Tom Chmielewski, VP of Product Management, ChoicePoint Inc & President of the Atlanta PMA.
You can't (or very well shouldn't) construct a building without detailed blueprints and expect the excavators, foundation workers, plumbers, HVAC, electricians, finish workers, etc. to know what is required of them. Everyone knows what the building should look like before it is started yet when it comes to building software, much of the time the planning is late. Many times, I have heard and seen sales teams unable to develop their plans because they don't know what the product will look like or what it will do, and marketing teams unable to develop their literature and brochures because they don't know what the product will be like. Yet these projects still get a go-ahead and end up running into problems that were entirely avoidable.
Attendees will learn the importance of whole product planning which will ensure product success in the market.
Speaker bio:
Thomas Chmielewski is Vice President of Product Management at ChoicePoint Corporation. Tom's organization is responsible for defining and delivering products for the Banking, Finance and Mortgage customers based on market research and customer discovery. Tom started his career as a software developer for CIGNA and Digital Equipment Corporation before becoming a Product Manager. Tom's has delivered countless new products to the marketplace and is one of the founding members of the Atlanta Product Management Society (part of the Technology Association of Georgia) He holds a BS in Computer Science.
The Planning-Blueprint Phase, with Tom Chmielewski (.mp3 format)
To continue, ...the blueprint is only as good as the PM's skills that will result in excellent collaboration. These skills don't necessarily come with the job title. In fact product managers, like most other managers, often don't have the collaboration and facilitation skills to allow cross-functional teams to contribute to their maximum potential. Using trained facilitators is a proven method to improve project results. Agile software development approaches often REQUIRE trained, neutral facilitators to lead those crucial cross-functional meetings that make or break important projects.