Build Winning Products with Rapid Customer Insigh The Build Winning Products with Rapid Customer Insight workshop gives you the tools necessary to deliver successful products through more effective ways to access customers, listen for their needs, and integrate this learning into real products. This program is ideal for Agile and Lean development teams working with fast-paced development schedules.

Exclusive offer! OTBC has partnered with Planning Innovations to pilot this program to 12 participants at a special “at cost” rate of $57. By participating, you agree to join us for a 90-minute facilitated discussion to provide Planning Innovations feedback on the program. After this pilot offer, the program will normally be offered at $895/participant.

The best way to learn is by doing. This program is highly interactive with role-playing, real customer interviews, and participating in real world requirements tradeoff discussions using the tools we discuss in the program.

We'll focus on key questions and challenges, such as:

• How do I determine the right customers for insight?
• How can I build a customer panel for fast access?
• What are the best ways to really “listen” for customer needs?
• How can I understand the tradeoffs customer make every day?
• How do I manage and communicate fuzzy customer input?

Our 2nd Annual ProductCamp Portland will set sail on Saturday April 20th in Beaverton. Last year was a smash and we barely knew what we were doing, so this year we will rock it. If you are a Product Manager, Agile Product Owner, or just want to know how we think, this is THE peer-led event in this region for you.

Registration is Open! See you there!

Product managers and product teams face unprecedented challenges as business environments and product ecosystems become increasingly complex and unpredictable.

Customers have tremendous freedom to choose among competing products, and user experience has become a big factor in many purchase decisions. Time-to-market pressure is unrelenting, while product complexity and technical challenges keep increasing. In this environment, businesses must offer solutions that solve the right problem for the right consumer at the right time and the right price.

Solutions Thinking offers a fresh look at how to develop holistic solutions for customer problems. Solutions Thinking helps teams balance business, usage, and technology to create a compelling and sustainable set of products and services to meet the customer’s current and future needs. Solutions Thinking helps teams go from opportunities to solutions using a value-driven approach, and works with traditional, Agile, and hybrid development life cycles.

Many teams just focus on making products when they should be thinking about developing solutions. Solutions Thinking blends a unique collection of proven industry models into a coherent methodology for solution development. The approach is specifically designed to work in complex environments.

*This is a free, one-hour introduction to Solutions Thinking, which is typically a day-long workshop. We will not have time to cover topics in depth. After an overview of the topics, there will be time for a deeper dive into one additional module based on participant preferences. If you would like to participate in the day-long workshop on February 21st, please make a reservation here. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/solutions-thinking-for-product-managers-tickets-30741063348

Who typically attends? Product managers, Product owners, product planners, product marketing, architects, designers, product engineers, and others working on holistic solution discovery, definition, design, and delivery.

Brought to you by https://www.nucognitive.com

Product managers and product teams face unprecedented challenges as business environments and product ecosystems become increasingly complex and unpredictable.

Customers have tremendous freedom to choose among competing products, and user experience has become a big factor in many purchase decisions. Time-to-market pressure is unrelenting, while product complexity and technical challenges keep increasing. In this environment, businesses must offer solutions that solve the right problem for the right consumer at the right time and the right price.

Solutions Thinking offers a fresh look at how to develop holistic solutions for customer problems. Solutions Thinking helps teams balance business, usage, and technology to create a compelling and sustainable set of products and services to meet the customer’s current and future needs. Solutions Thinking helps teams go from opportunities to solutions using a value-driven approach, and works with traditional, Agile, and hybrid development life cycles.

Many teams just focus on making products when they should be thinking about developing solutions. Solutions Thinking blends a unique collection of proven industry models into a coherent methodology for solution development. The approach is specifically designed to work in complex environments.

*This is a free, one-hour introduction to Solutions Thinking, which is typically a day-long workshop. We will not have time to cover topics in depth. After an overview of the topics, there will be time for a deeper dive into one additional module based on participant preferences. If you would like to participate in the day-long workshop on February 21st, please make a reservation here. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/solutions-thinking-for-product-managers-tickets-30741063348

Who typically attends? Product managers, Product owners, product planners, product marketing, architects, designers, product engineers, and others working on holistic solution discovery, definition, design, and delivery.

Brought to you by https://www.nucognitive.com

Product managers and product teams face unprecedented challenges as business environments and product ecosystems become increasingly complex and unpredictable.

Customers have tremendous freedom to choose among competing products, and user experience has become a big factor in many purchase decisions. Time-to-market pressure is unrelenting, while product complexity and technical challenges keep increasing. In this environment, businesses must offer solutions that solve the right problem for the right consumer at the right time and the right price.

Solutions Thinking offers a fresh look at how to develop holistic solutions for customer problems. Solutions Thinking helps teams balance business, usage, and technology to create a compelling and sustainable set of products and services to meet the customer’s current and future needs. Solutions Thinking helps teams go from opportunities to solutions using a value-driven approach, and works with traditional, Agile, and hybrid development life cycles.

Many teams just focus on making products when they should be thinking about developing solutions. Solutions Thinking blends a unique collection of proven industry models into a coherent methodology for solution development. The approach is specifically designed to work in complex environments.

Who typically attends? Product managers, Product owners, product planners, product marketing, architects, designers, product engineers, and others working on holistic solution discovery, definition, design, and delivery.

Want to learn how to take your projects to the next level Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on May 13th, 2017; hosted by the IBEA featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel. Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects. Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully. Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

STRUCTURE OF EVENT: Day 1 – Learn about the Scrum Process, Learn what a Scrum Master is responsible for, come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

Additional for Audience: SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WHO SHOULD COME? People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS? FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected]. THERE WILL BE FOOD AND COFFEE!

Join Product leaders and experts for a lively panel discussion about how to incorporate customer feedback to make products your customers love and deliver a better overall customer experience. We'll share best practices from industry leaders and give attendees a chance to ask their questions as well! 

The evening will be hosted at Vacasa’s office in the Pearl and emceed by the unofficial Godfather of Portland Tech, founder of Silicon Florist, cofounder of Portland Incubator Experiment, cofounder of Oregon Story Board, cofounder of TechfestNW, Rick Turoczy. He’ll moderate a panel discussion with Patrick Lightbody, SVP of Product Management at Delphix, Heather Knight of Airbnb, Greg Goodman, CEO of ProductPlan, Dan Podsedly, VP of Pivotal Tracker, and Kevin Steigerwald, CPO of Notion.

There will be snacks and drinks and plenty of time for networking and discussions.

AGENDA

• 5:30 Arrive

• 6:00 Panel Discussion: How Product can leverage Support to build better products

• 6:40 Q&A

• 7:00 Networking, Food, and Drinks

ABOUT THE PANEL

HEATHER KNIGHT

Heather is a former healthcare worker turned techie.  She started out on the Customer Experience at Airbnb and is currently on the Business Travel Team as an Account Coordinator for Enterprise-level companies.  She has developed a deep interest in product development and was part of a beta test group for a new internal product that was recently released into the wild.  When Heather is not working, she's learning how to code at Alchemy Labs part time program in the evenings. In her not so free time, she's also the Portland City co-director of Lesbians Who Tech.  Someday soon, when code school is finished, she hopes to resume her hiking, backpacking and international travel addictions.

GREG GOODMAN

Greg Goodman is the co-founder and CEO of ProductPlan. He has a passion for building products and companies. He was the founder of Miramar Systems, which was acquired by Computer Associates and has advised and invested in numerous technology startups including AppFolio, RightScale, HGData and Apeel Sciences. He has degrees in Computer Science and Business Economics from UC Santa Barbara.

DAN PODSEDLY

Dan Podsedly is a Pivotal Labs VP and the General Manager of Pivotal Tracker, the popular project collaboration tool for modern software teams. Dan has been with Pivotal Labs since their nascent days in the mid-2000s, and has experience in every aspect of software development, including engineering, product management, and UX design.

KEVIN STEIGERWALD

Full-stack product designer with over 10 years of experience designing, researching, marketing, planning, and building products. From package design in big-box retailers to indie games in the App Store, my passion is for designing experiences that make our lives easier and more enjoyable. I believe pies are for dessert not for charts, tortillas make the best utensil, and the iPhone 4 is the proper screen size for a phone.

Intro to Scaled Agile Framework Agilist (SAFe) Training Two Days Training

Join us for a two-day Scaled Agile Framework workshop on June 09th, 2018 and June 16th, 2018; featuring Jay Mittal PMP, CSM, CSPO, SA, SPC; an experienced Project and Product Manager, whose client list include many of the Fortune 500 companies, including Nike and Standard insurance in Portland, OR. Jay is a certified trainer for SAFe Scrum Master, SAFe Product Owner, and SAFe Agilist courses.

Blockbuster. Kodak. Tower Records. Nokia. Taxi Industry. Compaq. These companie were all iconic market leaders that couldn’t adapt to new business models and technology innovations ahead of their competitors. Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper, and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. Enterprises must learn how to adapt quickly to these changing technologies and economic conditions or they will become extinct, no matter their size, smarts, or strength. This holds true even for businesses that don’t consider themselves Information Technology (IT) or software companies. Professional services, financial services, healthcare institutions, and government entities are all highly dependent on their ability to produce new technology-based products and services. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques.

Come get a taste of the future of management and learn about SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework). This two day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from SAFe Agilist (SA) Certification program and is for executives, managers and Agile change agents who are responsible for leading a Lean/Agile change initiative in a large software enterprise.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS:

IBM: "There will only ever be a need for 100 computers." DEC: "No one would ever buy a personal computer." Blockbuster: "People don't want to watch films over the internet." Novell: "Our technology is much more sophisticated than Microsoft." Bookstores: "People want to pick up and handle the books, not read them on the computer." SONY: "Beta technology is far superior to VHS." LOTUS: "Our spreadsheet is far superior to Microsoft even if it is complicated." NOKIA: "Our phones are the world standard, even if they are proprietary." TOWER RECORDS: "People want to own their own music, not rent it online." BlackBerry: "Our security is what companies want, they won't let Android or iPhones on their network, even if our stuff costs more." Kodak: "People will always prefer film cameras, even if we invented digital ones."

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

– Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project – Learn about the Scaled Agile Framework for enterprises. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. And how large organizations like Intel, Nike, Google, and Apple are implementing Agile techniques in Scaled environments. Come away with insights on how to manage your next projects.

BENEFITS:

• Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science
• Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors
• Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs)
• Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business programs.

JAY MITTAL’S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Highly skilled professional with over fifteen years of experience, Jay has extensive experience in diverse software and hardware platforms providing management, leadership, analysis, design, development, migration to implement business technology solutions.
• Experienced in complete life cycle of software development projects in both Waterfall and Agile frameworks including working as Project Manager, - Product Manager, Scrum Master and Agile coach.
• Consulting experience with Standard Insurance, Anthem Insurance, Nike, Michelin Tire, Novelis, WebMD.
• Experienced in different Industry Verticals including: Retail, Life & Health Insurance, Manufacturing, Advertising, and Banking.
• Worked as Project and Product Manager with Fortune 500 companies. Client list include Nike, Standard Insurance, Michelin Tire, and WebMD.

JAY MITTAL'S CERTIFICATIONS:

• Implementing Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe 4.5 Program Consultant (SPC)
• Leading Scaled Agile Framework - SAFe 4.5 Agilist (SA)
• Scaled Agile Framework for Teams - SAFe 4.5 Practitioner (SP)
• Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
• Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
• PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP - MS Project 2010)

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING:

This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected]. P.S. Location might change due to size of class. If this is the case; we'll be using a different venue in the downtown Portland Area.

RSVP Now: http://bit.ly/agiletraining2018

Want to learn how to take your projects to the Next Level

Practical, Hands-on Training for Scrum

Join us for an all day Scrum workshop on June 23rd, 2018; featuring Suzanne Ward MBA MEng PMP CSM CSPO PSM CSP, a Scrum Master & Agile Coach/Trainer from Intel.

Our world is changing fast. Markets and consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and better products. Demands for quicker turnaround on new product development and innovation have only increased. How do companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, and Apple keep up? They practice agile techniques, in particular they utilize scrum to manage their projects. Scrum has the power to transform project management across every industry, every business, and even across your personal life. By using Scrum, you’ll become more agile, discovering how to react more quickly and respond more accurately to the inevitable change that comes your way. By staying focused, collaborating, and communicating with customers and your team, you can accomplish what truly needs to be done — successfully.

Come get a taste of the future of project management and learn about the Scrum process. This one day classroom training with exercises will cover the material from scrum introduction certification class and Product Owner role in the Scrum Process.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

– Learn about the Scrum Process. Learn what a Product Owner and Scrum Master is responsible for. Come away with insights on how to manage your next project

BENEFITS

Retain more information because of our unique hands-on approach; based on the latest research into brain science Be entertained by stories from our real-world experienced and knowledgeable instructors Maximize investments already made by gaining valuable Professional Development Units (PDUs) Increase your personal worth within your company and in the marketplace Network with people from Intel Corporation and other software companies

ADDITIONAL FOR AUDIENCE

SW Engineers: eXtreme Programming, Test Driven Development, Pair Programming, Project Managers: Bridging the Gap between Project Management and Scrum

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through projects and through teams; Software Engineers, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals, Students in MBA or undergrad business programs.

SPEAKER'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Product, Brand, and Marketing Management in diverse range of markets and industries, with P&L responsibilities up to $100 million annual sales. Quick Learner of new industries/product offerings with results-oriented achievements. Created excitement around a static accessories category in condensed timeframe. Created full line of support, educational, training, and presentation materials. Impact of efforts increased sales from $16.4M to $37.2M in 24 months. Program management for multiple high tech/electronic development projects, averaging $3 million annual budget. Serve in project manager and product manager capacities. Two successful worldwide launches in 3 years. $1M annual OEM/B2B sales and $10M annual sales. Combine demonstrated product management leadership experience with strong hands-on technical background. Equally comfortable delving into product requirements with hard-core engineers as well as presenting to executive level decision makers. Uniquely skilled at fostering new ideas, building successful cross-functional teams, and nurturing a culture of consumer-driven product development and user experience innovation. Experience working in and managing cross-functional, cross-division, cross-geographic and multi-cultural sales, marketing and engineering organizations. International program management, sourcing, engineering, OEM/ODM management/development experience. Overseas work assignments in EU and Asia with extended stay in Asia.

SUZANNE WARD'S CERTIFICATIONS

PMP, Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute PSM, Professional Scrum Master, Scrum.org CSM, CSPO, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Scrum Alliance CSP, Certified Scrum Professional, Scrum Alliance

CERTIFICATIONS FOR THIS TRAINING

This workshop is meant to introduce professionals and students to the Scrum methodology, though the material we cover will give you the knowledge and material covered in the exam for the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification. https://www.scrum.org/. Our students have gone on to take this test after the event, and passed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected]. P.S. Location might change due to size of class. If this is the case; we'll be using a different venue in the downtown Portland Area.

Want to take your career to the next level?

Practical, Hands-on Training for Advanced Excel Formulas & Functions

Microsoft Excel is perhaps the most important computer software program used in business today. That's why so many workers and prospective employees are required to learn Excel to enter or remain in the workplace. Unfortunately many college students, recent grads, and professionals haven’t mastered Excel or have the adequate Excel skills employers are seeking. According to Payscale, “ 80 percent of job openings require spreadsheet and word-processing software skills. Yet so many people never even give Excel a chance because it has an intimidating stigma around it.”

If you walk through the finance or accounting department at any major corporate office, you will see computer screens filled with Excel spreadsheets outlining financial results, budgets, forecasts, and plans used to make big business decisions. Marketing and Product profesionals using Excel to list customer and sales targets; managing thier sales force and planning future marketing plans based on past results. Pivot tables to quickly and easily summarize customer and sales data by category with a quick drag-and drop. HR professionals using giant spreadsheets full of employee data and understand exactly where the costs are coming from and how to best plan and control them for the future. Supply logistic professional to manage inventory and forecasts demand.In essence, you can turn an entire department around just because you know how to manipulate data in order to get an aggregate view.

STRUCTURE OF COURSE

Advanced functions and formulas

 *Logical functions
 *Conditional functions
 *Financial functions
 *Text functions
 *Date functions
 *Array formulas

Lookups and data tables

 *Using lookup functions
 *Using MATCH and INDEX
 *Creating data tables

Advanced data management

 *Validating cell entries
 *Advanced filtering

Advanced charting

 *Chart formatting options
 *Combination charts
 *Graphical objects

PivotTables and PivotCharts

 *Working with PivotTables
 *Rearranging PivotTables
 *Formatting PivotTables
 *PivotCharts

Exporting and Importing Data

 *Exporting and importing text files
 *Getting external data

Analytical Tools

 *Goal Seek
 *Scenarios

Macros and Visual Basic

 *Running and recording a macro
 *Working with VBA code

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Martin Jetton has 30+ years of advanced supply chain analytics, predictive analytics, and statistical consulting experience. He's currently a Principal at the Liberty Advisor Group, where he works in advanced supply chain analytics. In his previous role, he was the Senior Predictive Consultant at Corios; where he developed predictive models and scorecards, forecast trends, identify uncertainties, and assign the ideal strategies to maximize performance. The firm’s clients are in the banking, brokerage, credit, utilities and healthcare industries.

BENEFITS

Not only are many business professionals using Excel to perform everyday functional tasks in the workplace, an increasing number of employers rely on Excel for decision support.The ability to analyze data is a powerful skill that helps you make better decisions. Microsoft Excel is one of the top tools for data analysis and the built-in pivot tables are arguably the most popular analytic tool.

MAKE YOUR RESUME STAND OUT

They are NOT seeing if you simply have Excel as a skill. They are diving deeping when it comes to determining which candidate to interview and hire. They look for Pivot Table, VLOOKUP, Macros, VBA, Conditional Formatting, Charting and Filtering…These are far more telling of your ability to an employer then writing Excel. Someone who writes VLOOKUP, Pivot Table, Filtering demonstrates an ability to analyse data and so has eliminated a potential barrier in the mind of the hiring manager reviewing your resume. In essence, use actual Excel functions in your Resume!

INCREASE YOUR EARNING POTENTIAL

Did you know that Excel know-how can instantly increase your job prospects as well as your starting salary? Excel is a transferrable skill that any hiring manager understands is critical. Research shows job applicants who know MS Excel make $22.66 per hour on average compared to the $20.14 per hour their peers make who don’t know the program. That’s roughly an extra $20 per eight-hour workday and $100 per work week, simply for knowing how to use a single computer program. Moreover, full-time employees in certain industries can see a starting salary bump of anywhere from $1,000 to $7,000 per year based on their Excel skills. That’s not chump change you can ignore.

INSPIRING ENTREPRENEUR?

A majority 63 percent of twenty-somethings want to start their own business. How will you stay organized, track data, or forecast your finances if you’re not spreadsheet-savvy? Many millennials simply want their first job. But, what about your performance once someone hires you? The biggest complaint employers have about millennials is that they lack basic hard and soft skills.These skills include things like teamwork and problem solving, but also basic administrative skills like MS Word and Powerpoint. Once you’re hired, you want to meet the basic requirements of your role without stressing.

WHO SHOULD COME?

People whose work is completed through MS Excel; Software Engineers, Finance Professionals, HR Professionals, Marketing Professionals, Project Managers, Technology Professionals.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: PLEASE CONTACT US AT [email protected].

SOLD OUT?

This is one of our high demand classes. In the case, we sale out; email us at [email protected] and ask when our next course will be in

In the world of product creation, negative feedback and failure are easy to come by. But it doesn't make that feedback any more comfortable to assimilate. Join this #PracticalWednesday session with Rick Turoczy to explore how to potentially turning any failure into success and opportunity to grow.

What you’ll learn in this webinar?

• How to get comfortable with negative feedback
• How to make it a critical, ahem, part of your assessments and strategy
• How to avoid succumbing to Imposter Syndrome when things don't seem to be going the way you thought they would

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/practicalwednesday-turning-failures-into-opportunities-with-rick-turoczy-tickets-111932130014