
I'm reluctant to name names, but if you should ever find yourself debating the relative merits of, say, a delicious carbonated fountain beverage and a "plain cappuccino" while waiting on line at a branch of our nation's (perhaps our world's) largest chain restaurant, PLEASE G_D select the delicious carbonated beverage. Because if you choose the other beverage, you will get a beverage that will give you diabetes on the spot in addition to burning whole swaths of taste buds as efficiently as if you had licked a simmering cauldron of napalm.
When asked "can you make it less sweet" we were informed "that's the way it comes out of the machine".
And we didn't even get it with the traditional garnishes of whipped cream and brownish sugar ooze (a.k.a. chocolate syrup).
It went unfinished into the garbage can around the corner.
You've Been Warned.
Sunday, December 06, 2009
warning: worst beverage ever
labels - reviews
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
discovered: saddleback leather company
Readers know I'm devoted to my Belstaff Colonial Canvas shoulder bag.
labels - reviews
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
thanks: giving
I have an awful lot to be thankful for.
labels - lint
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
considering: what's first UPDATED
I'm waiting.
labels - product management
Thursday, November 12, 2009
thinking: about the blessing of mileage
A friend of mine has just started a new business - a genuine wine and cigar "bar" in Brighton, Michigan. It's already getting some great press. You should go there. But that's not why I'm writing this.
I know the guy who owns it. He is, as one of my Irish ancestors would say, a mensch. Such a man as operates this genuine wine and cigar "bar" you will rarely find, even if you lift up rocks in the search for said brand of fellow.
labels - reviews
Thursday, October 29, 2009
link: the software maven
If you're a developer or a product manager who has come up through the software development ranks, you probably already know about Travis Jensen's blog The Software Maven.
labels - reviews
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
hello: visitors from pragmatic marketing
If you've just finished reading my article in October's Pragmatic Marketing newsletter and have decided to pay a visit, welcome. You may skip the next line.
labels - news
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
idea: the LRD (life requirements document)
In one of my first posts here I wrote about the importance of writing the MRD first. It's amazing to think that was almost four years ago. Gosh I'm long-winded.
Recently I've come to appreciate that there's a document that must be written prior to the MRD.
It has nothing to do with your market, your products, or your company. It has everything to do with you.
I can't take credit for this - my wife made it clear to me that I needed to write down "what I wanted" if I was going to conduct a successful search, whether it was for consulting clients or a full-time gig.
"If you're such a hot-shot product manager, Bob, where are your requirements? Have you written down what you want, what's important to you, and what you will and won't accept? I think I recall someone saying 'if it's not written down it's not real' so get busy."
And so was born the LRD, or "life requirements document".
My headings are values, work (vocation), work (avocation), family, location, priorities, outcomes and challenges. Your headings will be your headings. Like the MRD, it is a living document.
I'm sure there are folks out there who are very adept at the "writing down of goals" part of this thing. But what I think is illuminating was the idea of treating it like a PM document, and as a private precursor to the MRD.
So where the MRD helps you understand:
Who are we selling this product to?
How are we going to sell this product?
What is the competitive landscape we're selling into?
What are the sizes of our buyer segments?
The LRD helps you understand:
What sorts of problems are you interested in solving?
What sort of customers are you interested in helping?
What markets are interesting to you?
What sort of people do you want to work with?
What motivates you?
What will make you feel like you've "won"?
What constraints do you need to work around?
What other activities do you need to pursue to make you feel "complete"?
What gaps exist in your capabilities that you must address or can safely ignore?
I could go on like this for a while, but you get the idea.
I've written a lot of MRDs for products and customers that frankly I wasn't all that interested in. Maybe it's a function of age, experience and scar tissue, but I am very focused today on making meaning, not just money.
If you're staring down the barrel of another development adventure and wondering what your life has come to, perhaps a little time spent writing your own requirements would help you understand whether or not you're doing work that is going to meet those requirements.
labels - koans, product management
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
nice: persona-driven demo
If you're one of those folks on the prowl for news about the alleged Apple tablet, you probably saw reports of an equally alleged Microsoft device surface in recent days.
Well kids, MSFT beat APPL to the punch today by leaking (releasing?) a concept video that shows the Microsoft "Courier" device in action. OK, it's not the real thing - it's all animation and shadow-hands and a soothing hipster voice over.
labels - product management
