It seems that sitting in the left lane, engine idling, waiting for oncoming traffic to clear so you can make a left-hand turn, is minutely wasteful — of time and peace of mind, for sure, but also of gas and therefore money. Not a ton of gas and money if we’re talking about just you and your Windstar, say, but immensely wasteful if we’re talking about more than 95,000 big square brown trucks delivering packages every day. And this realization — that when you operate a gigantic fleet of vehicles, tiny improvements in the efficiency of each one will translate to huge savings overall — is what led U.P.S. to limit further the number of left-hand turns its drivers make.

via Left-Hand-Turn Elimination – New York Times.

If you surveyed delivery drivers, they wouldn’t complain about left turns… since that’s just the way it is. But managers observed the drivers and saw how much time (and fuel) was wasted while waiting for a left turn.

Have you observed your customer? Do it! You’ll see a dozen ways to improve their situation in ways that you’d never learn from a survey!

The fact is that both the roles of “Product Manager” and “Product Marketer” are poorly understood and implemented in the industry.  e.g. There’s too much focus on what a “Product Manager” does vs. what “Product Management” does.

via What’s the deal with Product Marketing? | On Product Management.

And just to be clear — the difference is not about simply marketing or selling the invention.   It’s about inventing things that solve people’s problems, and then getting those inventions into the hands of the people who can benefit from them, and ultimately improving their lives or experiences.

via Product Management lies at the heart of Innovation | On Product Management.

The risk for software companies in a highly competitive market is that their marketing presentations must always “hit the mark” in order to inspire the customer. There is no place for losing listeners due to boring and ineffective presentations either in content or delivery. Software executives must start to break the cult of the average presentation habits. It is crucial to understand and put into practice proven communication skills of authentic presence and voice that will maximize results every time.

Good tips on presentation technique in The Art of the Compelling Software Presentation | Sandhill.

For those of you in the Denver area, Pragmatic Marketing alum Michael Swansegar is leading an event to explore:

• Is a Project Manager automatically a good Scrum Master?
• How can a Scrum Master impact the culture of the company?
• How can a Scrum Master be an ‘agile champion’ with The Development Team and Product Owner?
• Do certificates for a Scrum Master actually carry weight?

These are just some of the questions explored at the PMI event in Feb 2012. The event is in person (Denver) and online. Primary Theme: It is easy to find a Scrum Master, it is hard to find a good one.

http://www.mypmsite.info/PMIWeb01/EventDetails.aspx?ProductID=3067

Scott Sehlhorst at Tyner Blain writes:

You start with a point of view about what makes a minimum viable product.  When your product launches, it is your customer’s point of view that matters.  You must understand which problems your customers care about solving, and what solutions are available to your customers today.  You need to understand your competition to make informed decisions about your product.

via Know Your Competition – Comparing Products Part 6.

If you haven’t you should read the entire series. Excellent point of view, as usual.

PS. I’m coming to Toronto on Feb 1-3 to lead our Practical Product Management and Requirements That Work seminars. Tell your friends in the GTA!

Zhivago’s main principle is deceptively simple: If you want to know how to increase sales, ask your customers.There is a whole philosophy twisted up inside that sentence. Notice that you don’t ask your employees, as some suggest, because they’re usually not your biggest customers. You don’t ask suppliers. You don’t ask the Internet. You don’t implement some plan you read about in a book or online — unless it’s based on first asking the customer.

via Case Study: The Zhivago Method | SixEstate.

Nothing beats a direct interaction with a customer. Why do marketers loathe talking to the market? Follow Zhivago’s (and pmiPragmatic Marketing’s) method instead.

Rich M always brings an interesting perspective to any topic. This week he tackles the move from Senior PM to Director.

In the second of four posts about the product management hierarchy, we’ll focus on technology product managers who’ve been in their jobs long enough to consider what comes next.

Read more in Moving Up To Director | Rich Mironovs Product Bytes.

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes to get a smartphone pushed to market? If you have, congratulations on advancing to the next echelon of mobile geekhood. We’ve often pondered the same thing ourselves, but the industry has been historically tight-lipped about the ins and outs of designing, testing and launching a smartphone. Fortunately, our thirst for knowledge was quenched by none other than AT&T, which happily loaned us the time of two senior product managers, the folks that make the magic happen.

via How an AT&T smartphone comes to life: behind the scenes (part one) — Engadget.

“It looks like a human was involved in choosing what went where,” Marissa told them. “It looks too editorialized. Google products are machine-driven. They’re created by machines. And that is what makes us powerful. That’s what makes our products great.”

–Marissa Mayer, addressing Google designers, as quoted in “In The Plex” by Steven Levy

Hmmm. I think being people-driven, persona-driven, or market-driven is probably a better technique. Comments?