Developer Ecosystem Development and New Technology Platform Adoption
This project was likely my most interesting and challenging ever. I was tasked with creating and launching an “Enterprise App Store” for mobile and web developers for making enterprise telecommunications available to the common developer. The strategy focused on driving the adoption of the platform by both developers and traditional customer segments midst the telecommunications market disruption.
It was a grounds up project so the full effort actually included: a) defining requirements for the buyer, seller, store manager, and corporate finance functionalities, b) finding and establishing a marketplace platform partnership, c) managing a cross-functional team from every department of a multi-billion dollar company with a legacy customer base based on a proprietary technology stance, and d) leading the business development activities to grow a initial developer ecosystem and associated program.
Establishing a Portfolio Partner Management Team
The new partner management team focused on strategic and technology partnerships of core portfolio and adjacent market strategies. The project included evangelizing the charter, establishing the team, and implementing operations to scale the services internally and externally. The team supported business development activities, aligned roadmaps, developed mutual business plans and provided product management to production management relationship coordination.
Operational milestones included financial reporting, partnership success metrics, contract negotiations and the development of a new partnering lifecycle process to help scale capabilities. The dedicated team allowed resources to shift from highly reactive and costly tasks to proactive business planning activities that allowed both companies to create mutual value based on customer satisfaction, innovation, and revenue metrics.
Design Thinking Workshop Facilitation for Teams, Customers and Partners.
The Development and Facilitation of New Concept Discovery Workshops with Customers, Partners, and Multidisciplinary Teams.
The workshop objective is to explore business problems and identify or test new solutions by leveraging insights from customers, partners, and multidisciplinary teams. The primary goal to accelerate and enhance our ability to create differentiated business solutions that could leap frog the competition.
Workshops are designed and implemented based on collaboration and co-creation design management methods. Techniques utilized include persona development, consumer and customer experience research, and the facilitation of a variety of group brainstorming techniques.
The areas of business solution innovation included advances for Mobile Self-services, eServices, Social Engagement, Business Process Automation, Advanced Analytics, and Telemedicine solutions in the Alcatel-Lucent Applications Group product divisions including Bell Labs contributions.
Customer-centric Solution Requirements and Roadmaps
The Implementation of a “Whole” Solution Definition Framework to support a shift from a single product views to holistic solution views that could be used throughout the design and release process. The purpose of the solution definition framework was to provide a new way of understanding and documenting how the company’s platform, business applications, and partnership capabilities could become fully aligned. The output of this internal exercise created a powerful “mapping” or internal alignment between what between sales enablement, marketing, product management, and release management teams about the product strategy and go-to-market priorities.
The framework also outlined how the solution needed to evolve over time using a capability maturity model approach developed by Carnegie Mellon University. The process of designing the solution included identify solution capabilities to be delivered via strategic partners, development projects, and existing gaps. A mapping exercise was used to link corporate strategy, with sales and marketing messaging, and product roadmap articulation.
This approach supported essential internal alignment of portfolio, product, component assets along side buyer and user centric messaging that allowed the company more closely align its value proposition. This product-to-solution mapping allowed sales, marketing and product strategy teams to create a powerful consistency and common understanding enabling execution of the portfolio’s road map, positioning, pricing, bills of material, and the sales discovery model that had previously been a major source of confusion.
Social Impact Projects
Product Management Leadership and Best Practices: Product Management as a new organizational function in a non-profit Medicaid HMO and the introduction of a software product lifecycle process.
Program and Project Management Skills Development; Project Management Leadership Skills curriculum and training for Second Harvest Food Bank program services team.
Women’s Small Business Support Services
Modern Business Strategy, Experience, and Design 