While the need to understand the customer’s requirements is widely acknowledged, too many development efforts suffer from problems with the requirements. A common mistake includes capturing what the customer asks for at a high level, without really understanding the customer need and use model for the product. Many product failures can be attributed to not having a full understanding of what creates value for the customer. Fully understanding what customers value will make the product development process more productive and increase the likelihood of customer success and satisfaction.

The Oregon Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) invites you to its January Learning and Networking Event. At this event, experienced professionals will discuss their experiences with understanding customer requirements, how to best understand their underlying need, what approaches work best for collaborating with the customer in creating requirements, and common mistakes to avoid.

A special thanks to the Oregon Technology Business Center (OTBC) for hosting this event.

Moderator: To be announced

Panelists

Chris Dennis – Managing Director, Steaming Kettle Consulting

Leo Frishberg – Product Design Manager, Intel

Albrech Enders – Owner and Principal at endersgroup

$20 on-line registration prior to the event

$25 at the door

A discount is available for PDMA members

Click on the website address above to register for this event

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?

Delivering real customer value is a challenge for every business. Customer value is often interpreted by marketing, designed by engineering, delivered by operations through a series of hand-offs and not through a consistent process. Existing approaches lead to missing the mark on delivering real value and result in declining business.

The Oregon Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) invites you to its May Learning and Networking Event. At this event, John Geffel will describe a comprehensive value framework. This framework provides a clear approach to finding the value drivers, understanding how the customer perceives value, and describing how to deliver customer value. This talk will emphasize the practical aspects of the approach so that the attendees will leave with an understanding of the steps needed to use it themselves.

Moderator: Louis Testa

Speaker: John Geffel

Managing Partner at VALUE:driven Group, previously SVP at Sage and SVP at Timberline Software

Date, Time, and Cost

Thursday, May 24, 2012

5:30 – 6:00 Registration, snacks and networking

6:00 – 7:30 Presentation and discussion

7:30 – 8:00 Snacks and networking

$20 on-line registration prior to the event

$25 at the door

A discount is available for PDMA members.

Go to the website above to register for this event

A special thanks to the Oregon Technology Business Center (OTBC) for hosting this event.

Acknowledgement: For more details on the event and the speakers and to register on-line, visit www.pdma.org/oregon

The Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) is the premier global advocate for product development and management professionals. The Oregon chapter's mission is to help local professionals and organizations to identify, develop, and launch more innovative and profitable products and services through cross-industry collaboration, thought leadership, and the sharing of best practices and practical knowledge. For more information about the Oregon Chapter of the PDMA, please contact:

Miki Tokola, Chapter President [email protected]

Professionals in any industry work with tools as they set prices for their products or services: operating costs, ramp-up, S-curves, break-evens, ROI goals, and customer value. We understand the concepts and apply them carefully. How, then, do we end up fighting price wars, disappointing customers, and performing below goals?

For a start, consider what’s missing in that list of tools: anything that takes competitive dynamics into account. That’s where war games and simulations come in, and that’s what we’ll see in action on July 26th.

The Oregon Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) invites you to its July Learning and Networking Event. In this highly interactive and thought-provoking program, our experienced speaker will discuss and lead us through pricing decisions, pricing mistakes, and pricing war games. We will participate in simulations that shock, amuse, and enlighten as we ponder how to price effectively.

Acknowledgement

A special thanks to the Oregon Technology Business Center (OTBC) for hosting this event.

Speaker

Mark Chussil, Founder and CEO of Advanced Competitive Strategies.

Mark has conducted hundreds of war games and worked with thousands of strategists in Fortune 500 companies on six continents and helped them make or save billions of dollars. He is a highly rated speaker who’s written three books, chapters for five others, and numerous articles. He also has earned a patent (another is pending) for simulation technology. A 35-year veteran in competitive strategy, Mark earned his MBA at Harvard and his BA at Yale.

Date, Time, and Pricing

Thursday, Jul 26, 2012

6:00-8:30 PM

$20 on-line registration prior to the event

$25 at the door

A discount is available for PDMA members

For more details on the event and the speakers and to register on-line, visit www.pdma.org/oregon

---

The Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) is the premier global advocate for product development and management professionals. The Oregon chapter's mission is to help local professionals and organizations to identify, develop, and launch more innovative and profitable products and services through cross-industry collaboration, thought leadership, and the sharing of best practices and practical knowledge. For more information about the Oregon Chapter of the PDMA, please contact:

Miki Tokola, Chapter President

[email protected]

We encourage everyone in Oregon who is interested in the Product Development and Management Association to become a member of the National PDMA. For a great explanation on the benefits of membership in the PDMA, please go to: http://pdma.org/about_benefits.cfm

“I see no more than you, but I have trained myself to notice what I see.” – Sherlock Holmes

The Oregon Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) invites you to its October Learning and Networking Event to explore the future.

What do VMWare, Illumina, and SolarWinds all have in common with Google, Apple, and Facebook? They are all high growth companies that saw into the future and took advantage of huge enabling waves of change in the marketplace when they were just ripples.

Please join us for an interactive discussion to examine not only the top enabling waves that our speakers have identified, but also offer you a framework and tools to not just see the future, but to create the future with confidence.

Some of the waves we’ll examine that are sure to be major elements of future product and services include:

BIG DATA

Haptics

Augmented reality

Social networking

Sensing

And more…

We’ll then offer specific tools you can use to develop a strategy and plan for what do DO about the waves.

This session will be interactive in nature. In addition to presenting researched results, we’ll draw on the insights and opinions of the audience during a Q&A session to add greater depth and different perspectives to the findings.

A special thanks to the Oregon Technology Business Center (OTBC) for hosting this event.

Panelists

Roger Hicks – Principal, Roger Hicks Consulting

Dorian Simpson – Managing Director, Planning Innovations

Date, Time, and Cost

Thursday, October 18, 2012

6:00 – 6:30pm Registration, refreshments and networking

6:30 – 8:00pm Presentation and Q&A

8:00 – 8:30pm Refreshments and networking

$20 on-line registration prior to the event

$25 at the door

A discount is available for PDMA members.

Register at the Website above

The Oregon Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) invites you to its November Learning and Networking Event on Emerging Trends in Product Management and Marketing. New ideas and different approaches emerge regularly in the disciplines of product discovery, development and delivery. Examples are design thinking, open innovation and product owners for Agile. As a group, we’ll assemble a list of the major trends that we’re observing. We’ll review what the industry thought leaders are talking about and then try to put these trends into context; whether they are major inflection points redefining product management or passing fads that detract from the execution of product management fundamentals.

The source material for this event is based on the presentation voted the “Best Session” at May’s ProductCamp Portland. The session will be interactive in nature. In addition to presenting research results, we’ll draw on the insights and opinions of the audience during a Q&A session to add greater depth and different perspectives. Come prepared with several trends you’ve heard about which you’d like to contribute to our conversation. Hopefully, you’ll leave with at least a couple of topics you’ll want to explore further.

A special thanks to the Oregon Technology Business Center (OTBC) for hosting this event.

Discussion Leaders

David Nash

Vice President, ADP Dealer Services

President-elect, PDMA Oregon Chapter

Miki Tokola

Principal, Micom Consulting

President, PDMA Oregon Chapter

Date, Time, and Cost

Thursday, November 29, 2012

5:30 – 6:00pm: Registration, refreshments and networking

6:00 – 7:30pm: Presentation and Q&A

7:30 – 8:00pm: Refreshments and networking

$20 on-line registration prior to the event

$25 at the door

A discount is available for PDMA members

To register on-line visit the website above

Join us at ProductCamp Portland 3.0, Portland's annual "unconference', now in its third year, where product managers, product marketers and product developers unite.

Why attend?
ProductCamp is a user-driven “unconference” that brings together passionate product managers and marketers who are interested in collaborating to share insights, learning best practices, and networking with other top professionals in the Portland product community. You decide the topics, you pick the agenda, you participate in making this unconference a great learning opportunity.

Ready to participate?
Register for ProductCamp Portland 3.0: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/productcamp-portland-2014-tickets-9352961961

Submit a topic: http://productcamppdx.userecho.com/

Learn more about facilitating a discussion: http://productcamppdx.org/propose-a-session.html

We look forward to your participation.

Thanks to our Sponsors!

• Pragmatic Marketing
• Jama
• Rally Software
• ADP
• AudaExplore
• Proficientz
• PDMA Oregon
• Pichler Consulting
• Blackblot
• SVPG Silicon Valley Product Group
• Actuation Consulting
• Brainsnacks Cafe
• Mironov Consulting

According to a recent article, the Product Manager is the fourth most valuable corporate job. Unfortunately, there is little agreement on what a person in that position is responsible for, what skills they need, and how they should be evaluated. Given that uncertainty, it’s no surprise that the career path for a Product Manager also lacks clarity and consistency.

We have assembled a panel of Product Management veterans to explore how one can enter the profession, what it takes to be successful and advance, and to what types of senior positions a seasoned Product Manager can aspire. There will be significant interaction with the audience to make sure your specific career questions will be addressed.

Panelists:

Susannah Axelrod, Director of Product Management at Puppet Labs, Inc.

Susannah has over 15 years of Product Management experience from Intel, Intuit, Sage Software, and Thomson Reuters. She is known for combining the voice of the customer, competitive and market research into real, actionable roadmaps and strategies. Susannah has an MBA from the Wharton School.

Pamela Jones, Principal at Jones Partners Executive Search Firm

For more than 20 years, Pamela's firm has recruited board members, C-level executive team members across all functions, and critical contributors to execute on projected growth plans of start-up, emerging, and transitioning technology (high tech, healthcare, and agriculture) companies nationwide. She has served on the boards of Oregon Public Broadcasting, Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Technology Association of Oregon, and other community organizations.

Olaf Kowalik, Director of Product Management at Janrain

Previously, Olaf was Vice-President of Product Management & Development at Waggener Edstrom, and previously held management positions at Point B, RealNetworks, and Ernst & Young. In April, Olaf led a popular session at ProductCamp PDX titled, “Product Management Interviews: Asking the Right Questions and Giving Great Answers.”

Matthew Lange, Senior Director, Product Management at Northwest Evaluation Association

Matthew has over 27 years of experience in the software industry while working in the Aerospace, Construction and Education markets. Matthew’s Product Management experience spans over 15 years, including both C-level and leadership-level management roles.

The Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) is the premier global advocate for product development and management professionals. The Oregon chapter's mission is to help local professionals and organizations to identify, develop, and launch more innovative and profitable products and services through cross-industry collaboration, thought leadership, and the sharing of best practices and practical knowledge. For more information about the Oregon Chapter of the PDMA, please contact: David Nash, Chapter President, at [email protected].

We encourage everyone in Oregon who is interested in the Product Development Manager's Association to become a member of the National PDMA. For a great explanation on the benefits of membership in the PDMA, click here.

PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN VENUE TO LUCKY LAB MULTNOMAH

Schedule:

6:00 – 6:30pm: Gathering / Networking / Refreshments**

6:30 – 6:45pm: Announcements (upcoming events, who’s hiring, etc.)

6:45 – 7:30pm: Panel Discussion

7:30 – 7:45pm: Q&A / Open discussion

7:45 – 8:00pm: Networking

Cost:

$10 on-line registration prior to the event **

$15 at the door

A discount is available for PDMA members.

To register online, click the website link above.

** Note: This is a no-host event. The complete Lucky Lab food and drink menu is available. Grab a cold ale & bite to eat - and bring a friend or colleague to add to the discussion.

We'll have two 20-minute talks, each followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. We'll have plenty of time at the start and end of the meetup for tasty beverages and networking.

Speakers

Impacting Product Development with Net Promoter Score & Customer Data
Camila Morrison, Product Manager

As a product manager, you may have different types of feedback and data from product users/customers. Some of that could be Net Promoter Score (NPS) results, e-commerce data, community media verbatims, or other survey information. Learn what’s going on with NPS and other customer data to look at it from a product use perspective. Then see how to translate that into making changes to your product to better connect with customers, improve your value proposition, and make more revenue.

Camila Morrison is a product manager in tech who has worked across a variety of areas in product management from concept/market/UX roles to managing a team in the development arena. Also in her experience, is running a Net Promoter System to drive improvements across the customer product lifecycle. She was in marketing management for companies that included utility control center software. Her background includes leading marketing research projects for tech, utility, transportation, ad/media, healthcare, retail, tourism, and non-profit industries.

---

The Product Manager Career Lifecycle
Mike Kruse, Product Manager

After spending many years as a product manager in both large and small organizations, Mike would like to share the application of a tool we use in our day job to our career.

Mike began in software development and fell into the product manager role – initially informally and then formally. He has worked in a number of B2B and B2C markets including graphics processors, networking systems, digital media, educational software and currently fintech. One item on his bucket list is to master all 37 activities on the Pragmatic framework or to visit all 50 states in the US.

Mike is also one of the ProductCamp Portland co-founders, an annual product management un-conference that began in 2012. It provides him with the opportunity to create a new product every year and in doing so, apply a wide range of product management skills that he rarely gets to exercise.

We'll have two 20-minute talks, each followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. We'll have plenty of time at the start and end of the meetup for tasty beverages and networking.

---
Using Wireframes to Communicate Product Vision
Amy King, Software Product Manager at Digimarc

Over the past year, I learned how designing, creating, and sharing wireframes greatly facilitate communication both for the overall product vision that impacts multiple teams, and prepping smaller product features for engineers. For product managers that did not have a graphics background like me, "design" is an intimidating skill to tackle, but one that is valuable when working with engineers, designers, and marketing teams. In this presentation, I will share:
1) How I got started
2) A couple examples of how I used wireframes to align multiple teams to work towards the same product vision
3) Recommendations and pros/cons of different wireframing software to help people get started

Amy King is a software product manager. she likes learning about different industries and how people use technology in their jobs, then figure out how her team can build software to help people be more efficient with their work

---
Supercharging User Engagement by Supporting Autonomy: Practical Motivation Science for Product Managers
Jahed Momand, Head of Product Management at Conversa Health

The talk of the town in theories of behavior change in technology center on centuries old behaviorism, such as BJ Fogg's Behavior Model or Nir Eyal's Hook Model.

But, what if you're trying to precipitate a user behavior that's complex? That happens over long time domains? That isn't immediately rewardable?

How do you support users in finding the motivation to interact with your product, when push notifications just won't do the trick?

I'll talk about how we applied the science of motivation, Edward Deci's self-determination theory, to product design at Conversa Health, for outsized gains in patient engagement, retention, and NPS.

Jahed heads up the product team at Conversa Health, an automated care management chatbot for health systems, leading them to successful A and B rounds of funding during his tenure.

Before, he led the product growth team at Zoomcare, where he increased revenue and visits 240% over 18 rapid fire months, leading up to their acquisition by Peace Health.

Before that he worked with Dan Ariely of Predictably Irrational fame on applying behavioral economics to projects within Google, and worked in the adtech industry applying behavioral science to ad units (he's not proud of this work).

Way before then, he played poker professionally for a few years after grad school, where he completed an MS in Physics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

We'll have two 20-minute talks, each followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. We'll have plenty of time at the start and end of the meetup for tasty beverages and networking.

---

Leveraging product principles to drive better decision making
Ami Murthy, Head of Product - Mobile at eBay Classifieds Group at eBay

Product principles can serve as a strong complement to the product vision and strategy. I will share examples of our product principles and how we have successfully used them as tools to drive better and faster decisions.

Ami Murthy is a product leader who is excellent at building teams that create experiences which millions of customers LOVE and USE on a daily basis. She has experience leading diverse, global teams from product conceptualization to launch, with a proven track record of building scalable customer-centric products including 5-star apps, a multi-million dollar mobile product, and market-leading e-book solutions. She is adept at driving business results and has helped companies like eBay, Intel and Amazon grow their bottom line performance.

---

What can theater teach us about software delivery
David Van der Merwe, Senior Product Manager at Radar

I've been thinking about the similarities between software development and the process of producing theater for a while. My wife runs a theater company and I'm constantly picking her brain about the creative process and theater production as a project that actually has a deadline (opening night). My hope is to share some learnings about this process and how it may apply to product managers when we need to deliver a full solution to a customer problem by a committed date.

I'm currently a Sr. Product Manager working at RADAR building privacy incident response management solutions. Like many pm's, I grew into a product management role somewhat through circumstance, some curiosity, and a desire to improve customer experiences. I was born and raised in South Africa and then immigrated to the US where I've worked in web marketing, and e-commerce solutions that served both b2b and b2c enterprises for the last 20 years.

---

Also, thank you to our host, Jama Software. And thank you to Opal for sponsoring the food. Check out their job postings here:

Jama Software: https://www.jamasoftware.com/company/careers/

Opal: http://jobs.workwithopal.com/apply/Vbraj5qtQV/Senior-Product-Marketing-Manager