The replay247.com product launch (Thursday 12/12, 3:00pm EST) came off just as you always plan, but next expect - anticlimactically.

No real issues or messes.  It worked and we had less than 10 customer service requests.  All-in-all, a very good launch.

With that said, even good launches WILL take their toll on those buried in the trenches making it happen before, during, and after.  Stress free, simple product final tweaking, packaging, and launches RARELY happen in a normal world scenario…they just don’t happen.  Trust me, I’ve been doing this for 20 years.

There is one photo that I’ve named “The Low Point.”  There is no explanation needed!

Enjoy…Replay247.com Launch Week Photos - CLICK HERE.

Definitely Not Withstanding the Foregoing,
Ross, “the project management guy”

This week at Marocom LLC we completed the Live Beta Launch of the long anticipated replay247.com website.

The technology that will ultimately revolutionize the teleseminar industry.  We firmly believe our product has the potential to do for teleseminars what the Auto Responder has done for email marketing.

However, plugging replay247 is the not primary purpose for this post.  Rather, the primary purpose is to again reiterate the importance of ensuring the six elements I outlined in my previous post are not considered just some guy’s theory.  Rather, they are based on being in the trenches for twenty years.

I’m not suggesting we encountered this issues, but at one point or another almost any project can say they struggled to some degree with these elements!  Only the naive and/or arrogant would say otherwise…

Fail to communicate and the project will suffer.  It is one of the critical elements of a successful project.  A project cannot be executed without someone setting the direction, arranging and prioritizing the task, and finally communicating those priorities.

Without effective communication the project will operate similar to a vehicle with clogged gas lines.  It simply won’t be able to run smoothly and at times will have to be stopped for repair.

The single most important element is well defined requirements.  The reason is because it is like dropping a pebble in a pond, the ripple affect is pervasive!  Without a set of well defined requirements you will not get very far into the project before there will be significant issues.

Rework caused by poorly defined requirements that cannot be efficiently implemented and are not supportive of the overall project’s objectives cost the stakeholders time and money — every time! This one element done poorly can single handily bring a project to a complete standstill.  I’ve seen it happen in

Requirements must be defined early, reviewed frequently, and tested for validity.the past.

The difference between a project with a clearly defined set of requirements done EARLY in the project life cycle and one that doesn’t have those requirements is literally like night and day in their ability to ultimately execute.  Oh sure you can limp along and pretend, but the impact is obvious.  So obvious the causal observer with rudimentary project management exposure can notice the difference!  

Upholding proper expectations is another of the six elements.  Expectations come into play as part of communication and requirements.  Without managing expectations properly, most business subject matter experts (SMEs) will assume the most optimistic scenario is not only possible, but likely.

The project manager must be very attentive and ready to constantly be ensuring that unfounded expectations are met head on and clarified before they before a new, albeit, unspoken requirement.

Testing is made much easier by a clear set of requirements.  What do you test if there are no requirements to test against.  How do you know you are delivering what your client expects without a clear set of requirements.  Testing is the last opportunity to catch and repair bug/fixes before they become a matter of public record (so to speak).  Test will always be the project manager’s best friend.

Change management forces the project to document where it starts and how it changes over time.  In one of my last jobs we always spoke of what’s called the “Frito Truck Scenario.”  Meaning what happens if on your way home today you were hit by a Freito Truck and never came back, what would happen to the project.

Unfortunately, far too much information about the inner workings of a project are keep between the ears of a very few people.  Change management ensures that a documented record of how the project changed and WHY will allow someone new to understand the history and pick up the ball and run.

Finally, one of the hardest things for a project manager to do is control the thinking and desire to “just get something out there” of most business SMEs.  It seems to be especially strong among marketers.  They most time have an appreciation for the need to develop an application, but there is little true appreciation for the fact that things go wrong and things don’t always happen as swiftly as they expect or have promised others.

After all it’s their job to create anticipation and generate excitement, but that tendency to lose site of the primary object – create a top quality product — becomes more difficult to achieve when a date starts being put out there without the data to support the ability to deliver the requirements without the perverbial miracle.  It’s a diseaster waiting to happen.

Every time I’m involved in a project launch I am reminded of how these six elements will help you or potentially devastate your project.  It just isn’t worth the black mark of a colossal failure on your resume.  With effort and fortitude the project manager can and should be able to positively influence his team by insisting on following certain “non-negotiables” in every project he is give responsibility for bringing to market.

Did replay247 go perfectly…no.  But with some persistence on my part and some recognition and understanding on the Business SME, we have developed a project strategy that can be repeated in the future.

Good luck and stay committed to delivering the highest quality project within your control!!

Ross Yingling, “The Project Management Guy”

Welcome to Part 2 of The Super 6 Elements for High Quality Product Launches.  In this post I will be introducing each of the Super 6 Elements.  After today, I will take each Element and post a detailed discussion focusing on that one Element.

When projects begin to head to the ditch, it’s instinctive to start looking for the problems.  However, some things are masking the real hardships.  Symptoms are often treated as the problem because that is what is presenting on the outside.  However, it is not the real issue.  It takes some digging and research to get to the real issue.  Some projects may have most, but not all elements & still succeed to some degree because most likely one of the elements they do have is overwhelmingly positive and can drive the project forward in spite of weaker or non existent elements.  Not having these six elements in place will almost guarantee the project/product launch will produce less than stellar results!

Please comment early and often.  Tell me what you think…let’s talk about experiences and successes.  Or we can talk about existing projects that are causing headaches for you…it might me that we can put one or more of these Elements in place to help your situation.  With that said, let’s dive in to the list (in no specific order):

Super-6 Element #1 – Superior Communication Management Processes

It has been said in many different arenas that communication will be your best friend or your worst enemy. I find that to be very true. A good communication strategy is in place before you need it and it always addresses the following three questions: What are you communicating, who are you communicating to, what is the appropriate time communicate, and what form of communication is best? All of these questions must be answered to ensure communication is consistent, timely, and high quality.

Super-6 Element #2 – Institutionalized Requirements Management Processes

This is where most projects that are in the ditch start heading for the ditch. Requirements are at the top of the project life cycle. Do a poor job here and you will – not might pay, you will – pay a heavy price. I use the term institutionalized. By that I mean everyone on the team and your client has an intimate, “second nature” level understanding of – and a belief in – the processes used by the project. Is it THAT important?…Absolutely!

Super-6 Element #3 – Aggressive Expectation Management

Expectations are very sneaky little devils. They come at a project manager or project owner in many different ways. From formal statements provided by one group to another; to a simple little sentence said in what may be an unrelated topic. Expectations travel between your client and you, obviously. However, they also travel from each member of the team and the project manager. If not addressed (and managed) any/all expectations will potentially embarrass one or both parties and can be the cause of a total breakdown of the project.

Super-6 Element #4 – Solid Change Management Processes

Change Management is a misunderstood and sometimes a continuous element of the project development and later operational support. It is THE only way to effectively and independently tell the history of the project as it morphs over time. Without Change Management you will have to rely on the memories of the people who were involved at each point that changes/enhancements were made to the product and that is no way to have to run a railroad.

Super-6 Element #5 – Thorough Testing Management Processes

This should speak for itself, but maybe it doesn’t or more people would be good at it. Lots of people claim to be good testers, but they lack the understanding of a true testing scenario and where to look to define each test case. Testing actually starts in the Requirements Phase.  No testing the action, but planning for testing.  Requirements and Testing are tied together very tightly.  It is THE LAST opportunity to thoroughly check the product to make sure it is doing exactly what the customer wants it to do.  Product defects will go into production because of blatantly poor testing habits. Finding a defect in production means you must go back and fix something that shouldn’t have been a problem…an instant opportunity to lose credibility! It is far more expensive to fix defects now, than earlier in the process, BUT catch it here and the client is happy that you’re on the ball and testing.  Let it go and you could feel the pain for a long time!!

Super-6 Element #6 – Clear, laser focused understanding of the Overall Objective

This may sound a little weird and I may not spend a whole lot of time on this one, but it is important and can derail a project at the very end, when everything should be near completion. It is the loss of focus on the TRUE objective(s) that often times puts the customer and therefore the project team in an embarrassing squeeze. As a result, many people end up working heavy hours to pull off a miracle that should have never been necessary!

As I said above this is only a taste of where I intend to take each of the Super 6 Elements. I personally believe they are fundamentally linked to the degree of success that is achieved on any and all projects undertaken/products launched in the past, now and in the future.

I’m not exactly sure how long it will take to get through each Element. I do know that a couple of them will take longer to adequately cover than others. Look for these posts to be anywhere from a week to ten days apart.

Thanks for hanging around and by all means, please leave a comment so I know you were here and what you think of the list.

Notwithstanding the foregoing and until next time,

Ross Yingling
The Project Management Guy
VP Operations, Marocom LLC
Ross@Marocom.com
Ross@RossYingling.com

Defining The Product Launch Version of the 80/20 Rule

You know the old saying…THE 80/20 RULE. The culturally accepted rule that says 80% of some something is done by/caused by/influenced by 20% of something else. Probably the most famous of which is (say it with me): 80% of the work is usually done by 20% of the people.  Another one I hear a lot is: 80% of the money given in the offering is done so by only 20% of the people.

I don’t believe anyone has ever (or could ever) do a study which embodied the whole of all work to see if that’s really true. However, it sure feels right.

Editorial Comment: Throughout the rest of this post you will see terms like ‘product’ and ‘project’; or ‘product launch(es)’ and ‘project completion’ used interchangeably. This is not by accident, so continue on with the comfort of knowing that I meant to say what I said, the way I said it! On with the meat and potatoes…

If you are lucky, you might be put on a project team that churns out high quality products on a consistent basis. If so, count yourself among the very fortunate! The reality is a high percentage of all projects (products) can either be called marginally successful or a total failure. It’s not all gloom and doom, it’s just a fact of life!

Here’s my twist on the 80/20 rule as it relates to Product Development and/or Launch efforts: Currently, 80% of all successful product launches are (sadly) accomplished by only 20% of the people/teams bringing the products to the marketplace.

Said another way it sounds much more personal and scary: Currently, 80% of the products brought to market are done so using faulty (or no) standards relative to product management and/or quality control.

When I look at it like that, it scares the crap out of me and it makes me want to be very careful who I’m trusting to develop and manage the products I use on a regular basis!

There is Hope, If You Have the Courage to Embrace It

This isn’t a gloom and doom message at all. Actually, there is a very repeatable and recognizable Right Way to go about launching a product.  Believe it or not, there is also a very unrepeatable and equally recognizable Wrong Way to do all of this stuff.

The right way isn’t just one single way, but more of a right set of principles and guidelines that lead to the desired outcome. It usually is not the easiest and it will put gray hair on your Sales and Marketing Team(s), but it puts checks and balances in place to ensure everyone gets enough of what they want that they are willing to back off their entire list to support the greater good.

My Super Six Elements that all High Quality Product Launches have in common will help you improve the quality of your products by improving the standards for measuring your management and control efforts of every product you bring to market! Or if you’re primarily a consumer of products, you now have a new standard by which you can call into question products that don’t seem to measure up.

This list comes from my own insights (and painful memories in come cases) from working on dozens and dozens of projects in the Defense Department and private sector since 1988. I will only give a snippet of explanation as I introduce each one. Future Posts will go into greater depth about each element and how to design and implement each set of processes.

The Game Show Twist

In game shows the excitement and anticipation builds to a crescendo. The player has been successfully maneuvering through the game and it’s time for a critical decision to be made. At which point the TV Host says “until next time…” Don’t you just hate that? I sure do.

In my next post I will be sharing with you the Super 6 Elements of High Quality Product Launches. I won’t keep you waiting very long. I plan to made my next post within 48 hours. So stay tuned and be sure to join my RSS Feed by pressing the big Orange button up and to the right!

Thanks for hanging around and by all means, please leave a comment so I know you were here and what you think of the list.

Notwithstanding the foregoing and until next time,

Ross Yingling,  a.k.a. ‘The Project Management Guy’
VP of Operations
Marocom, LLC
ross@marocom.com
ross@rossyingling.com
http://rossyingling.com

Well as promised some time ago, I’m actually upgrading and re-tooling the site.  It should be up in a few days, so please keep checking back early and often.