TMNG Global Provides Product Strategy For Wireless Data Provider

Challenge

A leading wireless data provider wanted to develop and launch wireless internet access products and services for horizontal and vertical markets. To do so efficiently, the company needed to integrate a number of disparate internal and external product development efforts into a cohesive and rational product suite. The company also presented additional tactical and strategic challenges: the product management role needed redefining, strategic marketing needed to be educated on technical issues affecting product development, and an integrated product team structure needed to be implemented.

TMNG Global Solution

TMNG Global immediately moved to bring a variety of independent projects under the leadership of a single product development team. The team’s mission was to reconcile and integrate efforts to develop and launch wireless browsers and mobile content that were currently under way in various groups such as Engineering, Marketing, Business Development, and Sales Operations. TMNG Global redirected development efforts to eliminate redundancy, overcome partner and process deficiencies, and provide continuity of the product lifecycle.

Management was persuaded as to the benefits of having a single product team instead of multiple teams in order to best provide a cohesive result. Technical specifications of products under development were reviewed, and products were eliminated when implementation was technically inconsistent. TMNG Global assumed a lead role in managing partner relationships to redirect development efforts into more productive venues. A product lifecycle strategy was devised to migrate end users from current to future product offerings.

The scope of the product manager’s role increased to permit additional responsibility for decision making. TMNG Global helped negotiate solutions to operational problems to reduce time-to-market for product offerings. Product management functions were reorganized to reflect the technological structure of product offerings. Partner contracts were renegotiated to reflect the multiple partner solutions being offered by the client. In addition, the technical product specifications, service level agreements, and roles and responsibilities of each partner were formalized into the terms and conditions of the partner agreements.

Benefits to the Client

The existing product management system was modified to improve the evaluation and oversight of new product/service proposals, to create a more focused development environment for reduced time-to-market, and to define a product lifecycle process for maintaining continuity in product strategy implementation. The client now has a single, concise, and all-inclusive project plan that documents all lifecycle issues for all related products under development. The client’s customers are positioned along a path leading to future product offerings.