One of the most important skills that an early-stage technology management team really needs to have is the ability to objectively manage the startup budget. This is a very difficult task, as senior managers are dealing with so many unknowns. It is often hard to know where to spend – and where not to. Although […]
Pricing Fences, Promotions & 8 Deadly Sins of Customer Care
A while back, I got off the phone with AT&T “customer care”. It was an unusually frustrating experience, even by the standard of dealing with a multi-billion-dollar corporation that has roots as a regulated utility. I had been transferred among 6 different departments over the period of a couple of days. I’d finally had enough. […]
7 Biggest Issues Faced by Management Teams in Mature Software Companies
So your software management team has broken through that difficult startup phase, and the company has become profitable. Maybe have reached a dominant share of your market segment. Times are good, and that usually lasts for a while. You’ve become what’s known as a mid-sized or even a large software company. Throughout this article, we’ll […]
Balancing Strategy and Execution in Tech Companies
Most of us have heard some variation of the old axiom, “Don’t worry about strategy, it’s all in the execution.” Strategy vs execution is an ancient argument. I often say that I prefer an average strategy and great execution, rather than the opposite. However, the reality is that in most cases, a tech business’s success […]
The Tech Industry Balancing Act: Innovation vs. Process
The question of how to balance innovation and process is an age-old management argument in companies of many types, but is especially critical in software and hardware companies. Which is more effective: a “loose” work culture that allows experimentation and “constructive failure”, thereby fostering innovation. Or a more tightly-controlled environment that puts a premium on […]
