Launch Clinic

Repeatable Product Launch Process – Execute Phase

This is the final of four posts providing an overview of the Repeatable Product Launch Process which is delivered in the Product Launch Essentials seminar. So far I’ve covered the Organize Phase, Evaluate Phase and the Prepare Phase. In this post I’m going to share with you the Execute Phase which is about building the product launch plan and measuring the effectiveness of the product launch. 

Execute Phase

To recap, the Organize Phase is focused on getting agreement on what the product launch goals were and which of seven product launch strategies would be the most effective at achieving the launch goals.

The Evaluate Phase is about identifying the speed bumps that would get in the way of achieving the launch goals.

The Prepare Phase is the time to organize the product launch team and develop the plans/actions to address the speed bumps.

Build

By the time you’ve reached the Build step of the Execute Phase you will have established the launch goals, launch strategies, have a clear understanding of the barriers to success, and developed plans to mitigate the highest risk items. Now it’s time to build the product launch plan.

The Product Launch Essentials seminar includes a product launch toolkit that has a product launch plan template. The plan is designed to articulate the goals, strategies and plans to assure success.

Measure

One area that often gets ignored after the excitement of the launch date is how the product launch is progressing toward the launch goals. The realization of success or failure is determined many months after the fact when the details are erased from everyone’s memory.

I advocate monthly launch status reports for the management team to show progress against the launch goals. The problem with metrics in the marketing discipline is that there are just so many. Fortunately, it’s far easier to know what to report when the launch goals are determined up front. The key is to draw a straight line between what you’re measuring and your launch goals.

The final launch status report is the Launch Effectiveness Report. This is the opportunity to assess what has been accomplished, what was learned and what could be improved in future launches.

Going Forward

Product launch is not the end of development it’s the beginning of selling. That alone sets a entire value chain of activities in motion to assure a successful product launch. The Repeatable Product Launch Process helps you focus on the things that are most critical to the success of your next product launch.

If you have questions or comments about the Repeatable Product Launch Process, send me an email or add a comment. I’d love to hear from you.

Beta Programs - My Take

Recently I read a nice post by April Dunford on her Rocket Watcher blog about her take on beta programs. I also found a rant by Tom Grant on beta programs with an interesting spin.

Beta programs in software companies have become so distorted it’s hard to find a consistent approach any more.

In the Dark Ages

In the dark ages of the software business when everything required a mainframe, the cost of developing software was extraordinarily expensive. The cost of merely acquiring a ‘small’ mainframe and associated system software from IBM was easily into 7 figures and then there was the cost of supporting it too. It was cost prohibitive for most software companies to test a software product as thoroughly as they would like.

Beta to the Rescue

The answer was the beta program where you would get a handful of ‘beta customers’ who would bravely try out your new product in exchange for some give and take. This was largely a development managed exercise where the goal was making sure the product was as good as possible before handing it over to the sales team.

No One Wants to be First

Those big hairy mainframe software products also had long sales cycles. Buyers would take 12 to 18 months or more to finalize a buying decision, and involve a large number of buying influences. No buyer wanted to be the first customer but at the same time they were heavily influenced by references and case studies.

Converting Beta Customers to Customers

Enterprising people in software companies figured out that if they could also get the ‘beta customers’ to become customers that would also be references, that could accelerate pipeline growth and compress the sales cycle. Necessity is the mother of invention.

So the focus shifted to finding beta customers who would not only lend their testing help, but also their ability to influence other buyers. This became a widespread practice because it was very successful.

Beta in the New World

Some companies today use beta programs as their quality control department (then wonder why beta customers think their product sucks). Others use it as a way to get feedback on usability (wait to test usability until you get to beta and you’re screwed). Some use it as a way to sell a product that’s not ready for prime time because they need revenue in the quarter.

My Take

My position on beta programs is built on the work Jim McCarthy discussed in his book “The Dynamics of Software Development”.

1. The beta program is never an excuse for poor testing or design
2. The beta program is for validating positioning and messaging
3. The beta program is an opportunity to find weaknesses in delivery and support mechanisms
4. Salespeople may not derail the beta program to close a deal

Of course you want the beta program to help test the product in real-world environments as a way to find and fix rough edges. But your product should be in a shippable state before your beta program starts.

A huge benefit of an effective beta program is to validate the position statements and messages for each buyer who you need to influence, before committing large sums of money to marketing programs. Often the good initial work done in positioning is adjusted as a result of the feedback received in a beta program and helps to differentiate your message to stand above the crowd.

What are the goals of your next beta program?

Is validating your positioning and messaging one of them?

Also read Saeed Khan’s article “Building a Better Beta”.

Repeatable Product Launch Process - Prepare Phase

This is the third of four posts providing an overview of the Repeatable Product Launch Process which is delivered in the Product Launch Essentials seminar. So far I’ve covered the Organize Phase and the Evaluate Phase. In this post I’m going to share with you the Prepare Phase which is about assembling the launch team and developing the plans to fill the Launch Readiness gaps you’ve identified in the Evaluate Phase. 

Prepare Phase

Exiting the Evaluate Phase, you would have identified the constraints (speed bumps) that can get in the way of achieving the launch goals. You would do this by conducting a Launch Readiness Assessment on the functional areas that are impacted by a launch. The Launch Readiness Assessment would reveal the most critical areas that need your attention and establishes a baseline for improving launch readiness.

Launch Team

A cross-functional launch team is vital to a successful product launch. As the Launch Owner you can’t possibly have expertise in every functional area in your company. You get that expertise through a cross-functional launch team.

Many organizations use cross-functional teams but don’t get the value they could. The whole point of a cross-functional team is to get more stuff done, much better, in less time. Unfortunately many cross-functional teams don’t get proper support from management which can result in a lack of accountability for individual contributors on the team. What it means for the Launch Owner is extra work behind the scenes scrambling to finish deliverables that someone on the team didn’t complete.

There are four roles on the cross-functional launch team:

• Launch Owner
• Executive Sponsor
• Functional Area Representatives
• Project Manager (appears mostly in larger companies)

The Launch Owner is the leader of the launch team and has accountability for achieving the launch goals. The Executive Sponsor is an often overlooked role that can be enormously valuable particularly in larger organizations. The Executive Sponsor can serve as a mentor to the Launch Owner and provide muscle in the organization when needed. Functional Area Representatives are individuals from the departments affected by a product launch. They need the authority to represent their department much in the same way an ambassador does for a country. Project Managers provide support to Launch Owners when acting like a chief of staff, apprising you of problem areas and keeping track of action item details.

The Product Launch Essentials seminar covers each role in more detail and provides a complete set of tools to help you set expectations, organize the product launch team, and drive results.

Launch Team Tracker

One of the tools we share in the seminar is the Launch Team Tracker. It’s a simple tool for capturing action items, issues and decisions while conducting launch team meetings. The Launch Team Tracker helps you hold team members accountable for their action items and gives you a way to document action item status, new issues, and decisions that are made. How many times have you revisited an issue that was already addressed, losing valuable time in the process?

Fill Gaps

The results of your Launch Readiness Assessment will reveal launch readiness gaps. Don’t panic if you discover there are more things that need to be fixed than you have time or resources to address. This is normal. The key is to focus on the few that have the most impact on achieving your launch goals.

The output of the Fill Gaps activity will be the plans that address your launch readiness gaps, and is one of the first activities the launch team should tackle. These plans will be referenced in the Product Launch Plan that is built in the Build Phase.

Next: Build Phase

In the final installment I’ll introduce you to the Build phase, where you’ll build the Product Launch Plan, monitor launch progress and report to management on how the product launch is progressing.

Biggest challenges in product launches

I recently noticed a LinkedIn Answer posted by Tom Grant over at Forrester. The question was “For anyone in the tech industry: What are the biggest challenges in product launches”.

The answers were either about the product or getting someone in the organization to do something they don’t already do (or are unwilling to do). My colleague Steve Johnson summed it up nicely:

“Developers think that the work is done when THEIR work is done. After the product is OUT of development, there’s still tons to do to get the product IN the market.”

I couldn’t agree more and would add:

“The single biggest challenge in product launches is getting the organization ready to market, sell, deliver and support the product at a level that can achieve the launch goals.”

The key point here is that many organizations spend most of their resources in the creation of the product then stumble and fall getting it out the door. Couple that will no clear launch goals and you have a recipe for a flop.

Product launch isn’t the end of development. It’s the beginning of selling.

Repeatable Product Launch Process – Evaluate Phase

In my post “Lunch is an event. Product launch is a process.”, I shared with you the Repeatable Product Launch Process and the first phase of the process, the Organize phase. The process is about getting the organization ready to market, sell, support, deliver and book revenue. If you need help in figuring out what to launch, start with the Pragmatic Marketing Framework and then the Practical Product Management seminar. In this post I will continue with the Evaluate phase.

Evaluate Phase

By completing the Organize phase, you will have established the goals for the product launch and then used the goals as a backdrop to establish the launch strategies for achieving them. In the Evaluate phase we now look inward to the organization to identify the constraints (speed bumps) that can get in the way of achieving the launch goals. While it’s often imperative to have stretch goals to get your organization to reach new heights, it’s equally imperative to identify and mitigate the people, time, and money constraints that could prevent it from happening.

At this phase of the Repeatable Product Launch Process it’s critical to know the launch readiness state that exists now (get a baseline). The brutal reality is that for most mid-to-large size companies the number of things you want to fix will exceed the time and resources you have available to fix them. The smart approach is to determine which things are the most critical to the success of the product launch and fix those.

A Launch Readiness Assessment is the tool we deliver in the Product Launch Essentials seminar that gives you this important insight. It provides a simple yet objective way to evaluate the launch readiness of a functional area. To make it an effective communication tool to your management team, the Launch Readiness Assessment rolls up individual functional area assessments into a scorecard.

On completion of the Evaluate phase you will have a realistic view of the launch goals, which may now need to be adjusted in light of your constraint findings. You will also have a clear path to which launch readiness areas need to be addressed. Later, in the Execute phase you’ll use the Launch Readiness Assessment as you’re building your product launch plan.

Next: Prepare Phase

In the next installment I’ll introduce you to the Prepare phase, where you’ll learn about organizing your Launch Team and talk about Filling the Gaps you’ve identified in the Evaluate Phase.

Apple iPad is a game changer for education

A lot has been written already about the new Apple iPad. From my perspective the iPad isn’t merely an oversized iPod. It’s not a tablet. It’s not a PC (er Mac). It’s not another device to surf the web or view photos. It’s not another Kindle. It’s a whole new category of device.

Much of what has been written about the iPad are on its features. To look merely at features from a technology standpoint is completely missing the point. It’s about what the iPad could do.

Have you considered what the iPad could do for K-12 and secondary education?

First some facts…

• The iPad claims a 10 hour battery life
• The iPad enables users to read (and interact with) iBooks in a manageable size
• iBooks have multimedia capabilities and in beautiful color
• Apple is the leader in the K-12 education market
• K-12 textbook sales in the United States is a $5B+ industry (source BMI: 2008 K-12 School Market Outlook)

The sweet spot for the iPad – in my humble opinion – is the education market. A 10-hour battery life means students can use the iPad all day without worrying about recharging. The cost of textbooks for school districts (and parents of private school kids who shell out big bucks for books) will be dramatically lower because distribution costs will be virtually zero. Revisions to textbooks in iBooks format will be painless and frequent. New material can be added as easily as software is updated today and then distributed as a patch. Students would never be afraid to write in the margins because they could do so electronically. Teachers could distribute homework assignments and lectures over the air. Kids with learning disabilities could be reached in new and creative ways.

Imagine being a history student learning about the civil rights movement. Your assignment is to read about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Not only would you be able to read about Dr. King, you could instantly see the “I have a dream” speech without leaving your iBooks history book. Sweet.

Folks, the iPad is a game changer. If Apple can do for the K-12 textbook market what they did for music, the iPad will change forever the way kids are taught in school. And we haven’t even touched on the college market.

The initial buyers for the iPad will be techies like you and me. Then the next wave will be high schools. Followed by middle schools and elementary schools. Leading universities will force publishers to open up more of their content to the iBooks format. The old-school ways of the publishing industry will crumble as a new world order emerges.

Update: WSJ-Textbook Firms Ink E-Deals for iPad.

"Major textbook publishers have struck deals with software company ScrollMotion Inc. to adapt their textbooks for the electronic page, as the industry embraces a hope that digital devices such as Apple Inc.'s iPad will transform the classroom."

Lunch is an event. Product launch is a process.

Too often we think about product launch as an event. The magic product launch checklist is consulted. The ‘required’ deliverables are produced. Unfortunately the sales velocity that management expects doesn’t materialize.

The problem in this scenario is that a successful product launch isn’t an event where appetizers, entrees, and desserts are chosen from a fixed menu. What’s needed is a product launch process where the items on the menu are revealed based on the goals of the launch.

The Repeatable Product Launch Process delivered in the Pragmatic Marketing Product Launch Essentials seminar is one such process. Over the next few posts I will share the highlights of the methodology. If you lack a product launch process in your organization, the Repeatable Product Launch Process is a good starting point.

Repeatable Product Launch Process

The methodology is comprised of four phases. Each phase consists of two steps. The Repeatable Product Launch Process is a strategic approach to product launch that is based on achieving an outcome rather than producing a set of deliverables.

Organize Phase

Like any successful project a product launch needs to be anchored in goals. What do you want to accomplish with this product launch? Is it a revenue goal? Is is a customer retention goal? Are you entering a new market segment and are more concerned with awareness?

A clear product launch goal not only defines success, it aligns the entire product launch team. Hint: a goal of ‘sell as much as we can’ is not a goal, it’s a wish.

Once you have an agreement with your manager on the product launch goals it’s time to choose the launch strategies that will help you achieve the launch goals. The choice of the plural ‘launch strategies’ wasn’t a typo. In any given segment there are different buying groups that must be considered. These include our customers and those that are shopping right now to name a few.

For example, you may have a six month product launch revenue goal of $5M. The product is a new version of an existing product. You expect the bulk of the revenue to come from your installed base and the remainder to come from net new customers. Can you see how having a singular approach wouldn’t adequately serve both buying groups?

At the completion of the Organize Phase you would have established clear product launch goals and identified the product launch strategies to help you achieve those goals.

Next: Evaluate Phase

In the next installment I’ll discuss how the Evaluate Phase adds a sanity check to your launch goals and helps you reveal your organization’s product launch readiness weaknesses.