Expert Product Management Advanced Techniques, Tips & Strategies For Product Management & Product Marketing By Brian Lawley 20660 Stevens Creek Blvd. Suite 210 Cupertino, CA 95014 Expert Product Management: Advanced Techniques, Tips & Strategies For Product Management & Product Marketing Copyright © 2007 by 280 Group LLC and Brian Lawley All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means electronic, mechani- cal, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and au- thor(s) assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the informa- tion contained herein. First Printing: October, 2007 Paperback ISBN: 1-60005-079-4 (978-1-60005-079-4) Place of Publication: Silicon Valley, California, USA Paperback Library of Congress Number: 2007937602 eBook ISBN: 1-60005-080-8 (978-1-60005-080-0) Trademarks All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Happy About® cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. Warning and Disclaimer Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as ac- curate as possible, but no warranty of fitness is implied. The informa- tion provided is on an "as is" basis. The authors and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to an loss or damages arising from the information con- tained in this book. Praise for Expert Product Management "Being an expert in product management means knowing what is crit- ical for product success. The strategies and tools offered in 'Expert Product Management' will allow new or seasoned practitioners to avoid the non-essential and stay focused on the critical path to plan, build and launch a market-leading product." Michael J. Salerno, Co-founder and President Emeritus, Boston Product Management Association "Brian Lawley has done a great job pulling together tangible and prac- tical tools and tips that product managers can immediately put to use to increase the success of their product launches." Noël Adams, President, PhaseForward and President NorCal PDMA (Product Development and Management Association) "In technology product management, there are four pragmatic tech- niques every product manager needs to master. In 'Expert Product Management,' Brian Lawley has written a no-fluff, concisely written guide to these areas. This book contains a lot of information and sound advice that I haven't seen in other product management books, such as its succinct examination of several Road Mapping tech- niques." Therese Padilla, Co-founder, AIPMM (Association of Internation- al Product Marketing & Management) "'Expert Product Management' is an excellent guide to managing the more complex, but critical aspects of product management such as roadmapping and product launches. The book provides an invaluable professional validation for experienced product managers and it is a must-have learning tool for new PMs." Alyssa Dver, CPM, CPMM, Author of "Software Product Manage- ment Essentials", PM consultant and teacher Dedication This book is dedicated to my wife and family, who have been incredi- bly patient and understanding in supporting my continued pursuit of Product Management as a career, and to all of those who strive to bring great products to market. Acknowledgements I would like to thank the many mentors, bosses, colleagues, acquain- tances and product teams that I have had the pleasure of working with and learning from throughout my career. Without them this book would never have been possible. A Message From Happy About® Thank you for your purchase of this Happy About book. It is available online at http://happyabout.info/expertproductmanagement.php or at other online and physical bookstores. • Please contact us for quantity discounts at [email protected] • If you want to be informed by e-mail of upcoming Happy About® books, please e-mail [email protected] Happy About is interested in you if you are an author who would like to submit a non-fiction book proposal or a corporation that would like to have a book written for you. Please contact us by e-mail editori- [email protected] or phone (1-408-257-3000). 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http://happyabout.info/homerun-fundraising.php C o n t e n t s Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2 Product Roadmaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Why a Roadmap?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 What is a Product Roadmap?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Types of Roadmaps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Eight-Step Process for Creating a Product Roadmap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Multiple Product Line Roadmaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Chapter 3 Beta Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Why Beta Programs Are Critical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 How to Run a Beta Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Setting Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Beta Program Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Who Manages It?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 When Do You Start?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 How Long?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Recruiting Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Agreements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Kicking Off the Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Ongoing Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Responding To Participants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Communicating Internally. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Exit Surveys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Follow Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Best Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Chapter 4 Product Launches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Launch Goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Types of Launches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Launch Strategy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Elements of a Successful Launch . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Timing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Effective Marketing Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Expert Product Management vii Compelling Messaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Budget to Achieve Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Message Reaches Target Customers . . . . . . . . . . .59 Product Readiness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Chapter 5 Review Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Why Reviews Are Critical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Good Reviews versus Bad Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . .64 A Day in the Life of a Reviewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 #1: Put a Dedicated Senior Product Manager on the Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 #2: Start Early, Work From a Timeline and Hold Team Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 #3: Get Your Materials & References Together. . . .69 #4: Do the Killer Demo: Practice Practice Practice .70 #5: Make It "Dummy Proof" With Custom Preset Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 #6: Set the Competitive Argument. . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 #7: Phase Rollout, Track Equipment, Check in Routinely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 #8: Provide Immediate Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 #9: Include Screenshots & Photos With Captions . .74 #10: Write the Review for Them. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 Chapter 6 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Appendix A Product Management Resources. . . . . . . . .81 Appendix B Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 Author About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Your Book Create Thought Leadership for your Company . . . .89 Why wait to write your book?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 Books Other Happy About Books. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91 viii Contents