“The End”. It never is though…

Working towards a deadline can become an obsession. It can seem to draw you in with the pull of a black-hole to such an extent that everything else becomes irrelevant, invisible, meaningless. This can be a positive experience, putting ever-greater focus on the event itself and exhorting significant extra commitment from you. But it can also have the negative effect of blinding you, changing your frame of reference and altering your sense of perspective. It can lead you to incorrectly conclude that there is nothing beyond the deadline and leave you exposed, and under-prepared.

As is so often the case, it requires a delicate balancing act to wring the maximum from the positives, whilst simultaneously avoiding any potential damage from the negative effects. Those who manage this well will be best-prepared for what follows immediately after the deadline. With major product launches and public announcements of new releases, Product Managers need to be aware of the pitfalls of becoming overly obsessed with a date – the date.

[Photo courtesy of International Business Times]

Product management. It’s a way of life, not just a role

I recently attended a lecture given by acclaimed magician Walt Lees. He was talking about how to develop as a performer; how to improve a magical routine and to deliver a better performance.

“Don’t they ever test this stuff?”

How do so many bad designs reach the market?

I’ve been meaning to write a post about product testing for several weeks, and have now been pushed into doing so after purchasing a product which perfectly demonstrates my point.