easier to decipher… there was generalised, balanced and negative reciprocity.

Generalised = sharing/giving when nothing is expected in return (reciprication here is an emotion – how you feel when you share or do a good deed), maximum trust and minimum social distance (typically within general societies, usually reserved for close friends and family), eg. Making chicken soup for a sick friend.

Negative = barter, where goods of equal value are traded, with minimum trust and maximum social distance, eg. I’ll swap you my cow for 3 sheep.

Balanced = someone gives something to someone else but expects they will be ‘compensated’ at a future date, with moderate trust and moderate social distance, eg. you give your neighbour a cup of sugar but you expect that you can then borrow their lawnmower.

The problem here is that this type of reciprocity does not fit with social networking (online). Think of youtube for instance. What do you expect to receive when you post a video? Is it solely satisfaction or an expectation that you will be ‘repaid’ in future with something of equal value? Reciprocity on all levels can be played out across all social circles, which changes the value of what we exchange.

To use family portraits as an example… in the 1800’s well to do families would have their portrait painted, and they would share it with anyone who entered their home. With the arrival of photography and the printing press, images could be ’snapped’ rather quickly and distributed to those in your community. Enter digital cameras and online social networks and your family snaps are available to everyone, everywhere. The perceived value of your images may (or may not) be of more value to your inner circle than your outer circle… but the exchange occurs simultaneously with your friends, family, your home, community…. and with the global community (should you decide to post your images on a public network).

How it is now.

So, what exactly does reciprocity mean for netizen and how would the circles of reciprocity be redrawn for social media? Would it look something like this….

Balanced and Generalised forms of reciprocity are compressed and altered. The exchange offers maximum trust (ie. that unkown users aren’t going to use the information/material in an untoward way), but also allows for maximum social distance through the global network. Youtube is a good example of this. Some users post videos expecting nothing in return, they do it because they know the community will appreciate it. Others share their videos, but expect that one day they will be ‘compensated’ ie. someone will post an equally valuable video at some stage in the future.

Negative is reserved primarily for ecommerce sites, be it Amazon or Ebay, and is largely unchanged.

Web2.0 technologies not only change the way we view exchanges within our community, but change the frequency, type and access to different forms of reciprocity.

Through social networking, we can exchange information with those in our outer circles, and in doing so, expand ourselves as we eliminiate the divisive social circles through online exchange.

What do you think?