Welcome to Product Management Challenges!

04029 Stalled: Getting Development Into Gear

At technology companies, Engineering and Development is the motor that keeps the product moving forward. Unlike real motors made out of metal, this one depends upon a lot of moving parts that are all-too-human, so it stalls a lot. A Development effort that sputters and stalls too often can lead to a product that falls behind the market.

It is vital for a Product Manager to get involved and hands-on with the product motor if it starts to stall. Product Managers can bring a different perspective to the Engineering team that can make all the difference in getting stalled development efforts started.

Read on below for some useful ideas that you can use with the team - from entry level programmers to VPs - to make your product develop and improve faster, and therefore gain ground on the competition.
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04028 Customers: Love Them As You Would Yourself

Most companies pay lip service to truisms like “The customer is king.” But it’s easy for software companies to immerse themselves in the magic of their technologies and not actually focus all that much attention on the customer base. Far more companies talk about treating their customers well than do a good job at it.

Yet connecting with your customers is ultimately the way to build customer loyalty, and consequently increased revenue and strong profitability through lower cost of sales. Read on for some ideas on how the Product Management function can help build an enduring connection with your customer base.
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