Managing successful high-tech product introduction

This text addresses the back end of an aggressive product development cycle from a project management perspective. This comprehensive guide takes you, step by step, through a proven development process that helps you successfully bring products to newly emerging commercial markets.

Author Notes

Brian P. Senese holds an M.E.Sc. and B.E.Sc. in electrical engineering from the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

Mr. Senese is presently a technical sales engineer with Extended Systems, Inc., San Diego, CA.

050

1 The purpose	p. 1
1.1 Is this book useful?	p. 1
1.2 Why write this book?	p. 2
1.3 Evaluating the material	p. 3
2 Influences: External business pressures for profitability	p. 5
2.1 Introduction	p. 5
2.2 Company model	p. 6
2.3 Variable input: The market	p. 9
2.4 Component: Requirements	p. 11
2.5 Component: Financing	p. 13
2.6 Component: Development	p. 15
2.7 Component: Deployment	p. 17
2.8 All together now	p. 19
2.9 External influences affecting the development effort	p. 20
2.9.1 Pressure to release the product early	p. 20
2.9.2 Pressure to support the product in the field	p. 22
2.9.3 Pressure not to hire more people	p. 23
2.9.4 Pressure to change requirements	p. 24
2.9.5 Pressure to specialize the product	p. 24
2.10 Summary	p. 25
References	p. 25
3 Influences: Internal development interaction	p. 27
3.1 The myopic view of development	p. 27
3.2 Project paths	p. 29
3.3 Causes for project deviation from the plan	p. 31
3.4 Input	p. 32
3.4.1 Are projects affected by better, more definitive planning?	p. 33
3.4.2 Schedule solutions	p. 34
3.4.3 The importance of proper planning	p. 35
3.4.4 Importance of development strategy	p. 38
3.5 Organizational infrastructure	p. 38
3.6 Taking action and completing product commercialization	p. 41
3.7 The passage of time impacts progress	p. 42
3.8 Internal influences affecting the development effort	p. 42
3.8.1 Estimates are only estimates	p. 43
3.8.2 Organization and leadership	p. 44
3.8.3 Action	p. 44
3.8.4 Time	p. 44
3.9 Summary	p. 45
References	p. 46
4 Focus: Test as a means of recapturing requirements	p. 49
4.1 Test activity drives project convergence	p. 49
4.2 Success is based upon execution	p. 50
4.3 Project effort optimized	p. 50
4.4 Introduction to the project model	p. 52
4.4.1 Requirements or speculation?	p. 53
4.4.2 Development entropy	p. 54
4.4.3 Implementation	p. 58
4.4.4 Integration	p. 59
4.4.5 System verification testing	p. 60
4.4.6 Interoperability testing	p. 60
4.4.7 Final target	p. 63
4.4.8 Time and effort	p. 64
4.5 The changing terminal targets	p. 65
4.5.1 Early adopter	p. 66
4.5.2 Early market	p. 67
4.5.3 Product acceptance--market leadership	p. 69
4.6 A tale of two companies	p. 70
4.7 Summary	p. 72
References	p. 73
5 Complexity: An overview of a modern system	p. 75
5.1 Product complexity affects project management techniques	p. 75
5.2 Diverse technology increases complexity	p. 79
5.3 The modern complex system	p. 80
5.3.1 Technical complexity	p. 81
5.3.2 Human complexity	p. 82
5.4 Technology groupings that contribute to complexity	p. 83
5.4.1 Systems on silicon	p. 84
5.4.2 Product composition	p. 86
5.4.3 System components	p. 86
5.4.4 Peripheral development activity--test tools	p. 87
5.5 Integration of diverse technologies	p. 88
5.6 The human factor in product development	p. 90
5.6.1 Mindset differences between technical professionals	p. 90
5.6.2 Communication interface	p. 92
5.7 Summary	p. 93
References	p. 94
6 Structure of the test component: Integration to product acceptance	p. 97
6.1 Attracting the development effort toward the goal	p. 97
6.2 Project process overview	p. 99
6.3 Criteria for selecting the correct process	p. 103
6.3.1 Organize complexity	p. 104
6.3.2 Assess product quality	p. 105
6.3.3 Customer feedback	p. 105
6.4 The process selected	p. 106
6.4.1 Segregate design and test	p. 106
6.4.2 Overall description	p. 109
6.5 The development process as it affects integration, test, and deployment	p. 114
6.5.1 Product integration or assembling the prototype	p. 114
6.5.2 Meeting product specification requires system verification	p. 116
6.5.3 Integration with other complementary products	p. 117
6.5.4 Tailoring product operation based upon customer feedback	p. 118
6.6 Summary	p. 119
References	p. 120
7 Workflow: Integration planning and execution	p. 123
7.1 Goal of integration	p. 123
7.2 Role of the project plan	p. 126
7.3 Integration planning is mandatory for aggressive projects	p. 128
7.3.1 Partitioning of support technology and application feature set	p. 128
7.3.2 Software architecture must be considered	p. 128
7.3.3 Defining the integration sequence	p. 129
7.3.4 Test equipment to be identified and defined	p. 129
7.3.5 Detail added to the integration plan completes milestone definition	p. 129
7.4 Integration test plan development	p. 130
7.5 Putting the plan into action	p. 133
7.5.1 Executing without a plan can be hazardous	p. 136
7.5.2 Controlling integration activity	p. 137
7.5.3 Test activity defined	p. 140
7.6 Summary	p. 144
References	p. 144
8 Workflow: System verification in record time	p. 147
8.1 Goal of system verification	p. 147
8.1.1 Old project assumptions	p. 148
8.1.2 New project assumptions for aggressive development	p. 149
8.1.3 Early adopter: Phase I	p. 151
8.1.4 Vertical market: Phase II	p. 152
8.1.5 Mass deployment: Phase III	p. 153
8.2 Project plan enhancement: Estimating SVT	p. 154
8.3 Planning for verification	p. 155
8.4 Test partitioning	p. 157
8.4.1 Perpetual verification	p. 157
8.4.2 Bounded verification	p. 158
8.5 Test plan development	p. 159
8.6 Starting and ending system verification	p. 162
8.6.1 Entry criteria	p. 163
8.6.2 Exit criteria	p. 165
8.6.3 Test activity	p. 166
8.7 Summary	p. 167
References	p. 168
9 Workflow: Interoperability testing to complete the whole product	p. 169
9.1 Is interoperability your responsibility?	p. 169
9.2 When are interoperability tests required?	p. 171
9.2.1 Complementary integration	p. 172
9.2.2 Competitive integration	p. 176
9.3 Planning the test session	p. 177
9.3.1 What happens when you relinquish control?	p. 179
9.3.2 Test-plan development	p. 180
9.3.3 Reviewing the plan	p. 183
9.3.4 Sequencing the test activity	p. 184
9.4 Disarming the political machine	p. 185
9.5 Test activity in motion	p. 186
9.5.1 Human nature in action	p. 187
9.5.2 Establishing the playing field	p. 188
9.5.3 Competitive interoperability--protecting intellectual property	p. 190
9.6 Summary	p. 192
References	p. 192
10 Workflow: Premature deployment and supporting the catastrophe	p. 193
10.1 Successful premature deployment	p. 193
10.2 Unpreparedness results in disaster	p. 194
10.3 Who is the customer?	p. 195
10.4 State of the product	p. 198
10.4.1 Impact of system design	p. 198
10.4.2 Impact of product software during early deployment	p. 199
10.4.3 Impact of manufacturing on the product during early deployment	p. 200
10.5 Customer need	p. 202
10.5.1 Scaling support	p. 202
10.5.2 Underestimating the cost of support	p. 203
10.6 Quality redefined	p. 204
10.7 Workflows defined	p. 206
10.7.1 Preparation	p. 207
10.7.2 Planning	p. 208
10.7.3 Risk mitigation	p. 210
10.8 Recommended infrastructure	p. 213
10.8.1 Technical assistance	p. 213
10.8.2 Field engineering group	p. 214
10.8.3 Too much product support?	p. 215
10.9 Summary	p. 215
Reference	p. 216
11 Organizational shape for aggressive companies	p. 217
11.1 Two organizations or one	p. 217
11.2 Organization sets the stage for communication	p. 218
11.3 Structuring the development organization for high efficiency	p. 220
11.3.1 Flat core group	p. 221
11.3.2 Hierarchical organization manages emotion	p. 223
11.3.3 Hybrid matrix organization for project efficiency	p. 225
11.3.4 The changing role of project management over time	p. 227
11.4 Employee motivation	p. 229
11.4.1 What not to do	p. 230
11.4.2 Money is a temporary motivation	p. 233
11.5 Company culture is critical for success	p. 237
11.5.1 Culture violated	p. 238
11.5.2 Proper culture creation	p. 238
11.6 Leadership sets the tone of the organization	p. 239
11.7 Summary	p. 241
References	p. 242
12 Politics of the test manager: Delivering bad news and thriving	p. 243
12.1 Test management: The ultimate challenge	p. 243
12.2 Politics defined	p. 244
12.3 Strategic planning	p. 246
12.3.1 Test team management	p. 246
12.3.2 Not following the rules	p. 248
12.3.3 And now a great company	p. 248
12.4 Test management responsibilities	p. 249
12.4.1 Project participation	p. 250
12.4.2 Emotional management: Trust and integrity	p. 251
12.5 Delivering test results	p. 252
12.6 Thriving	p. 254
12.7 A note on deployment	p. 256
12.8 Summary	p. 257
References	p. 257
13 Staffing a test organization	p. 259
13.1 Test engineering as a career	p. 259
13.2 Professional road map defined	p. 260
13.3 Unlocking potential	p. 262
13.3.1 Learning technology	p. 263
13.3.2 Development process and project management	p. 263
13.3.3 Understanding the customer	p. 264
13.3.4 Human interaction	p. 264
13.3.5 Leadership	p. 264
13.4 General recruiting principles	p. 265
13.4.1 Excellent management comes first	p. 266
13.4.2 Where to look	p. 266
13.4.3 Personality and cultural fit	p. 267
13.5 Experience from the trenches	p. 268
13.6 Retaining people	p. 270
13.7 Summary	p. 270
References	p. 271
Epilogue	p. 273
List of acronyms	p. 275
About the author	p. 279
Index	p. 281

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