With an economy that’s shifting toward expansion, many of us will have opportunities to propose new business cases in the coming months.  If you’re working on one now, or will be soon, be sure to avoid these common mistakes that can cause your business case to fail: 1. Forgetting the customer’s problem and current solution –  When ...

A colleague recently voiced frustration that their divisional strategy is far from clear, yet they are accountable for following it and delivering results against it.  Does this problem sound familiar?  Here are a few good ways to cope: 1. Look for “breadcrumb trails” – Find a presentation from the last divisional or company meeting, or a recent email ...

Last month’s “Input” survey asked what product-related investments Product Managers will propose this year.  The good news:  Even in this erratic economy, the majority of Product Managers are proposing investments in existing or new products.  When asked what type of product-related investments they would analyze or propose to their executive teams this year, 77% of respondents said ...

Measuring product success throughout the product life cycle is a fundamental skill for product managers in any size or type of organization.  But many struggle with identifying the “right set” – does it include only product-specific reporting, or should broader company goals be included?  Here’s our advice from a recent coaching session on the best ...