08 October 2009

One piece at a time…

When I was a youngster, the first introduction to music I can remember was being in my Dad’s shop with the radio on. I recall a lot of Johnny Cash. One song I remember in particular was about a guy that worked in the Cadillac factory and decided he was going to get his car by taking a part home every week in his lunchbox. Over the years he built his car… and it was made of Cadillac parts, but it was certainly not the car of his dreams.

Similarly, you can build a product by starting with a feature list, but the results will show. Having a strategy that includes a core purpose and measurable objectives will keep your product focused and translate into useful attributes. Basing that strategy on user insight and market vision will significantly add to the cohesiveness of the product and its probability of success. There are few shortcuts in strategy that pay off.