Product Development as a Means for Survival
Developing new products and services is crucial for businesses, it ensures their survival. It is a matter of survival because of the numerous factors that impede their development—and their very existence: technological progress, labour shortage, rise in demand, lack of raw materials, and so on.
The How to Build Successful Teams in Product Development eBook lays out a 6-step product development process which is the basis for further explaining the good moves to perform and pitfalls to avoid when building teams, contracting out, and choosing the right structure for the objective at hand.
Finding the Best Structure, Sticking to It
Efficient product development teams are not found solely within that one, miracle business structure. In that matter, strong performance can be found in various organizational structures. On the one hand, larger companies often thrive with a classic, hierarchical configuration, albeit subject to prioritization conflicts. On the other hand, SMEs can easily support a cross-functional structure and assign project roles on the spot… but management and communication efforts take a beating in such environments. We could go on, but the pattern is clear: every model has its pros and cons. Successful product development teams focus on very few key elements, or lifelines: assigning the right people to the right positions and roles, implementing a sound organizational structure, choosing the appropriate workflow, and endorsing sustainable values.
Develop the Product, Not the Product Development Process
Department and team leaders sometimes lose track of things when it comes to fine-tuning or reshaping organizational structures. In the midst of trendy (yet efficient) management models, managers will often times forget about their role in the product development process. What is their take on empowering employees down on the ladder? Do they outsource work? If so, do they focus on value-added tasks? This paper addresses adaptability and the necessity to start simple. Take pride in smaller changes and carry on with the rest.