The Heretech: Recent Episodes
Tom Grant
As you might have heard already, Forrester analysts such as Yours Truly have been asked to move our external blogs in-house. I've already been cross-posting at the official Forrester blog for product managers and product marketers, so just point your browser there and voila! the conversation will continue. The Forrester blogs are organized by analyst and team, which means that you can read entries by an individual analyst like me, or by the entire team serving the product manager/product marketer role. As for The Heretech podcast, I'll be reconstituting it eventually, but at this point, I have no idea how...
Jim Holland of Mission Creek Partners and I discuss the relationship between PM and executives in technology companies. What do executives really want from the PM team? Plus, some recent news about this week's Forrester open house, and this month's Product Camps in Silicon Valley and Texas. (c) 2010 Tom Grant
Forrester analyst Jonathan Penn describes nature of security threats, and how they affect tech industry company's product strategy. Will security ever not be in the top 3 IT concerns? Does that represent an opportunity for security start-ups, or not? Plus, newly-published research on the demographics of technology adoption, and the lessons of the movie Avatar for tech industry professionals. (c) 2010 Tom Grant
Chor-Ching Fan of Jackbe tells us how to build good mash-ups, the reasons for their adoption, and the kinds of solutions that are good fits for mash-ups. Plus, some quick research news (the Agile adoption doc is published!), and a great article on the value of failure. (c) 2010 Tom Grant
Brian Lawley of the 280 Group tells us how the PM profession has changed, and what it takes to be an exceptional PM. Plus, advice for taking your application to a social networking platform like Facebook. (c) 2010 Tom Grant
After an unintended hiatus, we're back! This week, Mike Marfise of Jive Software tells us how the tech industry's understanding of innovation has matured. Plus, a good example of how to use social media to share product details and plans with your customers. (c) 2010 Tom Grant.
Stephen Liu and Petra Neiger of Cisco explain how their serious game, myPlanNet, illustrates Cisco's 25 years in the networking business. And it's an amazingly successful marketing tool. Plus, a quick pointer to a site that suggests how to get lots and lots of user-generated content. (c) 2009 Tom Grant.
Our guest, Marie Kalliney of Ultimate Software, describes their innovative PM team structure that just makes sense. Plus, some quick news about the PM open house and upcoming research. I also ponder a curious omission in some corners of the blogosphere. (c) 2009 Tom Grant
April Dunford, who writes the blog Rocket Watcher, explains the product marketing challenges in the tech industry, and the special problems facing startups. We also talk about how PMs can embrace social media without a huge hit to their schedule. Plus, a juicy tidbit from the upcoming research document on requirements. (c) 2009 Tom Grant
Forrester's Rob Koplowitz tells us how organizations adopt SharePoint, and the lessons learned for other technology vendors. But first, a recap of last week's open house on "social product management," and some musings on the product strategy for Google Wave. (c) 2009 Tom Grant.
Brian Drummond tells us how Agile adoption worked at Yahoo! How did it start? How did different teams share best practices? How do you make Agile the status quo in a big software company? Plus, news of the first PM open house at the Forrester office in Foster City, CA. (c) 2009 Tom Grant
Val Workman of Ryma Technologies talks about the professionalization of product management, by way of a visit to the metaphorical zoo. Oh, and Frank Capra is there, too. (You have to listen to the interview to understand.) Plus, for this week's review, I put my personal agony with a popular application on display for all to see. (c) 2009 Tom Grant
Ellen Gottesdiener of EGB Consulting tells us why requirements depend more on group dynamics than templates. On a related front, where are the cross-industry requirements blogs? (c) 2009 Tom Grant.
Catherine Connor and I talk about customer insights--how Agile adoption changes their significance, and how CRM systems can provide them. Plus, a review of one of the best little blogs about the best little innovations in the SaaS world. (c) 2009 Tom Grant
This week, our guest is a prime example of "inbound" social media, used to make smarter product decisions. Alex Bender of Archer Technologies describes how their community helps with the entire release cycle, from starting with the generation of good ideas. And whaddaya know, there's another research document, by Yours Truly, about this topic in the Forrester publication queue. Finally, if you're looking for a primer on Lean approaches to development and delivery, look no further than this week's review. Copyright (c) Tom Grant.
This week, Steven Haines, author of The Product Manager's Desk Reference, discusses the growth of PM as a profession, and the harmonic convergence that led him to found Sequent Learning. Plus, if you don't know who Karl Popper is, maybe you're in the wrong job. (c) 2009 Tom Grant
This week, Luke Hohmann of Enthiosys tells us why people in the tech industry should take games seriously as a way of generating ideas and understanding customers. Or would you rather roll the dice and hope you're building the product that people want to use and buy? Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant.
Hot on the heels of Agile 2009, I talk with Steve Johnson of Pragmatic Marketing, who has been training PMs for over a decade. Steve gives his overview of the PM track at Agile 2009, and I give a quick review of the event. (c) 2009 Tom Grant
This week, Forrester analyst Mary Gerush and I discuss product requirements, business analysts, and product managers. Plus, news from Day One of Agile 2009, and a review of a blog series on the future of publishing that should have known when to stop. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
This week, Rich Mironov of Enthiosys tells us what happens when the two worlds of Agile and product management collide. Plus, a look ahead at the Agile 2009 conference, a reminder about the two surveys we're running, and musings on why technology coverage in mainstream newspapers generally stinks. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
Stefan Ried and I discuss cloud computing, the technology and the business model. Plus, news of two surveys, and a prime example of inbound social media. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
Cindy Alvarez, ace product manager and fellow blogger, tells us why it's hard for tech companies to build a products that are easy to use. We also discuss product manager's responsibilities for identifying new markets. Plus, a review of a fascinating book about a highly successful tech company, and the requirements survey is underway! Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant.
In this episode, Israel Gat illuminates the ways in which Agile adoption depends on organizational and cultural factors. We also muse about Helmut von Moltke, 19th century military Agilist. (Go look it up!) Plus, a brief review of an even briefer document about innovation in “knowledge-creating” companies, and a heads-up about some upcoming survey research about product requirements and Agile adoption. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
Dave West, fellow Forrester analyst, tells us how and why Agile adoption has spread. We ponder the ailments of software development that inspired Agile, and we discuss the overlap among Agile, Lean, and other methodologies. Plus, a thumbs up to a good PM blog, and news of social media research. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
Saeed Khan of the "On Product Management" blog identifies the dangers of defining product management the wrong way. Plus, a quick review of some inspirational material about the political aspects of a PM's life. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
Laura Ramos talks about how effective B2B marketing is a mix of old and new techniques. Plus, why even the best books on Agile are often not enough. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
The Cranky Product Manager talks about the sources of crankiness, and not just for product managers. We've masked the CPM's voice to protect the satirized. Plus, a movie recommendation for anyone who thinks it's easy to understand what customers really want. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
In this week's interview, Adam Bullied and I talk about product management, product strategy, and why PMs aren't mini-CEOs. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
You've heard of the ubiquitous Ed Yoozer, measure of all technology design, but have you actually heard him? We rectify that gap with this week's interview. (Be sure to stick around for Yoozer's views on social media.) Plus, a short review of a small book on product requirements. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
Jeff McKenna's role in the history of Agile is as long as it is deep. This week on the Heretech podcast, Jeff and I talk about Agile adoption in the technology industry, and why Agile is much more than just a process. Copyright (c) 2009 Tom Grant
In this week's episode, Stewart Rogers and I talk about the past, present, and future of product management as a profession. We also ponder why there are a surplus of smart Canadians. Plus, a quick review of two books on serious gaming and simulations as tools for innovation and insight.
In our fifth episode, John Rymer and I delve into the ramifications of the Oracle/Sun deal, with a special eye to what it means for the developer community. After that, I review The Product Manager's Desk Reference. Click here for the MP3.
This week, I interview Tim Harmon, senior analyst at Forrester, about channel partnerships in the tech industry, and the importance of SMBs during the economic crisis and recovery. We then match wits about tech industry history. Later, I recommend a great blog that demonstrates how product management is all a question of attitude. (And I promise, with God as my witness, this will be the last week of irritating audio glitches.) Click here for the MP3.
Forrester senior analyst Jennifer Belissent talks about how technology companies can tap emerging markets. Plus, tips for avoiding the potholes on the road to expanding business internationally. All that, and French language tips, in episode 3 of the Heretech podcast.
In this second episode, I interview Peter Burris, a principal analyst at Forrester Research. Peter leads a group of analysts (myself included) focused on product management and product marketing issues in the technology industry. Topics include community marketing, the real meaning of innovation (as opposed to invention), the effect of the economic crisis on the technology industry, and the mediocre genius of Lionel Richie.
In this inaugural episode, Tom interviews Oliver Young, senior analyst at Forrester Research, about social media and their growing role in B2B buying decisions.
Several events of interest for product marketers and product managers: Forrester open house on the demographics of B2B technology buyers. Product Camp 2010 in Silicon Valley. Yes, I'll be there, armed with slides about the strategic role of PM. Product Camp 2010 in Austin, Texas. And I'll be there, too.
Jim Holland of Mission Creek Partners and I discuss the relationship between PM and executives in technology companies. What do executives really want from the PM team? Plus, some recent news about this week's Forrester open house, and this month's Product Camps in Silicon Valley and Texas. (c) 2010 Tom Grant
Late last year, we kicked off a series of open house discussions at the Forrester office in Foster City, CA. We're ready to resume that series, so here's the schedule of topics for the next few months: March 11, 5:00 to 6:30 PM The demographics of B2B buyer behavior April 8, 5:00 to 6:30 PM The strategic PM May 13, 5:00 to 6:30 PM PM in the innovation process June 10, 5:00 to 6:30 PM PM in the transition to SaaS These events are designed to be informal discussions among you and your fellow product managers and product marketers. (Here's...
In my childhood, many of the bad guys in TV shows were corporate overlords. Tweed jackets and dark turtlenecks were the apparel of choice. They were ridiculously unctuous, spouting obliquely phrased threats like, "This Mannix fellow has become...Inconvenient." These villains were the creation of TV studios trying to capitalize on the post-60s, post-Watergate hangover, during which corporate executives were about as trusted as...Well, about as trusted as they are today. Corporate goons may be even less popular today than they were a few decades ago, after wrecking the global economy, plundering their own companies, and cackling gleefully as they collected...
Recently, colleague Dave West and I published some research showing how Agile has gone mainstream in both the tech industry and IT departments. Here's another sign of the mainstreaming of Agile: Collabnet's acquisition of Danube. If you follow the market for developer tools, you've seen milder indicators of this trend already. For example, last year, Atlassian acquired Greenhopper as a plug-in for JIRA. Other tools vendors, such as Compuware, have added Agile configurations to their existing products. Collabnet's acquisition of Danube is a bigger step. Danube's core product, ScrumWorks, is a lot more than just a configuration or a plug-in....
The more social we get, the more we expose about ourselves. That's a fact of life that antedates social media, the Internet, or computers. From this perspective, social media are just a new way to reveal ourselves, sometimes by choice, other times not. For the PM in charge of product requirements or release checklists, working on a social media product requires standing your ground on security and privacy issues. I won't beat on the unfortunate launch of Google Buzz further, except to make one last point. To avoid the sort of morass in which Google finds itself, someone in PM...
If you're a product manager or product manager on the West Coast, you should take a minute to vote for the topics you want to see covered in the Silicon Valley P-Camp next month. Here's my humble offering, how PM has become an increasingly a strategic asset in technology companies, why this shift is happening, and what you can do to convince your management of the wisdom of making these changes. That's the punchline of the research I've been doing in the last five years, and P-Camp is a good opportunity to wrap it all up with a pretty bow....
I've just finished The Great Migration Of 2012. You're looking at one result, posting from my iPhone. It's interesting to see how much of a difference a device change can make in your attitude towards specific types of content. For example, Twitter seems more natural here than on my PC. I have far less interest in tweeting while working on the laptop, but using the iPhone to tweet while I'm sitting idly in a coffee shop feels OK.
Since a noteworthy portion of this blog's readership watches something on the network in question, I'll pass along the news that SyFy has made Time's list of 10 worst corporate name changes. It's not as bad as Blackwater's new name, Xe, which sounds like an alien overlord that you might see on the SyFy channel, but it's still pretty stupid.
Google now has two recent examples of how not to launch a product. To be more specific, the launches of Wave and Buzz are unfortunate illustrations of product management and product marketing breakdowns. The first, Wave, was clearly a product marketing failure. Whether or not Wave is a work of sublime genius is beside the point. The dominant reaction to Wave was confusion. Was Wave more an application or a platform? A replacement for e-mail, or a supplement to it? Something built for a general audience, or just techies? Google somehow fumbled the most basic product marketing: We built this...
Yesterday, my reaction to Google Buzz was bafflement. Today, it's frustration, and I can see why some people are finding Buzz to be infuriating. Product marketing flubs The Buzz roll-out was not exactly a triumph of product marketing. Starting with the "Try Buzz Now!" entry page, It isn't clear what Buzz does, or is supposed to do, or does in some other part of the Gmail UI that you haven't found yet. Is this a micro-blogging tool? A first step into something like Facebook, with a lot of other Facebook-esque capabilities yet to be implemented? The introductory video wasn't much...
The Cranky Product Manager is looking for the worst company and product descriptions. Oh, what a rich bounty that will produce. Here's one of her examples: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is an integrated suite of server capabilities that can help improve organizational effectiveness by providing comprehensive content management and enterprise search, accelerating shared business processes, and facilitating information-sharing across boundaries for better business insight. Additionally, this collaboration and content management server provides IT professionals and developers with the platform and tools they need for server administration, application extensibility, and interoperability. The most obvious problem with this summary is that...
Social media start-ups often seem to overlook an important demographic reality: age. These companies bet their business on behavior that works for young adults (say, 18 to 25), but may fall apart completely for people older than that. Case in point: Geo-location applications. Maybe the business model for foursquare, Gowalla, et al. is a-OK with the idea of sticking to a younger set. Checking in where you are, and seeing where your friends and relations have checked in, is kinda cool. Sprinkle in some useful information about where you are, and someone probably can make some money providing this service....
Stock photos on corporate web sites are lot like Muzak in elevators, or the distracting TVs left on in restaurants and bars. They're portions of the user experience that normally attracts none of your attention. If you do stop and think about them, they're just plain weird. Why does anyone think I'd like to hear a mash-up of Bruce Springsteen and Mantovani? Why is the TV turned on to a soccer game, or for that matter, turned on at all? And why are all these people in the stock photos shown here so damn happy about using their computers? Everywhere...