What We Do
Product Strategy
We suggest a ten steps model to clarify the product strategy and operationalise portfolio management processes. The model is based on Scaled Agile Lean Portfolio Management principles.
The product strategy part starts by identifying strategic themes from a company strategy to drive the product strategy and clarifying competitive edge of solution value propositions. After this companies can create an as-is solution portfolio canvas, analyse the portfolio, and prepare alternative scenarios for product and company strategy discussions.
The operationalisation part starts by capturing new initiatives as Epics that come with lean business cases and using Kanban to manage product innovation pipeline. After this companies can create synchronised portfolio roadmaps and set budget guardrails to ensure the portfolio meets tactical and strategic objectives.
A final stage is to establish professional portfolio management processes with bi-annual budgeting, quarterly strategic review, and monthly portfolio synch meetings. And finally, set KPIs to measure fit with a company strategy and overall product development operations.
Value-Based Selling
It is all about customers, right?
But do we know who at customers actually buy the solution and who influences the purchase decision? Do we know how the customers use the solution? Do we know what measurable value and how much does our solution bring to the customer?
We help technology companies to understand their customers to sell solutions based on the measurable value the solution creates to the customer. Can the value be converted into a value-based price? Do customers expect turn-key solutions, perhaps a managed algorithm as a service, or just buy technology components?
We use customer journey maps to describe operational business process and clarify how the solution adds value to the process. We define business use cases that come with tangible value.
And finally, we help technology companies to develop high quality customer reference stories and coach sales teams in storytelling to explain the tangible value of the solution to the customers.
Examples of Projects
Refined Product Strategy for a Big Data Analytics Application Company
Refined Product Strategy for a Big Data Analytics Application Company
Refined Product Strategy for a Big Data Analytics Application Company
A big data consulting company wanted to turn into a product company and focus on a fewer number of customer solutions before their international expansion.
The first part of project was to help the management team and the board to get more focused by reducing a number of solutions by selecting those solutions that had highest potential to
A big data consulting company wanted to turn into a product company and focus on a fewer number of customer solutions before their international expansion.
The first part of project was to help the management team and the board to get more focused by reducing a number of solutions by selecting those solutions that had highest potential to become repeatable standard products, and after that define limited number of target customers segments for the products and help the company to restructure into repeatable solution teams.
The second part of the project was to help the company to define their products: customer value propositions, target customer segments, target customer personas, competitive landscape, differentiating capabilities, cloud-based product architecture, pricing models and an assessment of go-to-market channel options.
Value-based Selling of a New AI-based Demand Forecasting Solution
Refined Product Strategy for a Big Data Analytics Application Company
Refined Product Strategy for a Big Data Analytics Application Company
An American supply chain software company wanted to sell a new cloud-based AI-enabled demand forecasting solution to European customers that use SAP.
The project was to describe the demand planning customer journey, identify customer personas, make a detailed competitive positioning against SAP, define out-of-box technical integration to b
An American supply chain software company wanted to sell a new cloud-based AI-enabled demand forecasting solution to European customers that use SAP.
The project was to describe the demand planning customer journey, identify customer personas, make a detailed competitive positioning against SAP, define out-of-box technical integration to bring the new demand forecasts to SAP planning books as external key figures, evaluate value-based pricing options, evaluate turn-key pricing options, evaluate local system integrator partners and test-sell the solution to their first major customer in Europe.
Detailed functional requirements and competitive findings from the first customer case were fed to the HQ product management that adopted them to future product roadmap.
Preparation of a Mid-size Software Company for Series C Funding Round
Refined Product Strategy for a Big Data Analytics Application Company
Preparation of a Mid-size Software Company for Series C Funding Round
A mid-size software company asked help in refining their competitive positioning and preparing their product portfolio for a due diligence with new investors.
The project had two goals:
First, help the company to prepare a competitive positioning to define their peer group for investment valuation purposes and identify their unique, differ
A mid-size software company asked help in refining their competitive positioning and preparing their product portfolio for a due diligence with new investors.
The project had two goals:
First, help the company to prepare a competitive positioning to define their peer group for investment valuation purposes and identify their unique, differentiating product capabilities.
Second, identify in which product modules the differentiating capabilities are to understand key intellectual properties. Then assess how much they had invested into differentiating (patented/patentable) and non-differentiating product development work that could be replaced by open source software, and prepare estimated outcomes for the product investments.