Creating Shrewd Product Line Strategies

(and Astute Execution Roadmaps)

Product Line Strategizing and Roadmapping is a powerful NPD process. Why? Because it drives purposeful innovation while greatly boosting development portfolio values. When done well, the process leads to shrewd strategies supported by smart execution. There’s no doubt the value proposition of Product Line Strategizing and Roadmapping is extraordinary.

But here’s the kicker. Product line teams that wish to gain the extraordinary value must learn and build new skills and work differently. You have to think strategically and analyze your product line, it’s markets, and it’s technologies through some unique lenses.

A sub-process in NPD

Product Line Strategizing and Roadmapping is a sub-process of the Front-end. It precedes Idea Generation and Stage-gate development. (see NPD Processes). And it ties directly to business strategy. The sub-process directs and coordinates teams in strategic, creative and systems thinking. The purpose is to form valuable insights specific to their product line. The approach also supports managers in making key strategic decisions and setting up good execution plans. It works because it drives product line teams to be intelligent. It helps teams set up targets for innovation, craft strategic moves, and increase platform leverage.

The approach is more than targeting customer wants and needs. It pushes thinking beyond incremental product development. It’s a collective of responses to market changes and technology advances. It drives opportunity creation with insightful forward thinking. The work enables organizations to focus and leverage innovations, align work, and invest in making their product line more powerful.

Decisions Define Strategy.
Creative And Insightful Decisions Define The Most Powerful Strategies.

The approach combines a deliberate yet flexible workflow, an information flow, and a decision flow. The knowledge teams bring to the work matters. The process helps teams gather and manipulate the knowledge. The goal is to create useful insights as the foundation to a smart strategy with great execution.

Strategizing and roadmapping addresses the challenges and opportunities each product line confronts. Key topics include attribute positioning, platform leverage, and alignment with non-product roles. And many subjects make up the topics. Each needs analysis and creative deconstruction to create great insights. Good strategizing and roadmapping then guides teams in applying intelligent methods to the work.

Sharp Reality

Product strategists face a sharp reality as competition, suppliers, customers, and technologies change faster and faster. This makes it increasingly important to gain advantage from a smart approach toward Product Line Strategizing and Roadmapping. The good news is that several companies and a few consultants have made enormous headway in nailing down effective practices. Process flows, practices, methods, and templates are available to learn and carry out, without the need to figure everything out on your own.

Organizations and their leadership must declare Product Line Strategizing and Roadmapping to be a priority. To succeed, Managers, Directors and VP’s must learn and then apply smart product line strategizing and roadmapping practices.

Learn More

If you wish to learn more about Product Lines and creating great strategies and roadmaps, consider attending our in-depth workshop. The training details best-in-class Product Line Strategizing and Roadmapping practices. Check it out. The training hits the mark. WORKSHOP