Products , Product Managers and Product Owners

Had an amazing discussion over a thread with Rick Chapman over the role and future of Product Managers and SaaS products. I am amazed that reading Rick over SaaS University and Soft Letter gives me a feel that he understands SaaS well... However I am not very convinced on the thread that is shared over PRODUCT MANAGERS and SaaS where Rick says that SaaS Products dont need Product Managers...

SaaS products introduced the real concept of democracy into Web Application domain... It sooner appeals to me as OF THE CUSTOMER, FOR THE CUSTOMER By a Developer who looks it as a CUSTOMER

The reason I think the Product Managers are must for any product (Be it SaaS or an Enterprise solution) :

1. Any product needs to have a life cycle.. if products don't have life cycles development doesn't need to have life cycles. A Product Life cycle within itself means a necessity or a definition of its owner and Manager.. and who is the product Manager in this case? I don't determine a developer to be the Product Manager and I would hate to call the end user as the product Manager here..

2. I want the blue button here
Every customer makes several demands on the product. The product Managers derive these demands to a conclusive path , turn it on to as a feature that many others would like to do with a product. Imagine every developer delivering same feature in different colors at different times??? well somebody has to manage it and this somebody is no one else than the Product Manager to me...

3. Agile is a better glove, but Agile is not the placeholder
With increasing importance of Agile, like Waterfall model Agile is getting misused.. Agile is the best development approach for product development.. specially when a product is appended with features, functions and technical aspects.. Agile can support development process but need an owner who owns the product and doesn't allow sloppy developments happening all over the product.. expecting a Scrum Master , Development Manager or a Product Manager to do this is a disaster..

Many more that I can think of.. but I guess I would first like to read what Rick has to say and then post my thoughts over..

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Time to Set Expectations

Its time to set expectations.. This is the time when you need to set the expectations... this is time which is going to mark the beginning of the time. Yes the time that is just going to set the momentum before it actually begins. What is important is to set the Moral right during this time so that the coming challenges can not only be faced but also be driven away successfully...

With this time that is going to approach we want to :

1. Clearly Set expectations of what it is going to be for the future.
2. Set goals for each and every member on what is expected of them and how to achieve it
3. Drill the desire deep so that the challenges float and evaporate.
4. Define Success
5. Set the path and show the hindrances that needs to be covered...
6. Last but not the least.... ROLL the MAGIC

I am all set to take this force become a wave, I am all set to drive this with several other drivers, I am all set to Success, I am all set to party with this fun... Come join the force!!!!!

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What are We going to be like?

My last post scored what makes us US, considering the last few weeks of development I thought it was necessary that I also put up what we are going to be like....

1. We are going to be "The Changer"... Yes the changer who would bring difference to the way our customers would work in future with collaboration tools

2. We dont want to do what our competition is doing or want to do

3. We want to surpass our own expectations and create expectations that we never had

4. We dont want to be another "Bing" in an attempt to make another "Google"

Are we ready bring the required revolution? I am up for it... I am sure the Team is ... Are you?

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Will you Hire me? Today?

I have like 3 hours to spend and for dont know what reason I have mistaken my flight timings and will have to wait... wait till the checkins are allowed, wait till the flight finally takes up, and wait till I am able to buy some choclates for the Team down there... so the first minute of the "wait until you time is up" made me ask one question to myself... and of course all the intelligent Managers out there....

Will you Hire yourself? today?

I am sure not all of us get into this perspective, niether did I , until I met this guy today on the station who said... "I would fire myself today for doing this thing wrong, however I am sure I would hire myself, cause I am the most best fit for this job ;)"

Wow... isnt it amazing? I guess we need to ask this question to ourselves and our Bosses if they would really hire us back if our positions were vacant as on today..

What do you think Boss?

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New Ideas!!!

I always wanted to build a service (You are right Not a product but a service) simple reason being that product will just have users a service will have various actors along with users... actors like support systems, usability, accessibility and of course above all a User to use it...

A not so good night of sleep has being always being very positive for me... a few years ago I could get a blog trafficking tool created and yesterday a Idea has hit me.. Today considering the usage of Facebook and Twitter and several other tools , products and services people and companies are all over.. all over the world, universe and of course the internet cloud..

Given a thought when a employee does a job hunt he looks for reference, when a employer hires he looks for references (nowadays over internet), when a customer buys a product he looks for references, when a product owner want to sell his product he needs leads and references ... all of these things have one thing in common References... What if there is a service to do this reference search..

Now believe me this is not a search engine.. but this is a search capability with a human intelligence.. the idea is pure in its form now and I am sure if picked up well can be used to really generate some good outcome...

Here is how it should modal out:

Step 1

Person registers (Necessary as else You cannot be rich, registered user will help you sell the product to google in billions)

User does a search on product, service or person finds a list of information (of course from internet and various search engines) this information is categorized as Feedbacks, support elements, rants etc etc ... you can throw in your ideas out here...

Various filters based on relevant text provided to ensure appropriate information can be fetched out..

Step 2

User can write references for products , services ... but not as in other sites like www.mouthshut.com or blah blah... but refering to one of the categorize... every search done on a entity and every feedback added goes in to the system and links to the user, every user logs in can refer to what type of searches X product , services did..

Link this to the commercials (Product companies may want to know the current trends) drill it with various trending software tools and that should help getting huge set of relevant information

Step 3

Add more commercials to it... A timely reference and internet check for a product, service and person to be done in a report form with all required keywords..., trends, etc..Now since the idea is just in words it may not sound very great to everyone.. but if put in a pictorial representation I am sure it will hit the brain in the right spot, ... a Business Modal will mean a Bulls Eye and a Jack Pot if put to actual implementation....

Any takers?

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What makes us .... Actually Us?

Long time I thought I havent visited the blog... call it my neglegence or my fascination towards Indian politics.. I am being pushed farther and farther into blogging about Indian Political scenario and the elections that are due in the coming few days... However lessons learnt in the past few days still deserve to be written and I would not want to let this lesson off...

While we are seeking a fresh new Team getting built on the other side of the ocean I am trying to get myself organised along with the Team we have here to ensure that we contribute not only to the product but also to the Industry(We ought to begin by sharing our view , analysis and proof of concept done on evaluating web frameworks around the tech world... Hope this evaluation would form a basis for others to make a best decission)...

Anyways.. time to put the lessons learnt... what makes You and Me together as Us?

Here is what we envision....

1. We want to see the view from sky , however work on the ground
2. We know that what we do is important and every piece we do adds to that importance leaps and bounds
3. We mean what we say and we say what we mean
4. We like to challenge and Be challenged
5. We like to seek and give attention to minute of the details that form our deliverables
6. We keep our ego at home
7. We like to collaborate
8. We know that the ROI from a Team will only be followed by an investment in Team.
9. We know that every Team member is important to us
10. We are innovative and innovation is the oxygen on which we breath
11. We know how to deliver
12. We know what is enthusiasm and we like to spread it across
13. We love what we do and would want to do it more.
14. We spread joy and fun
15. We think we can bring a revolution in the technology world

Now thats what makes us Actually Us... So if you think you enjoyed reading this.. and want to be a part of Us... why not share hands .... We are looking for people with experience in Java and J2EE Technologies, QA and UI Design... if you think your attitude matches the post and if you are in the United Kingdom dont hesitate to email me : sameera.cmc@gmail.com

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