RIT NPD Forum:
Is Product Planning Obsolete?
Sponsored by the Technology Management Center/ Dr. John Ettlie
October 7, 2003

John Ettlie, Dir. of Technology Management Center, College of Business

- Academia is in the business of trying to solve the future problems that companies will have but don’t anticipate
- White paper entitled “MINE (Managing Innovation in the New Economy) Project” will be available soon.

Speakers: Dr. Michael Flynn, Dr. George Broughton, Mr. Hugh Valley

1. The old model, of when GM dictated what the car market did, IS GONE
2. Cst pressures are being pushed down to suppliers and NOT CONSUMERS
3. Value-added activity has shifted
4. Information sharing and transparency have improved
5. * Corporate technology plans facilitate success
6. * IT/web-based solutions will work in the future
7. * Collaboration needs to work both ways

Conclusion:

1. Listen to customers and suppliers
2. Win through collaboration NOT coercion

1. Ability to Dream Past Conventional Thinking
• What consumers groups don’t say is as important as what they don’t say
• Create a need (a 3-year no-service necessary warranty)
2. Differentiation in a “Sea of Sameness”
• Cannot be “as good as,” must be better or unique (just like Good to Great)
• Overcome a fear of differentiation; have data and the passion
3. Build a Team of Believers
• Help people who can think outside the box
• Integrate the team

1. Deadwood is Death
• Effectively = (Star Players/Marginal Players)
• Get rid of facilitators, pontificators, problem starters, sweet talkers, meeting all-dayers
2. Work for a Common Boss
• Keep the product happy; company will follow? people work better under a product rather than under a boss
• Be allowed to have fun
3. Expect Innovation to Bring Problems
• Recruit good people; want people with passion not 4.0 students
• If it was easy, it would have already been done
• Monday-morning quarterback-ing is good ? get peoples’ minds in the right place
• Cannot solve/see a problem by yourself BUT working together you recognize problems and find solutions
• Get rid of job descriptions ? own rather than know other employees’ problems
ex: Integrate disciplines through a common vision not through job descriptions
4. Fail Early and Often
• Do it wrong the first time
• Don’t allow people to save the best for last; it gives them an excuse
• SEM (Significant Emotional Experience); make sure there’s always more work so that they will “finish” a project and move on to the next
• Don’t want team to think there’s not much more work because they’ll use it as an excuse for not finishing
5. Leaders and “Lies”
• Stir the troops with the possibility
• Lead as if the project is already a success (borderline lying
• Never bluff yourself

“Different ideas are not always great- but great ideas are always different.”