Tag: projects

What is a product roadmap (and do you need one)?

Written by 33A5f3aF on . Posted in Business, Marketing.

If you’re developing a product, you’ve probably heard the term ‘product roadmap’ floating around.

But what does it mean, and do you need one?

What is a product roadmap?

Simply put, a product roadmap is a vision of your company’s evolving products. It is a strategic document that outlines plans and allows visibility on which direction the company is heading. The roadmap is usually rolling or agile over a specific time period, which when developing physical products is usually 3 – 5 years. It tells you which products will be delivered, and by when.

Essentially it’s the road your company will be travelling on and what products will be launched along the way. Like an actual road, there may be some bends and twists along the way, and even a few diversions!

Yosemite Road

Photo credit: Unsplash

Who is responsible for the product roadmap?

The product manager is ultimately responsible for creating and owning the product roadmap, however, there will normally be other stakeholders around the business. The following departments will usually have at least one nominated stakeholder:

  • Executive board
  • Product team
  • Design and Engineering
  • Sales
  • Marketing
  • Customer Service

Depending on your organisation, you may also have some external stakeholders.

Product Roadmap

It’s vital that the product manager updates stakeholders on a regular basis. They’ll need to arrange meetings to communicate updates and collate feedback, but ultimately it’s the product manager who owns the roadmap and is responsible for keeping things moving. If there are delays that will impact the agreed strategic vision then these need to be communicated to stakeholders. The roadmap will help to manage and align the stakeholders’ expectations.

Why do you need a product roadmap?

As outlined above, the roadmap is the organisation’s strategic vision for the future. It’s an essential document for the business. Without it, you won’t have clarity of which products are being launched.

It communicates the product vision clearly and aligns product goals with overall business goals. The ultimate objective being to launch commercially successful products with a healthy return on investment.

The roadmap translates “technical” jargon into concise language that all stakeholders can understand.

Meeting

It allows priorities to be communicated easily, which is particularly useful when difficult decisions need to be made (such as which features can we afford to include in the development, and which need to be scrapped).

The roadmap facilitates different departments to work together, resulting in a smoother development process with the outcome being a better product for your target audience.

Simon Cornelius, MD of Cornelius Creative says:

“A long-term strategic product roadmap gives businesses a great foundation for future product launches and exposes the maximum potential from existing product ranges.

A well thought out roadmap identifies potential gaps in a product portfolio as well as gaps in the marketplace. It allows businesses to control their product lifecycles, ensuring that outdated or poor performing products are superseded by new product developments before it is too late. This ensures a continuous revenue stream, as well as helping to plan new product launches, by giving a firm indication of deadlines to complete the development and hit significant selling milestones, be it a trade show, or seasonal time of the year to maximise the product’s initial uptake.”

What should be included in a product roadmap?

The content of your roadmap depends on your organisation, and your audience. The size and structure of your company will determine the complexity of the roadmap, but there are certain aspects that should be included:

  • The overall vision for the product(s)
  • Requirements (what you need to get where you want to be)
  • Project timeline, complete with timed goals
  • Metrics, how things will be measured

Best practice tips for a killer product roadmap

  • Make sure the company’s vision is clear: it will be the overall guide for the roadmap.
  • Don’t overload the detail: keep it top level with your audience in mind.
  • Make it accessible to all stakeholders: and keep communication regular.
  • Review and update regularly: make changes when necessary – it should be flexible.

Next steps:

Are you looking to create your next product roadmap? Our team of experienced product managers can help.

Contact us today and we’ll take you on the first step to planning commercially successful products.

Thinking about hiring an agency? 8 reasons why you should

Written by 33A5f3aF on . Posted in Business.

Whether you’re a small business owner, product inventor or maybe even an R&D or marketing manager within a larger organisation, at some point you’ll probably be faced with the need to hire an external agency or consultant to assist with a project.

You may be reluctant to hire a consultancy. There may be some thoughts going through your mind:

  • Agencies are expensive
  • The consultant will take over the project and change its direction
  • I had a bad experience with ‘ABC agency’ and it’s put me off using anyone else

Let’s face it, a lot of us have had experiences in the past with the ‘wrong’ agency.

But the truth is, when you find the RIGHT agency; they naturally become an extension of your organisation. They increase your workforce, skills and experience, and can even reduce the cost of your project.

So, if you’re asking yourself: do I really need to hire external resource? Take a look at some of the benefits of using the right agency:

1.) EXTRA RESOURCE WHEN YOUR INTERNAL TEAM IS STRETCHED

This is perhaps the most obvious benefit to hiring an outside agency. Quite often, R&D and marketing teams are stretched working on current projects. Add in internal meetings, calls, emails, other office distractions (including colleagues!) and it’s no surprise that a lot of teams are often at breaking point. When you have an important project, a new product development or an important product marketing launch, hiring an outside agency with the capacity to focus on the job in hand without distraction can release the pressure on your internal team. The outcome is a speedier project with better results.

2.) NOT LIMITED BY COMPANY CULTURE OR PAST PROJECTS

Innovation is limited by our past experiences. Your internal team is highly skilled but they may be influenced by previous projects, or they may be reluctant to push boundaries in fear of disturbing the status quo. An outside consultant can expand horizons; they aren’t bound by your company culture. This may mean some of their ideas are a bit “out there” but it’s good to break the rules sometimes.

3.) THEY CAN BRING FRESH IDEAS TO THE TABLE

Building on from the previous point, a good consultancy will bring new ideas to your company, after all, what are you paying them for? They may improve the design of the product or marketing campaign by suggesting ideas otherwise not thought of by your internal team. They’ll have had different experiences to your team, perhaps in different industries, which will bring new ways of thinking to the project.

4.) THEY WORK TO A DEFINED PROCESS

A good product design or marketing consultant will have an efficient working process with specific stages (take a look at our design and marketing processes). This will help to keep the project running to date, and may even help to reduce overall timescales.

5.) THEY HAVE ACCESS TO TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

Depending on the project, you may want the agency staff to use your equipment and software, but a decent agency will have their own professional equipment setup. This means that they can work either remotely or in your office, depending on your needs. A good consultancy will have a full suite of professional equipment that you may not have, such as 3D printers, enabling you to have prototypes made quickly for a reduced cost.

6.) THEY HAVE VALUABLE CONNECTIONS

Agencies work on lots of different projects and in doing so build a wide network of contacts. Their connections can be valuable to your project; they may help to reduce costs of materials, tooling, or perhaps advertising costs. They may have contacts at various publications to help with PR. As well saving money, these connections may also help to increase the scope on product designs.

7.) SUPPORT SERVICES ALL UNDER ONE ROOF

A holistic agency (like us!) will look at your whole product portfolio, design and marketing needs. They can support you along the whole product lifecycle – from concept to market launch and beyond – so that everything you need is all under one roof from one agency. This can be more effective (and cheaper!) than using multiple agencies for different areas of support.

8.) THEY CAN ACTUALLY REDUCE PROJECT COSTS

Hiring an agency can reduce timescales, open up connections to a wider network of suppliers and increase scope of design. All of this can actually help to reduce overall costs – result!

We’d love to hear your experiences of hiring agencies – do you have mostly positive or negative experiences?

What our clients say.

  • "They were able to deliver an outstanding solution to a challenging brief"

    "I gave the team at Cornelius Creative a challenging brief, and they were able to deliver an outstanding solution, but more importantly did so a highly professional and efficient manner. I would certainly recommend them for any product design or marketing briefs you have. It was a pleasure working with them."

    Anand G, Hansgrohe

  • "Their interest, passion and care makes them feel part of your team"

    "Simon and the team at Cornelius Creative are fantastic. Their interest, passion and care makes them feel part of your team. They have a wealth of experience which was clear in our project and critical to the successful design. Simon was critical in the brain storming all aspects of design and functionality. Cornelius Creative always make time for you and are extremely approachable and helpful to talk through any aspect of the design. Cornelius Creative have a passion for delivering high quality designs, which is clear in our project. SailAI would highly recommend Cornelius Creative for any creative design projects, and hopefully we will be working together again in the future."

    Ben P, SailAI

  • "I liked their collaborative approach and commitment to getting the project done on time"

    "I worked with Cornelius Creative on a product launch for which they produced CGIs and product renders. It was a smooth process, I liked their collaborative approach and commitment to getting the project done on time and on brief. Very happy with the results and I'll surely work with them again!"

    Ernest O, Furnitubes Ltd

  • “They were able to look at my business as a whole and refresh my brand"

    I approached Cornelius Creative to help with my business branding, which had got a bit stale. They were able to look at my business as a whole and refresh my brand to make it more appealing to my customers. They made huge improvements to my logo and visuals as well as my messaging to make it more appealing. My brand is more recognisable now and I couldn't be happier with the result. I'd definitely work with Cornelius Creative again.
    Robert H, MKBS

  • “What an effortless transaction… Cornelius Creative exceeded all my expectations”

    What an effortless transaction. I had been putting off getting my patent drawing done as thought it was going to be a long and arduous job but Cornelius Creative exceeded all my expectations. A straightforward process, knew exactly what I needed and quick turnaround with less then 48 hours! Communication was 2nd to none.... I will 100% be contacting Cornelius Creative again for future projects. Thank you!
    Charlene D, Untainted

  • “We can’t wait to work with them again!”

    Glowpear has had the pleasure of dealing with Cornelius Creative on design, marketing and strategy. They are highly recommended, with the drive to succeed at a high level, amazing results, and a personal touch when dealing with us. We can't wait to work with them again!
    Simon L, Glowpear

  • “They exceeded all expectations. Their creativity and attention to detail is second to none”

    Cornelius Creative made a great impression from the onset. They were tasked to design a concept which was very different from the status quo and they exceeded all expectations. Their creativity and attention to detail is second to none.
    Steve C, Uthos

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