Forum Discussions - Cambridge Product Management Network

Are product managers interested in how customers use their applications?

2012-02-10T12:00:15.626Z

As a product manager how important is it for us to understand how our products are used in the field?

Do we think it's important to know how our customers get on with our products, how our products behave, what problems our customers encounter, what features they fail to adopt, how long it takes them to get up and running?

If we think this is important, how do we currently get this information? Does it tend to be by hearsay, from calls to a few customers, through our support department?

Are there any tools that product managers are using to help get this information?

Designing Digital Products?

2011-12-08T07:58:47.055Z

Dear fellow product managers,

www.tamingtheturingmachine.com

I thought you might be interested in a quick "sneak peek" at a new book in which I've tried to capture some really simple guidelines for designing great digital user-interactions.

It's targeted mostly at product development teams who don't have a full-time interaction or user-experience designer, and I hope it might help product managers guide teams towards producing products that are genuinely simple, intuitive, and delightful.

If that sounds of interest, please follow @TamingTuring to hear when it comes out early next year, and take a look at the website for a summary of the contents and the answer to why it's called Taming the Turing Machine.

Do let me know what you think.

2 Product Managers needed-thoughts of a marmite recruiter

2011-10-18T09:23:32.755Z

As I was recommended by Arthur meadows to visit the CPMN my heart sunk. Surely, not another network, membership, events company, dog training facility, mobile portaloo conglomerate wanting my data. The amount of people who want my information and want me to be part of their club seems to grow larger every year. And with Google+ and linkedin and twitter and facebook its really hard to participate in the mobile portaloo conglomerate's debate.

I must say though, CPMN seems like a jolly place where people actually want to be which is a change from most online groups.

Anyway, I'm currently looking for a couple of senior Product manager's for SkyIQ, a part of BskyB specialising in data analysis and marketing intelligence. The salary is pretty strong (more details on demand) and its based in St Albans not a million miles from Cambridge. I've attached the spec below so if you would like to discuss contact me at rob.symes@campbellblack.co.uk

Job Spec (arthur feel free to critique your heart out!)

Do you have proven experience of managing a portfolio of software products in a Marketing Services environment? Do you possess strong communication, presentation and market research skills? Are you a motivated, self-starter with an entrepreneurial flair with the ability to develop and grow a product management framework? If so, our Product Manager position may be for you!

Sky IQ are currently seeking a Product Manager to be based within our Sales and Marketing team. The purpose of this role is to manage a broad product portfolio and to ensure a product-led focus is in place within the business. This includes creating and maintaining a roadmap for each product line and understanding each product's position in the competitive landscape it operates in.

Sky IQ helps its customers engage with their customers, better. We currently work with a select number of FTSE 100 companies, providing world class consumer insight and customer management solutions. We are familiar with the challenges organisations face as they look to better understand their customers and provide software and services that turn this understanding into action to improve marketing effectiveness and business performance.

Key responsibilities will include:

Understanding the key market trends which affect client needs and therefore product positioning
Understanding the competitive outlook and technical environment whilst planning and implementing appropriate responses
Creating compelling business cases to initiate product or request enhancement
Maintaining product roadmaps and following product review and development processes in a timely manner
Working with the Sales and Marketing team to brief staff, position products correctly and maximise sales effectiveness.
Co-ordinating functions across the business to ensure products are fully supported
Taking responsibility for collecting, measuring and distributing all relevant product metrics, such as sales, bug reports, customer usage, customer satisfaction, product profitability
Ensuring product performance measures are fed into new product development cycle
Developing and maintaining an internal communication plan to facilitate the sharing of knowledge across the business
Managing peer and stakeholder expectation of the deliverability of business goals
Ensuring feedback mechanisms are in place
Acting as a champion for products internally and externally
Champion product performance as a business KPI

For the role, we would be looking for you to demonstrate the following skills and experience:

Proven experience in managing a portfolio of software products in the Marketing Services or Data Management market
The ability to drive complex products from inception to delivery and beyond
Effective research and presentation skills including presenting confidently to market (client groups, events and trade press)
The drive and focus to build a new functional area and embed within the business
Ability to lead by example and sell product management as a discipline
The ability to create accurate Business Cases in a timely manner
Experience at communicating outputs at multiple levels within the business
Skilled in communications plan development and execution
Collaborative thinker and able to 'join the dots' across multiple domains
Mature and professional approach to expectation management

This is a fantastic opportunity for an individual with the entrepreneurial spirit, vision and drive to help shape the future direction of Sky IQ, part of the Sky team.

How do you handle patent issues?

2011-10-16T15:33:34.211Z

I'd be interested to hear your views on patents and how you handle patent issues (particularly if you are part of a smaller to medium sized organisation).

There are several areas that interest me:

Do you ignore patent issues altogether?
Are you concerned about infringing someone else's patent?
Or someone infringing your patent?
Do you actively register patents?
Do you do so to protect your IP?
Or for defensive reasons, eg a patent swap if someone claims you are infringing their patent?

My reason for asking? To gauge whether the first choice above is a realistic option.

Red Gate is hiring more Product Managers

2011-09-29T11:08:00.431Z

Job description at http://jobs.red-gate.com/templates/redgate/jobdetail/224.aspx/Jobs/Product%20Manager, feel free to contact me if you want to know more about these opportunities.

What do you want CPMN to discuss this coming year?

2011-08-20T22:05:53.939Z

The summer break is coming to an end, and we're planning what sessions to run in the coming year. We've got some ideas, but would like to get your ideas (especially if you'd be willing to present at/facilitate a session).

You might draw some inspiration from the list of topics we suggested when we asked this same question last summer.

Please post your suggestions below, and/or vote for suggestions already made.

Thanks!

Pose & Cope - Has anyone used these models before?

2011-08-02T23:11:16.926Z

Hi all,

Has anyone used the Pose and Cope analysis models before?

http://www.poseanalysis.com/whatposeis.html

http://www.copeanalysis.com/whatcopeis.html

Thanks,

Ben

Vix ACIS is hiring product management staff

2011-06-20T19:17:53.585Z

All

If you are in the market for a new product management job, then please note that Vix ACIS in Cambridge is starting to recruit for three positions:

- Head of Product Management

- Product Manager

- Product Marketing Manager

You can find details of the company here:

http://www.vix-acis.com/Careers.aspx

http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/directory/orgprofile/default.aspx?objid=79433

The positions have not been posted here yet, but expect them to be soon. There is a contact name/e-mail there in case you are very keen.

Please mention my name if you apply!

Clive Watts

Cambridge Broadband Limited is hiring

2011-06-17T10:39:17.744Z

Hi all,

The company I work at is looking for another product manager. You can apply online here:http://www.cbnl.com/jobs/

Or send me your CV and I can give it to HR.

If you do apply, please mention that you found out about the vacancy on the Cambridge Product Management Network.

Hope this helps some one!

Thanks,

Matthew

Product Managers Toolbox

2011-05-27T09:05:00.468Z

Missed the last meeting that discussed PM tools, but I found this LinkedIn discussion which I thought might be useful

http://lnkd.in/cYGFYn

Andrew

(Afraid I sit in the Excel camp!)