In their book Implementing Lean Software Development, Mary and Tom Poppendieck give an example of set based design for software projects: A manager has a deadline for a software product. One of the features, red-eye reduction, was already in place. But a better red-eye algorithm, that made the software easier to use and more powerful was on the drawing board. What's more, the new feature will increase software sales.
So what should the manager do -- take a risk on the better algorithm or take the safe route with the simple one? He should do both. If the better algorithm isn’t ready by launch go with the feature that is already done. And when the optimal solution is ready, release an upgrade to the software.
Customers of Microsoft’s Mac Office may still be seeing red after the Mac Business Unit made a basic mistake and pronounced they would not deliver Visual Basic (VB) with Office 2007. Talk about a negative customer surprise. Of course, Microsoft had a reasoned response; Erik Schwiebert of the Mac Business Unit posted a longwinded explanation for dropping VB.
Although, few people drank the Kool-Aid of explanation. Some companies snapped out of the fictive world of Office where they once felt safe and started looking at other products. Indeed, Excel without VB is like a Boeing 727 without jet engines.
Tip: If you have to give bad news to a customer, make the excuse brief -- or nonexistent -- and frame the problem in terms of a solution that satisfies your customer. Why?
No one cares that your dog ate your software; everyone cares that you’re terrified to eat your own software.
tags: Marketing, Product Management
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