I have three more key tasks to add to the list to make a successful product:
Testing, testing, testing...
I cannot emphasise how important it is to thoroughly test a product from a use-case perspective before selling it. Also, testing has to be done by independent parties, i.e. the developers of the product MUST NOT be the ones who are doing the final testing. This is because the developers know the weakest parts of their design and therefore the tests they are likely to design will only address those weaknesses. Therefore, they are likely to miss the top-level and the most obvious tests such as the one mentioned in this report.
The best way to test a product is to give it to someone who is completely outside the design process of that product with a mission to make that product fail. It's incredible how such people are able to break a new product within a matter of minutes by trying out their own 'creative' methods. I have seen examples of this so many times in the past where the developers often ended up saying: "Oh, I never thought of that use-case!". It's all about looking at the functionality from a completely different angle.
A product is expected to do "what it says on the tin" and that can only be ensured by means of proper testing. Failure to do so can cause a great product to be perceived as a great failure in the market.
Designing from a system-wide comprehensive spec is a ideal many organizations would like to achieve, and some i the defense and aerospace sectors have managed to achieve it. In other organizations where designs reach down to the component level, a "ready, fire, aim" methodology prevails, and engineers who are designing under time-to-market constraints have to live with this. A case in point is Facebook, where in his IPO letter to shareholders, Mark Zuckerberg acquainted people with guidelines widely used by his company: "Done is better than perfect," and "If you never break anything, you're probably not moving fast enough."
...want a phone that will keep track of them and report their whereabouts to unknown third parties at all times. This is what being a crowned king really means.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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