Agile product development may have originated in the software world, accelerating the speed at which digital products are developed, tested, launched, and improved, but this doesn't mean that Agile only works for software products. Many manufacturers have adopted agile methods or a hybrid approach for developing complex cyber-physical goods, with Tesla leading the way as an innovative and pioneering company.
Designing physical products is a thrilling experience, from sharing the initial concept with your team to watching the product take shape during manufacturing and finally having a positive impact on the customer's everyday life. Making physical products is also a lengthy and detailed process. Product managers must collaborate with market experts, engineers, designers, manufacturers, and many more stakeholders to see the product successfully through the launch. Physical product creation relies on experts, materials, technology, and artistry to come to life. Here’s what you should know about physical product development.
Leading product executives know that building great products is both an art and a science. Even if they don't directly participate in the product development process, most product executives are well acquainted with the challenges of managing a portfolio of products. While creativity and outside-the-box thinking are encouraged, prioritization frameworks are also necessary for consistency and alignment.
Your product teams consist of talented and capable individuals who are dedicated to creating amazing products. Their skills make it possible to produce and launch established models while generating consistent suggestions to improve future iterations.
The manufacturing world is experiencing transformation, with an increasing number of companies adopting agile manufacturing practices. Adopting an agile framework requires a shift from creating fully-fledged prototypes for a specific stage of extensive testing to developing and continuously testing minimum-viable products (MVPs) instead.
Every organization needs to decide which metrics they will track and measure. These metrics are indicators of your company's internal health, the performance of your products on the market, and the efficiency of your processes. Without tracking, measuring, and analyzing these figures, there is no definitive way to show success, find improvement opportunities, or learn from mistakes.
Every product development team wants to create the best product possible. It’s easy to generate and collect great ideas. Still, it’s more challenging to explore the best options, let alone decide on the winning version that will please the customer and be commercially viable. Scoring methods can help sift through a long list of ideas, but how does the product team choose which ones to develop? One strategy that product management teams can use is Set-Based Design (SBD).
It takes a lot more than sheer luck to create a product that flies off the shelf or the lot. There is an extensive team of developers, engineers, designers, marketers, and managers behind that product. Delivering a great concept from the idea phase to successful sales requires coordination, collaboration, thorough testing, and refining. Product critiques play an integral part in the testing and refining process. Gathering a range of feedback before the final version launches leads to greater product success.
Innovation in technology and product development is the key driver of progress in today's fast-paced world. It involves creating and implementing new ideas, processes, and products to improve efficiency, solve problems, and meet the evolving needs of society. From artificial intelligence (AI) and renewable energy to smart devices and biotechnology, product development innovation impacts nearly every aspect of our lives.
Product development at the smallest scale requires clear, consistent communication to ensure everyone involved in building the product is on the same page. The more complex a product gets, the more opportunities there are for communication to break down. Manufacturers of complex products will turn to scaled agile frameworks to keep their teams aligned and working efficiently on big projects.
