It’s obviously important to have as good a product strategy as possible in any company, but especially in the dynamic, fast-moving markets that software and hardware companies often compete in. Corporate strategy development is critical for tech product companies. But I also subscribe to the old notion that it’s better to have an average strategy […]
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 […]
What the Heck is Customer Development?
The term “customer development” has been floating around for a number of years now, although it seems to have gotten more play in the last couple. Regardless, it’s one of the most common buzzwords added to the technology business vernacular in recent times. I lump it in the buzzword box with “agile”, “lean-(anything)”, “growth hacking”, […]
Is Microsoft Mobile Office Going Freemium a Good Move?
As many of you know, Microsoft recently announced that the mobile (phone & tablet) versions of the Office Suite will now be free. Microsoft previously had free mobile versions for some of the mobile platforms, but they were severely limited in functionality. There will now be free versions available on all key platforms–alleged with good […]
Accessing Remote Software Markets
More often than not, software companies start off selling and marketing in their home market. This isn’t always the case, but it is true in the vast majority of cases. This occurs when a home market focus is intended to build an initial reference customer list of 10-20 customers, or lasts until the company establishes […]
