The most appropriate sponsor for a Swiss Pilot!

Yves Rossy, a.k.a. “Jetman”, made his first US flight using his personal jet pack over the Grand Canyon.  Impossible?  When I first saw this, I thought it was a gag.  I’m not telling you that personal jet packs will be sold retail in the forseeable future.  The price would be out of this world, and try to imagine the price of product liability insurance on one of these.  Still, seeing a person actually fly with a jet pack is impressive.

Before we get too excited, let’s step back as we note that the man, a former fighter pilot from Switzerland still has to launch from a helicopter and land using a parachute.

Still, one must admit that it excites the imagination.  I suppose it’s too soon to say if this will remain as a novelty, or have a commercial or military future as an escape module, or other application.

A product that might have real practical use is the Gryphon WingSuit, which the maker claims will enable soldiers to glide on a 5:1 ration with full heads up navigation.

The next step in extreme parachuting?

In the meantime, I can’t think of a better sponsor for the Swiss flier than one of their better known watch makers.

I counsel most clients to get through product testing on production units before promising delivery.  I’ve heard many times that delay would be too costly to allow, but the cost of rushing is almost always higher than the cost of delay.

Often, rushing to market causes more delays than a more deliberate, measured approach.  Other times, the release is rushed with little apparent impact….until the product gets into the hands of consumers.

I couldn’t have asked for a better example of the cost of rushing than Apple’s recent iPhone 4 release.  The phone can lose reception when held in the lower left corner.  Now, I would consider this one a serious, though easily solvable flaw.  Seems like they should have known about a problem like that.  Apparently, Apple did know about the problem.

The pressure to release a much-anticipated product is always high.  Especially with the Droid phones out there gaining serious traction, Apple was under tremendous pressure to get their cutting edge out there slicing back some market share, especially with all the hype around the iPhone’s new release.

It’s not for me to second-guess Apple.  Apple did about $50 billion over the last year and has managed to build an unparalleled, cult-like brand loyalty.  I would have expected this serious of an issue to impact that loyalty, but apparently I would be surprised.  Even with this latest problem, iPhone 4 returns are at reportedly a modest 1.7%.   Apple is now shipping free covers that fix the problem.  To be fair, while some users say it happens every time, others find the problem difficult to replicate.  And Apple did test the product before full release; it’s just that their test was shorter than the industry standard.  It makes me wonder wheterh the production may have been committed before the results were in.

A shortcut is often the longest distance between two points.  If your name isn’t Steve Jobs, you might not be able to afford shortcuts.  Test, test, and test before launching your latest product.  If you don’t like the results, delay the lauch, or better yet, leave time to fix problems in your launch schedule, and accelerate the launch if tests are good.  You may never realize how many problems you will be avoiding.

The two-seater seems to be more of a roadworthy airplane than a flying car, but the designers were constrained by this inconvenient nuisance known as reality.  You’re not going to get something that looks like your Camry into the air.  It does handle highway speeds, gets better highway mileage  than most cars, and even fits in a standard garage.

I’m not quite sure who is the demographic target for this product, but they do have around 70 pre-sold.  It looks adequate in its role as an airplane and competent as a road vehicle, with folded wings and windows in the front section.

Still, one must admit that the concept of flying over those traffic jams has a certain appeal, and at 30 miles per gallon, according to Terrafugia, it seems reasonable to drive from the airport.  Just watch that blind spot.

In concentrated population centers and universities around the world, finding a place to park bicycles can be quite a challenge.

The Japanese have come up with another innovative solution–a parking garage for bicycles that automatically stores your bicycle and can retrieve it in 35 seconds, for the reasonable sum of about $20/month.  Check out the video on the Guardian.

I have seen elevator storage solutions for cars before, but there is an interesting elevator to bring cars right to loft apartments:

Innovative solutions can be found in the most mundane places, if we are looking–see my post on recycling.

If you have seen an interesting solution to you think is worth noting, please send us the link for our review.  As always, your thoughts on topic are encouraged.

Looking to hit the zero to ninety model? Many times, the schedules are driven by variables beyond your or your development team’s control. Still, having a plan to get there never hurts. Regardless of your schedule, there are several things to consider when building your R&D budget and schedule.

• Define the product specifications and performance requirements in a document that you share with the entire team working on your project.
  • Carefully consider the time and budget impacts of changes vs. the consequences of leaving the improvement out before changing specifications.  Discuss the tradeoffs with your program manager.
    • This will enable you to make an informed decision about the change(s).  Depending on the impact on and importance related to the project timeline, you may choose to defer a valuable change for a future release of your product.
    • Asking for explorations of different options takes time and money even if the changes are later discarded.
• If specifications change, resend the specifications with changes highlighted.
• Provide standards for evaluation and testing early in the process.
  • Providing detailed standards enables your program manager to meet your expectations and shorten your design and manufacturing cycle times.
  • Try to use objective standards-numerical where possible.
  • Where subjective standards must be used, provide samples that have the desired characteristics.
  • Product, performance, and testing specifications should be as detailed as possible. State the target:
    • Weight: “Less than 29 ounces” or “between 14-32 ounces” is measurable, vs. “as light as possible”.
    • Strength: “Must support a 300 pound man dropping from 12”, or “Must support 10 pounds and give way without breaking under a 20 pound load.”
    • Performance: “Must survive 2,000 hours of continuous use” vs. “Long lasting”.
    • Take notes in meetings focused on action items to be accomplished.  Compare your notes to communications from your program manager and call to their attention any discrepancies or omissions.  This will ensure that you are working from the same understanding.
    • Be responsive—if your program manager or manufacturer is waiting for your answers, all progress may come to a complete halt, or worse, progress may proceed in the wrong direction because of presumed acceptance.
    • Be aware of timelines and start processes as early as possible.  The only sure way to accelerate a schedule is to start earlier.

Remember, changes will always impact your project timeline. Your best chance to keep on or close to your original schedule is to stay focused on the target and don’t throw in too many surprises. For more information, please drop me a note. Let’s figure out how to hit that goal.

Do you have more tips on keeping projects on schedule?  Please comment below.

While we’re talking about product failures, how about another one related to Pontiac?  Do you remember the Aztec?  Occasionally you’ll see one of these SUV’s on the road and you wonder what were they thinking when they designed THAT?  Apparently GM was seeking an out-of-the-box design with some edginess.  They got edginess, but not the kind they were looking for!

In this case there was a lack of consumer research allowed into the process.  Once again the management team suppressed field input and pressed on despite the emperor having no clothes.  No one with the bad news about the design was able to penetrate the process to stop it.  So much of product management is hearing what needs to be heard and bringing it into the process.  In this case it wasn’t, and the product failed miserably.  Their goal was 75,000 vehicles per year and they didn’t sell 15,000.  The vehicle was quickly discontinued, another example of the voice of the customer not being heard.

The moral of the story is that no amount of great engineering or wonderful marketing can replace listening to the customer.  Market research is critical to the process.  Slow down, here a pin drop, and then listen!

Product managers must not be unduly pressured by sales and management to move ahead past product kill gates especially when major product flaws exist.  It’s sometimes hard to face reality especially when a new product gets far down the road, but product managers ignore reality at their peril.

Product development cycles are dependent upon many factors and considerations.  Perhaps the most significant factor is a clear definition of product specifications.

More often than not, specifications are incomplete and need further definition during the course of a project.  One notable exception was an entrepreneur named Michael Poore. His story with Raytech Corporation began when he walked in with a hand-fashioned, metal prototype wire loom feed tool that had been tested, reworked and refined for functionality over an extended period of time.  All of the key dimensions were well defined, and the performance requirements were well articulated.

Even within a well-defined project, it is normal, common, and often necessary for clients to change specifications during various stages of the design and development.  Because Mike knew what he wanted and stayed with his original specifications, we were able to design the product for manufacturability, prototype the product, refine the design, help procure a tool, work through first articles and revision processes, and deliver first production parts for retail testing in under 90 days.

The other key to this product’s speed to market was the fact that Mike was always available to us and consistently responded instantly to our questions.

Since receiving his first production, Mike has been touring the USA selling product to individual stores and to major chains and distributors.   In doing so, FeedMaster, Inc. has set up some mutual distribution agreements.

You can learn more about the FeedMaster wire feed tool, purchase locations, and other products available through FeedMaster, Inc. at www.feedmasterinc.com

To help keep your project going smoothly and quickly, keep your eye out for our the upcoming posting, “Keeping Product Launch on Schedule.”

When things go wrong in product development, they can go very wrong. One of the earliest big failures that I became aware of was a product from my former employer DuPont called Arylon. Ultimately the product came to market but not in its original form. Arylon was originally intended to be one of THE plastic materials for automotive body panels back in the days of the Pontiac Fiero.  Remember that little mid-engine vehicle?  Something went seriously wrong with the product management process for Arylon, and the product failed catastrophically, literally and figuratively.

What happened?  For Arylon, product managers were blinded by sales and top management to make commitments they didn’t want to make. Top management made a series of announcements to the press while at least one voice within the company was saying that the product could be seriously flawed for the application.  In this case the hype drove the product development process and warnings went unheeded.  Having been on similar type of projects I’m wondering if the team ‘hoped’ it would resolve itself.  It didn’t.  And it didn’t end until it was way too late.

The flaw was a chemical glitch that made the product highly brittle at low temperature, and it was finally discovered on a cold winter day in Wisconsin in a ‘shopping cart’ test.  In the test a shopping cart was wheeled into the side of a car and the body panel shattered like glass.  Ooops!  This after many millions of dollars had been spent on product development and marketing.  Now top management could not ignore the problem, and the plug had to be pulled.  Some problems just can’t be solved!

Low temperature impact resistance was a clear product requirement and yet the product development for Arylon had been allowed to continue despite a serious deficiency.  Ignoring important product requirements can definitely create a product launch failure.

Many of us in new product development have heard the statement: “The customers are telling us….” And the rest of the process follows along its path based on the perceived customer needs until the product is released.

In many situations, those stakeholders (sometimes termed “users” or “touch-points”) are the determining factors that drive the specifications for a development process. For a percentage of the products that are developed, that set of individuals provides valuable insights into the direction of a product’s decision matrix. For many products the value of researching the verbal and non-verbal needs goes beyond the end-user.

The success of a product often includes understanding the needs, perceptions, and decision factors of individuals who dictate the on-going use or purchase of future versions of a given solution.  For example, in the roofing industry, I’ve found that a critical factor necessary for the long term success of a product can be driven by a crew’s ability to get their job done on budget and in a timely manner – both of which can be measured. Stakeholders in this instance include the foremen, purchasing managers and field laborers, some of which may never directly handle your product, but all have the power – once in the field – to determine if your product continues to be used.

When determining which stakeholders may provide you the best information, I’ve found that it’s imperative to know the product’s life-cycle and journey. The journey of the product in many scenarios begins with the discovery or purchase of the product. The product then passes through multiple hands and eventually is used by an “end-user”. Throughout this journey individuals (or stakeholders) are responsible for activities such as sourcing, purchasing, handling, servicing, use and termination.

Each industry has its own unique conditions, stakeholders and needs. While they have different faces, activities and deliverables, the process for discovering perspectives and needs is similar. Product managers are often surprised how a feature, perceived by some as minor, is elevated in the view of key stakeholders. Validating those perceptions appropriately gives product managers, strategists and marketing executives  the necessary insights into features, forms, messaging and functionality necessary to reduce the risk of product development.

Media sources are reporting a massive labor shortage in China.  What’s next, a hockey player shortage in Canada?

In all seriousness, the issue is widespread and has global implications.  An estimated 1.7 million workers have not returned to work after their Chinese New Year leaves.   This is an interesting turnabout from last year, when factory closings were leaving many workers unemployed.  Many of these workers have chosen to stay on their farms, as the government has instituted new subsidy programs to encourage farming.  There are other contributing factors, and the story is well summarized on Plastics News

My work in product development and manufacturing brings me to China often as we work through manufacturing options for new products, and this is a first instance of this happening in my recollection.  Many of us will recall having seen other factors impacting product manufacturing and logistics, such as rolling blackouts in China, Dock Strikes in California, and weather conditions affecting delivery of products to and from locations around the country.

It will be interesting to see how product pricing and availability will be affected by this labor shortage, both in the short term and in the long term.  It certainly speaks to the importance of supply chain management and the need to manage expectations and inventory for events that could not be foreseen.

Are you affected by the China labor shortage?  Do you have supply chain management issues?  Please share your thoughts on the topic with our community.