Tag Archives: New Product Introduction

Discovery and Delivery: A Balancing Act

November 22, 2014

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Sculpture of three stacks of smooth rocks

After returning to work and the world of video game development, I continued to reflect on David Hussman’s point about balancing discovery and delivery when leading agility. In creative industries like video game development, that balancing act is part of our daily lives. We can always make it better or try something new… up until we […]

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Pride and Joy Projects

May 8, 2014

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3 full racks of Cisco CRS-1 routers

A common interview question is “What is the project you’re most proud of?” I love asking that question because most candidates light up and relax as they talk about a project they enjoyed. I love answering that question because I get to talk about the project that is still my pride and joy 10 years […]

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Why Wearing Two Hats Is A Bad Idea

November 19, 2013

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Mural of the two faces of the Roman god Janus

In many companies and industries there has been a trend to combine “management” roles in an effort to reduce costs or improve efficiency. Personally, I first noticed this trend with combining project management and functional management roles. The reasoning is that any competent manager should be able to handle the project management duties for their […]

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NPI: Planning In The Innovation Funnel

September 30, 2012

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Innovation Funnel

At the beginning of the innovation funnel, concept development is the most creative and exciting stage of new product development.  As discussed in one of my early blog posts, it is critical to have an understanding of what the product will be before rushing off and trying to build it.  But what do you do […]

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Improvising By Design: One Woman’s Adventure In Video Games

March 26, 2011

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I just got back from Guadalajara, Mexico where I gave a presentation at Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, the 2nd largest campus of the largest technical university in Mexico.  The reception from the faculty, students and local industry was wonderful.  Much to my surprise, the auditorium was packed!  Interactive presentations are a […]

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NPI: The Creativity Of The Funnel

February 20, 2011

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Whether the product in development is a video game, software, hardware, a website, or even a book, the new product introduction (NPI) process goes through three major phases throughout the life of the project.  The first and most creative phase is the Funnel.  In my first post in this series,  I stressed that the product […]

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