Cheeky Monkey Business Solutions » PLM

Would You Live Here?

Michael Ryan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:40:18 +0000

Mrs Monkey6 and I decided that the start of a new year was a perfect opportunity to move on and start looking for a new place to live. I’m an obsessive hoarder and I’d filled our little flat with stuff so it was time to move and get ourselves a house. Unfortunately, we are still a little bit away from the illusive first buy so onto the rental market we go.

So our first month of 2012 was spent scouring the internet and visiting every property that we could find that was within our price bracket. We were initially excited about our new adventure but after only a handful of viewings that started to dwindle.

It’s amazing to think that some landlords, who are so keen to keep their properties in use to cover the rent, present them in the way that they do. Over the month, we saw places that seemed so run down that it’s difficult to believe that anybody would want to live there. One place in particular was so full of polyfiller that it felt that a strong wind would have raized it to the ground. It was hard to get any other impression because the electricity had been cut off!

The one question that I kept coming back as we were being showed round by confident estate agents in sharp suits is, ‘Well, would you live here?’

Surely, a sensible landlord or agent would be thinking about who they wanted to let the property to and what would make them want to move in. As a tenant, I don’t want a fixer upper or anything that I have to do work on. I want the finished item.

After a while I was getting so frustrated that I started to ask them the question directly. In response I got, ‘We’ve had bad experiences with tenants’ or ‘It’s just had students in’ – While I’m sure that there are bad tenants out there it’s hardly surprising that their properties are damaged when they themselves obviously show no pride in the houses they manage.

The one question that I kept coming back as we were being showed round by confident estate agents in sharp suits is, ‘Well, would you live here?’

I am pleased to say that after our bad experiences, we have found a place. It’s not fussy … just clean, tidy and fully functioning. Exactly what any prospective tenant would really expect. It had only just come on the market and we were so excited that we went for it straight away and we move in three weeks.

So what’s the lesson to my rant? Thinking like your consumer is a great asset. It’s not difficult – it takes a bit of thought on what you would expect if you had to part with your hard earned cash.

Neither is it just about making a quick sale. I’m excited about our new house and I want to maintain it. And I’m the same way with the products that I buy; if I see that a brand is thinking about what I want and expect then I will stick with it.

How hard does that sound?

Why is Packaging important? Ask Lana Del Rey’s record company

Michael Ryan — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:36:35 +0000

This week I’ve been doing some training on a PLM system and one of the areas that we cover in the course is “Why is packaging important?”

Weirdly, this reminded me of an article I read in The Guardian over the weekend about the singer Lana Del Rey. She is currently being lauded as a ‘one to watch’ for the next year after some internet hype around her first two singles last year.

Things have not always been this way for Lizzy Grant (LDR’s real name). Her first career as a ‘run of the mill’ singer-songwriter in her own name resulted in an album that did not perform well. Some rebranding with her new pseudonym and a makeover as a “gangster Nancy Sinatra” and her ‘debut’ album is now being waited for with baited breath.

Unfortunately for her, the indie blogosphere that hailed her initial releases are already starting a backlash that her look is contrived and too marketing focussed. Personally, I don’t see the harm in creating an image that will get you attention.

Why are they so surprised? After all, it worked for Madonna and Bowie … even The Beatles had their ‘mop-top’ image to help them get ahead.

Packaging is important. It’s the immediate shelf impact that makes your product stand out above the competition and helps to encourage your customers to keep it on their shelves. So how do you ensure that this vital part of your product is properly developed and managed to protect your brand?

What Could Monkey Behaviour Mean For Your Products?

Michael Ryan — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:42:16 +0000

I recently read a report on ScienceDirect about the way friendship affects gaze following between macaque monkeys. Their studies showed that the macaques followed their friends line of sight to see whether there was something worth looking at; either an early indication of danger or the possibility of food.

It reminded me of a conversation that I had with a friend who told me that they used social network sites like Twitter to get reviews of products they were thinking of buying. Instead of trawling through the various review sections of websites, they searched by the make and model or even tweeted to their followers to get some honest feedback. I must admit that I hadn’t thought of this before but it makes perfect sense.

What does this mean for businesses?

Everybody knows the old line that if a customer receives good service they tell one person but if they receive bad service they tell seven. If an average person on Facebook has 130 friends, how does it affect that number? Can you afford to make mistakes with your products?

Does Creating a Structure Have To Be Routine?

Michael Ryan — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:36:21 +0000

The youth charity, The Prince’s Trust, published their Youth Index 2012 this week, which found that children who grow up with a daily routine and structure around bed and meal times are likely to achieve better results than those who do not.

“The absence of structure and routine in a young life can have a devastating impact. Without the right support, directionless teenagers can become lost young adults – unconfident, under-qualified and unemployed.” – Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince’s Trust

The report found that 27% of young people aged 16-25 claimed not to have grown up with a set bed time (versus 39% of those that achieved less than 5 A*-C grades). The results are doubled for those who did not have regular meal times (14% against 30%).

Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince’s Trust, says:

“The absence of structure and routine in a young life can have a devastating impact. Without the right support, directionless teenagers can become lost young adults – unconfident, under-qualified and unemployed.”

I have worked on a few PLM implementations and believe that a similar principle generally applies to people of all ages. Implementing a coherent structure to your new product development process can add benefit in helping the people in your organisation to create better quality products that appeal to your consumers. However, this does not necessarily mean that the process has to be routine.

In fact, the idea of routine seems to terrify a vast number of people. As everybody is pushed to deliver more and faster, creating unnecessary steps in the process only serves to frustrate people and make them disillusioned.

The secret is to provide clear direction and a consistent structure so that everybody understands what they are expected to deliver. But to remember that they are not children and that they have the knowledge and ability to create their own way to deliver it.

At Cheeky Monkey, we use the Virtual Project to do this. It gives the project team the opportunity to play out the project in advance, so that they can define what they are going to deliver and how they are going to do it. Getting the group together in this way means they can share their knowledge and define their approach without creating unnecessary step that slow down the process or create frustration.

Make Do and Mend

Michael Ryan — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:10:14 +0000

Over the past few months, I have been compiling a mental list of all the things that I would like to receive for Christmas but now I am struggling to find anything that I really need in there.

This is nothing to do with the ‘real message of Christmas’ or anything like that. Instead, it’s down to an article by Angela Raini on the BBC last week.

She is a technology journalist who does not feel the need to be the early adopter, ahead of the pack constantly replacing and updating her gadgets. Instead, she is much happier to stick with what she has until has completely outgrown its use or it cannot be repaired any longer.

“If this sounds like wartime Britain – make do and mend and all that – that’s because, in a way it is. Fixing things and recycling in some places is a necessity, not a choice. In the developing world you can see it everywhere.”

After reading the article, I have to admit that I started to feel a little bit greedy. Much of the stuff that was on my list was there to replace something that I have already. Not even things that need much fixing, just things that I wanted a shinier version of.

When did all this happen? I’m not that old but I can remember a time when you wouldn’t lightly scrap something and replace it without seeing if it could be repaired first. Once, we waited a whole week while our VHS player was at the repair shop! Admittedly, it was hardly the blitz but still …

This desire to rip out and replace things in need of repair is not exclusive to individuals. Many organisations have their own list of things that they want and are running initiatives to replace what they already. Don’t get me wrong, looking at ways to improve is definitely a good thing but some approaches can be more drastic than they need to be.

I was speaking to somebody the other day who had been challenged with coming up with a replacement for one of their company processes. After getting everybody in her team together to start from scratch and writing up the work, she found the documentation for the original, only to find that it was virtually the same as her new version.

As austerity hits, more people are looking for ways to save money by repairing their essentials; resoling shoes, mending clothes, etc. How are you looking for ways to ‘make do and mend’ the things that are important to your business?

Sustainable PLM & the $1 project?

Nina Dar — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:24:23 +0000

For those of you that don’t know Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is the art of managing your products from idea all the way through the development process to the point of changing it or killing it with “crystal ball” ability to getting the biggest bang for your buck.

PLM may sound simple, the art is all about science and magic. Ensuring that you understand what is happening in the world, in terms of the environment (where the stuff to make everything comes from = science), knowing as much as you can about the people who could buy it and what they need and want (even if they don’t know it yet = science) and putting something together that talks to you and me in such a way that we want it (magic).

This article focus on the start of any PLM journey WHO, WHAT, WHY…How could Reebok sell trainers for $1?

So, what is this really about?

Generating employee loyalty?
Creating and innovating projects in poor and developing areas of the world?
A chance for people to feel good again?
Corporations doing good, really? Just think about what Coke did years ago. They went to the far flung places in the world and sold their product at a price point that area could afford. Where ever I went with my backpack in the world I could share a coke with a local it was awesome and created world domination because of brand loyalty, people have grown up with that brand – it’s a fundamental part of their lives and has kept Coke at number 1 – creating brand loyalty is what this is all about isn’t it?
Even if it is it’s a slap on the back all round because economically this is what developing areas need. Source the materials locally so the people involved in that get money to invest in looking for better materials, get the local workforce to make them, so they have money to buy them (and educate their families which will lead to lots of other ideas) – it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sustainable PLM is still finding its feet in industry and I think this is a great example of just what can and needs to be done by companies who want to future proof what they do and how they do it. They say it’s a social project which is interesting and I assume a nice PR angle. Social is just one aspect of work that is being addressed adidas are creating projects that address the future needs of doing business, finding new markets and ultimately new consumers.

Interestingly the article focuses on the price point and how they are having to go back to basics to figure out how to make this work and what the price point is, it may not be a $1…this is fantastic and a exercise every business should be doing right now. Forget the term recession, our world has changed and we need to know how to work within the new rules.

How are you looking forward to see who your future customers are and how you are going to reach them no matter how unrealistic that may sound? May be everyone should start a $1 project…

1991: The Year That Punk Broke

Michael Ryan — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:36:57 +0000

It’s here. The moment I’ve been looking forward to and dreading in equal measure. The Nineties revival is coming. The recent issue of MOJO is marking 20 years since the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind; an album that made a massive impact on me when I was a teenager. Coincidentally, a podcast that I listen to also had a special 90s edition. The starting point for their discussion was the release of Nevermind.

Nevermind has had a lasting impact on my music taste, even though I haven’t really listened to it properly in over 10 years. What it really demonstrates is the way that innovation happens. Kurt Cobain was heavily influenced by the music that he listened to; The Vaselines, The Butthole Surfers, Iggy & the Stooges, Mudhoney, The Pixies. These bands were never going to really make the mainstream because their ideas were pretty far out and didn’t really appeal to the masses. Sure some of these have had some commercial success but never to the level that Nirvana went on to achieve. Kurt Cobain made all these things easy for the mainstream to digest; he made them pop. In these circles this is not a cool thing to say but it’s true. What made Nirvana special was they were fans; they knew what was happening and created it from a love of what they heard. The other key factor in the album’s success was timing. Mainstream rock music had turned into a pastiche of itself through over-produced, over-indulgent ‘hair metal’ bands. Nirvana swept through in a wave of raw noise and ripped jeans. Nirvana were exciting!! So what does this approach mean 20 years later? If anything it should be easier to create a Nevermind. The world of social networking makes the world of what new things are happening and what people want transparent. The interesting question is, “Who or what is going to be your Kurt Cobain?” Or, how are you going to make sense of all your ideas and focus them into to something that will change somebody’s life?

Radiohead – great band but even better example of a brand

Michael Ryan — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 11:17:30 +0000

I am so excited I can hardly concentrate. It’s not because it’s Valentine’s Day and I going out with my fiancée later. It’s this ….

This is Radiohead announcing the release of their new album, “The King of Limbs” on Saturday 19^th February. So what have they done to make me so excited? My passion for Radiohead’s music has increased with every bold and innovative move they’ve made. And let’s make this clear. I didn’t just hear Radiohead and decide they were the best band in the world immediately. They won me over. Here are three things that made me love Radiohead.

Kid A and Amnesiac

It takes a very brave band to risk the huge commercial success of albums like The Bends and OK Computer by releasing two very different sounding albums. Apparently unhappy with the sound they had created, Kid A and Amnesiac embraced the electronic music that the band had been listening to and created something that was not only different to anything they had done before but also quite different to anything that was around at the time. The guitarist Ed O’Brien said at the time “If you’re going to make a different sounding record, you have to change the methodology. And it’s scary – everyone feels insecure. I’m a guitarist and suddenly it’s like, well, there are no guitars on this track, or no drums.”

The release of In Rainbows

The album In Rainbows was released through their website with limited press and with no record company support. And, if you wanted it, all they wanted in return was a donation … and you could pay what you wanted. The average donation was £4 showing that, despite the opportunity to get the album for virtually nothing, their fan base was still prepared to pay for a reasonable price for it.

The In Rainbows tour

The band set their production team the challenge of making their world tour carbon neutral. As a result the team worked with their suppliers to create a lightshow using LEDs that used 50% of the energy of their previous tour. The light supplier i-Pix have an interesting case study available from their website about the development of the lights. The company had only 5 months to design and manufacture 206 units for the tour and they made it with 4 days to spare. They put their success down to “down to an exceptionally good team, some serious planning and pushing their subcontractors to the limits!” The case study is at http://www.i-pix.uk.com/gallery/case-studies.htm. There is also a great document available that gives other examples of the how they planned to reduce the environmental impact like using locations with good public transport and changing the way they moved the equipment. It is also available at http://www.i-pix.uk.com/downloads/RadioheadLSIJune2008.pdf. I saw them at the LCCC ground in Manchester and the effect was breath taking. I recommend that you watch it all but, if not, start at the 2m 45s mark. The lights are great and it puts pay to the myth that they are miserable sods who hide behind their guitars. There is a PLM story here. Radiohead are fearless in the products that they create and the way that they create them. They are prepared to innovate at the creative stage and they are not afraid to look sideways at other genres of music to create their unique sound. They also look forward; Kid A bemused a lot of fans when it came out but since it release it’s been hailed as one of the best albums of the Noughties by Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and The Times. They understand their fans and know that it’s not just what they sell that it is important but it is how they appeal to them. Radiohead have made a conscious effort not to follow the typical record company approach and have used technology to help them do that. But they still retain the elements that make them who they are. They do all this with a wider sense of responsibility and their approach is echoed in everything that they do and in the people that they work with. There is an argument that rock stars shouldn’t do this kind of thing but I disagree completely. Radiohead understand that people look to them as examples and the way they act is as important to their fans as their music. What these things typify to me are Radiohead’s innovative approach to artistic integrity and social conscience; an approach that in itself generates loyalty and excitement in their fans. Needless to say, my copy has been ordered and I am waiting impatiently for Saturday to come so I can download the album. I have to wait until May for the physical product to arrive. The decision to not buy it just didn’t enter my mind. So how about your brands? Are people craving your next move or just reacting to your launches?

Ready for kick off

Michael Ryan — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:28:33 +0000

This weekend is the Manchester derby

If I knew anything about football, I would write a long metaphor about a team talk in advance of the big match. The manager would walk in as the team are getting ready. He’d talk about their opponents and say something inspiring about how everything depends on this game. The team would talk about what they were going to do. The manager would draw some sweeping lines on a chalk board and everyone would show that that they understood by saying “Yes Guv”. As you can probably tell, I don’t know anything about football strategy apart from what I’ve seen in films or TV programs. I have been involved in a few project kick off meetings though. The project kick off meeting should be first team activity once your project has been approved. In yesterday’s blog, I gave you some of the questions to ask:

Do we know what we are doing this for?
Is what we are doing it for measurable?
What needs to happen for it to be success (or what would we stop the project for if it wasn’t happening)?
Which individuals are going to do deliver what and by when?

So why is this meeting so important?

It gets everybody focussed on the goal (pun?) as well as the process. It’s not just about them delivering something; it’s about them delivering something that creates a benefit.
It makes sure that everybody understands what they are doing before the game begins. The manager can still guide from the side lines but the team has a focus to carry them through.
It also helps the team understand how the game is going to be played. As well as agreeing the goal and the steps to deliver it, the kick off meeting should also help the team understand how they are going to communicate with each other or what to do if they see a risk or issue.

Here are some common reasons why they might not happen:

Who needs any more meetings?
That sounds like it would take a really long time
Not everybody involved will attend

If the excuses look familiar remember that it might take a change in behaviour but it is an important step in getting your product development process working, especially if it is new to some. Do you hold a meeting like this? If so, do you find it useful? If not, would it help?

How can you engineer success?

Michael Ryan — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:25:50 +0000

Human beings have evolved over millions of years through a process of natural selection. It’s a pretty cruel process when you think about it; those fortunate to have been born with a particular genetic makeup survive while others don’t.

Only kidding! I’m not saying we’re the next evolutionary step. I just think the monkey gets a bad deal sometimes. Now think about your product development process, are you trying to following the process of evolution or do you need something more? Evolution implies that you are constantly launching products that may or may not fail, when in fact what you need to do is to breed for success. Your process needs to help you to define and measure success as you develop your products. But how can you do that?

Hold a kick off meeting to define your project

In simple terms, get everybody together to define what success is by asking:

Do we know what we are doing this for?
Is what we are doing it for measurable?
What needs to happen for it to be success (or what would we stop the project for if it wasn’t happening)?
Which individuals are going to do deliver what and by when?

Document the answers to the above

Make sure that everybody leaves the meeting understanding the project and their actions. Here are some suggestions how:

Project definition document
Time plan
List of actions

Get agreement from the top that what you are intending to do meets their requirements.

Measure your development against the output

If you are using a stage and gate process, make sure that each stage review aligns to what you outlined originally. Your project might change but it needs to align to what you set out to achieve. Sometimes, everybody needs a reminder of what they set out to do.

Measure risks and issues against your outline

If you are not going to deliver one of those critical areas of success, you need to take action; even if it is stopping everything. It can be hard to be objective about something that you’re passionate about. You might need a reminder of why you started.

Review the final product against the initial definition

Remember, you’re only trying to play God. You still need to learn.