Consumer is the main driver

John Mudie, who believes product lifecycle and time to market product are shrinking, is of the opinion that the consumer has always been the main driver for product innovation. He said, in an interaction with B.V.Shiva Shankar, Associate Editor, CIOL, Cybermedia, more successful companies to be those that have identified the needs and requirements of the consumer through continuous innovation and by marketing products at cost competitive prices. Excerpts:

CIOL: Where are you placed, with latest trends, in product management?

John Mudie: Theoretically the concept of product management remains the same; however the way it is now implemented by companies has changed considerably. As the product life cycle and time to market for products have become shorter, companies have to speed up the entire process, from idea generation to commercialization. India's position in the global market has become a progressively more important part in the global product development life cycle, which is reflected in the increasing number of R&D centers built. CSR are using such design facilities to develop and test new prototypes for development of new products and enhancements to existing ones.

CIOL: Turning marketing information into product requirements is the key to the successful business. How are you managing this?

JM: Marketing information is an essential component of new product development (NPD). CSR regards NPD as a continual proactive process, allocating resources to identify market changes and take advantage of new product opportunities before they occur.

CSR is in the business of providing single chip IC's for wireless voice & data communications. The life span of products delivered in this field is often very short and CSR has consequently adopted a policy of continuous innovation to stay ahead in this highly competitive business.

For instance the Bluetooth the VoIP dongle was produced in precisely these sort of circumstances where end-users were experiencing lengthy pairing problems when using Bluetooth headsets for Skype calls. To tackle this, CSR made a dongle to provide a one-click pairing device. Additionally CSR were the first company to combine Bluetooth and FM in a single-chip - due to popular demand.

CIOL: What are the factors that act as deterrents while defining the product management roles and responsibilities?

JM: Product Management requires both engineering and marketing expertise. Cross-functional teams are vital when it comes to organising projects. The team is responsible for all the aspects of the project, from the initial idea generation to the final marketing of the product.

CIOL: For whom do you think the product management is the most critical, producer or consumer?

JM:The consumer has always been the main driver for product innovation. CSR views the more successful companies to be those that have identified the needs and requirements of the consumer through continuous innovation and by marketing products at cost competitive prices.

CIOL: What is the main driver for product management, cost or quality?

JM: There is a fine balance between cost and quality. Companies cannot afford to compromise between either aspects. Traditionally in industries where products are technically complex, research and development is typically expensive and product life cycles relatively short, Strategic alliances among several organisations helps to spread the costs, provide access to a wider skill set and speed up the overall process.