| For any Enterprise Software Company, Product | | | | process and start the actual implementation. When |
| Management is one of the most critical functions. If | | | | some features appear to be very specific to the |
| products are utilized by more and more customers, | | | | needs of a particular customer, we ask for at least |
| than requests for new features will start to pile up, | | | | two customers to bid for it before we commit to its |
| which is but obvious. In order to implement the | | | | development. This measure helps us in ensuring that |
| needs of the customers, the job of product manager | | | | we reduce the risk of feature creep. |
| should be to prioritize the products in order, so as to | | | | Once the feature is implemented, three options are |
| keep, feature creep away from it. | | | | available to us: |
| Ismael Ghalimi put up his statement that the way we | | | | |
| managed to outsource our product management | | | | 1. We can give it to the customers who paid for it |
| function was through a process called Demand Driven | | | | three to six months before anybody else gets it, |
| Development (a.k.a. D3). D3 is based on a two-phase | | | | thereby creating an incentive for customers to |
| process that empowers our customers to tell us | | | | contribute to its funding. |
| what they desire, and then they pay for it. | | | | 2. We can incorporate it into the Enterprise Edition of |
| We can take Identification Phase as Digg for the | | | | our product, thereby increasing the value of a |
| management of products. We issue the candidate list | | | | subscription. |
| of features on the community website, and we let | | | | 3. We can donate it back to our open-source |
| the customers and partners advise additional ones. | | | | community, thereby getting help from the community |
| We then let the community to discuss and rate the | | | | for its downstream maintenance. |
| features they like the most. We facilitate this | | | | In order to make the participation of customers |
| process by providing additional input that we | | | | more in the funding, we give the customer credits |
| gathered from the field, and then promote the most | | | | towards future subscriptions to our Enterprise Edition, |
| popular candidate's features. | | | | equivalent to 50 percent of the amount of funding |
| Once the feature has reached the Estimating status, | | | | they contributed. |
| we make a move in the Implementation Phase and | | | | Such process gives you a very effective way to deal |
| begin with the including of engineering team to | | | | with what we call "checkbox" features. Whenever, |
| develop the elementary set of specifications for it. | | | | we are asked for such feature, we point our |
| We then multiply the number of required | | | | customers to our D3 website, and without any lapse |
| person-months by an average monthly cost, to which | | | | of time, we get rid of nine out of 10 checkbox |
| we add a 50 percent overhead, aimed at covering | | | | features. |
| the maintenance of the feature for at least three | | | | By opening our Product Management process in such |
| years. | | | | a way to our customers, we really mould them into |
| Armed with these numbers, we return to our | | | | development partners, and share with them, the |
| community, and ask customers to bid for the | | | | responsibility of developing the product they need |
| development of the feature. As soon as we get | | | | and asking them to vote with their checkbooks. |
| enough customers to pay for it, we close the bidding | | | | |