&nbsp;

Managing Director | +972-54-6860473 | www.blackblot.com

Hi All,

Yahoo Groups is now providing applications that expand the existing capabilities of Yahoo Groups and allow even further collaboration.

Three applications were applied to this group, which you can find via the Applications link at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ILPM/grouplets/subscriptions .

The new applications are:

Product Management Job Openings
Product Management Questions & Answers
Product Management Resources Reviews

Please feel free to experiment and add entries to any of these applications.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Gabriel Steinhardt

Blackblot - Product Management Expertise™

#435

From: "Brian" <brian@...>
Date: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:00 pm
Subject: The "All About Product Management Certification" webinar is now available.

brian_lawley...

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Recorded webinar is available at http://bit.ly/kk8g8.

Slides are at www.280group.com/cert.pdf.

Complete comparison of 280 Group certifications can be found at:
http://bit.ly/1WoYO1

Comparison table of all 280 Group certs at:
http://www.280group.com/cpm/280certs.pdf.

NOTE: The $300 special offers for the AIPMM CPM/CPMM and Agile CPM as well as
the $500 specials for the 280 Group Blackblot training course and cert are still
good, but expire shortly.

#434

From: "Brian" <brian@...>
Date: Thu Oct 15, 2009 1:11 am
Subject: Competitive Analysis Toolkit Released

brian_lawley...

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We are very excited to announce the release of our newest product: The
Competitive Analysis Toolkit(tm) http://bit.ly/3oXJG4. The competitive analysis
toolkit is a comprehensive set of templates and a narrated training course that
will help you to quickly and thoroughly tear apart your competition in record
time.

We are also releasing version 2.0 of our award-winning Product Management
Office� Professional. Version 2.0 adds the competitive analysis toolkit to give
you all seven of our toolkits (Product Manager's, Roadmaps, Launches, Product
Reviews, Beta Programs, Competitive Analysis and Developer Programs - a total of
183 templates and six narrated training presentations).

Using the knowledge you gain and the contents of the competitive toolkit you
will be able to:

- Brief your team and executives thoroughly to show you are a market expert

- Build a reality-based strategy for your product to win

- Do more effective product, roadmap and marketing planning

- Arm your sales force with excellent competitive selling tools

What's included in the competitive toolkit:

1.) 50 slide narrated training presentation "How to tear apart your competition"

2.) 17 templates:

Company backgrounder (for each competitor)
Win Loss Summary Chart (for each competitor)
Industry Life Cycle Model
BCG Matrix
Porter's Competitive Five Forces Model
Performance Grid
Positioning Statement & Matrices
Competitive Scope and Differentiation
Competitive Feature Matrix Comparison Chart
SWOT Analysis
Market & Strategy Roadmaps
Internal Company Presentation of Findings
Executive Summary
Product Benefits Comparison Template
Added Value Matrix
External Presentation
Competitive Comparison Sales Tool


3.) Samples:

Porter's Competitive Five Forces Model
Positioning Statement & Matrices
Win/Loss Summary Chart
Competitive Comparison Sales Tool
Competitive Scope and Differentiation
Industry Life Cycle Model
Market & Strategy Roadmaps
SWOT Analysis


For full details on the toolkit or to purchase it for only $99 go to:
http://bit.ly/3oXJG4

#433

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:28 am
Subject: Blackblot - Product Management Expertise // Update

gabriel_stei...

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Here are the latest updates:

· Blackblot is pleased to inform the signing of a book publishing deal with the reputable publishing house of Springer Science+Business Media from Germany. The book, named “The Product Manager’s Toolkit: Methodology, Processes and Tasks in High-Tech Product Management”, will embody the Blackblot product management body of knowledge (including PMTK) and is expected to be available during late Q4 2009. Discounted pre-ordering is presently available from Amazon.com. Please visit the PMTK book page.

· The new “Blackblot BPMP” private group allows “Blackblot Product Management Professional™” certified individuals to communicate with each other, and provides a way for hiring managers and recruiters to identify and locate competent professionals for future product management opportunities. The group is available via LinkedIn. Group membership is by invitation and available only to Blackblot BPMP certified individuals.

· Ms. Shimrit Marom has joined Blackblot as a marketing manager. Fluent in Hebrew, English, French and conversational German, Ms. Marom will focus on promoting Blackblot’s services worldwide. Please feel free to contact her via her shimrit.marom@... email address.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Blackblot - Product Management Expertise™

#432

From: ILPM@yahoogroups.com
Date: Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:40 am
Subject: New file uploaded to ILPM

ILPM@yahoogroups.com

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the ILPM
group.

   File        : /Jobs/Job_Seekers/CV_Meir_Lavie.pdf
   Uploaded by : gabriel_steinhardt <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
   Description : Meir_Lavie_Product_Manager

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ILPM/files/Jobs/Job_Seekers/CV_Meir_Lavie.pdf

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/general.htmlfiles

Regards,

gabriel_steinhardt <gabriel.steinhardt@...>

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (12)

#431

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Mon May 18, 2009 8:49 am
Subject: The Ten Biggest Tech Failures Of The Last Decade

gabriel_stei...

Offline

See http://247wallst.com/2009/05/12/the-ten-biggest-tech-failures-of-the-last-decade/ .

Interesting information. Thanks to Dave Dersh from 280 Group for the tip.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Blackblot - Product Management Expertise™

#430

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Sun May 10, 2009 8:26 am
Subject: Blackblot - Product Management Expertise // Update

gabriel_stei...

Offline

Here are the latest updates:

� Blackblot signs a content licensing agreement with BizMap Consulting of India. See press release.

� Blackblot signs a content licensing agreement (for South-America) with Lucrum Marketing of USA. See press release.

� Blackblot signs a content licensing agreement (for South-America) with NPD Strategy of Mexico. See press release.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Blackblot � Product Management Expertise�

#429

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Sun May 10, 2009 8:26 am
Subject: Blackblot - Product Management Expertise // Update

gabriel_stei...

Offline

Here are the latest updates:

� Blackblot signs a content licensing agreement with BizMap Consulting of India. See press release.

� Blackblot signs a content licensing agreement (for South-America) with Lucrum Marketing of USA. See press release.

� Blackblot signs a content licensing agreement (for South-America) with NPD Strategy of Mexico. See press release.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Blackblot � Product Management Expertise�

#428

From: ILPM@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:35 am
Subject: New file uploaded to ILPM

ILPM@yahoogroups.com

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the ILPM
group.

   File        :
/Jobs/Job_Opportunities/Product_Manager_Afimilk_Kibbutz_Afikim.pdf
   Uploaded by : gabriel_steinhardt <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
   Description : Product_Manager_Afimilk_Kibbutz_Afikim

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ILPM/files/Jobs/Job_Opportunities/Product_Manager_\
Afimilk_Kibbutz_Afikim.pdf

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/web/index.htmlfiles

Regards,

gabriel_steinhardt <gabriel.steinhardt@...>

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (12)

#427

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:52 pm
Subject: FW: New posts from How To Be A Good Product Manager

gabriel_stei...

Offline

Define the problem before solving it

FYI.

Posted: 09 Mar 2009 08:00 PM PDT

If you want to be a bad product manager, don’t worry as much about defining the problem as quickly finding the solution. Problems are usually very obvious and clear, and any time you spend dwelling on it is wasted time that could be spent on solving it. The sooner you start solving the problem, the soon you’ll have it figured out. How hard is it to define a problem, anyway?

If you want to be a good product manager, get a good understanding of the problem before you try and solve it. Product managers and many others unfortunately assume the problem is evident and jump right to solving it. However, ill-defined problems lead to ill-defined solutions.

Albert Einstein purportedly said that, given one hour to save the world, he would spend 55 minutes defining the problem and 5 minutes finding the solution.

One of the most important aspects of defining the problem is to “size” the problem properly. If you define the problem too narrowly, your possible solutions may be very limited and uncreative. If you define the problem too broadly, your solutions may be out of scope and irrelevant to the business context.

For example, pretend you are a product manager for a technology company which provides communication solutions for consumers. You are looking to identify unmet needs which your organization may be able to solve. This may seem very straightforward — simply talk with customers and prospects to identify unresolved problems, right? However, different definitions of the problem could produce drastically different solutions:

Taking a very narrow view — “people have problems communicating using email” — would lead to a very specific solution. Google’s GMail was developed based on observed problems users had with organizing and effectively using email. The scope was intentionally limited and focused on email and email alone.
Taking a slightly broader view — “people have problems communicating online” — would lead to a wider variety of different insights and potential solutions. Twitter and Facebook are two examples of solutions which fulfill the need to communicate online. They are different ways of communicating — not just email, obviously — though the focus is limited to web-based solutions.
Taking a very broad view — “people need a better way of communicating” — would open up an extremely wide range of potential solutions, not limited just to the web. This could include any of the above examples as well as other solutions like OnStar and push-to-talk on mobile phones.

This is not to say that any one approach is better than the other. How you define the problem depends on your organization, your market, and your overall strategy. An automobile company may define the problem space related to transportation in a different way than a conglomerate whose products range from bicycles and motorcycles to airplanes and subway cars.

Going too far in either extreme may be unproductive and inefficient in many situations. Defining the problem too narrowly may inevitably only lead to incremental enhancements when broader innovations are desired. Similarly, defining the problem too broadly may produce irrelevant ideas which do not fit with the corporate strategy and which would never be pursued by the organization.

Product managers need to avoid the rush to write requirements and add features without having a clear understanding of what they are doing and why. Even problems which may seem clear can benefit from a fresh look and a new perspective. Qualitative research can help refine and redefine issues products are facing and uncover new ways to look at the market — and it need not take months of work and thousands of dollars to be effective.

As with many apsects of product management, extra time and effort up front defining the problem can save time and effort down the road. Framing a problem properly can help product managers balance their innovation efforts, focus research and customer understanding, and help clearly define their product and portfolio roadmap.

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (2)

#426

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:33 am
Subject: "No Time Marketing" - new book from Alyssa Dver

gabriel_stei...

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Ms. Alyssa Dver, instructor for the USA's east-coast with the 280 Group (Blackblot's partner in the USA) and author of "Software Product Management Essentials", has a new book called "No Time Marketing". For more information, please visit www.notimemarketing.com .

Thanks and Best Regards,

Blackblot - Product Management Expertise™

#425

From: Jacques Murphy <jacquesm@...>
Date: Fri Jan 9, 2009 5:19 pm
Subject: Product Management Challenges - New for 2009

jacquesm@...

Even in the best of times, software product managers face a range of challenges
as they work to advance their software product in the marketplace. How do you
add new features faster? How do you make the product compete better? How can you
help put the power in the marketing message and the oomph in the sales force?

But these are decidedly not the best of times. On top of the usual challenges,
we are facing threats to our products, companies, and our jobs. This is a time
to call on insight and advice, right when you most need it, to help you get
better results in 2009.

The Product Management Challenges newsletter is now a website at:

www.ProductManagementChallenges.com

This rich source of information has over 118 articles on aspects of software
product management ranging from product requirements to marketing, sales, and
development.

OFFER TO CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS

This valuable content is now available as a paid subscription, and as a
subscriber to the previous email newsletter, you can subscribe at a discount.
You can get a one-year subscription for the six-month price.

Take a look at the great material at www.ProductManagementChallenges.com.
You’ll see no advertisements. Instead, it is one hundred percent content.

MORE VALUABLE CONTENT IS ON THE WAY

Coming up, there will be an interview with Alyssa Dver, author of the popular
book, Software Product Management Essentials, about her hot-off-the-press book
called No Time Marketing.

I will be interviewing Jon Kern, signer of the Agile Manifesto, on his keys to
successful software development.

And I think I have hit upon a winning approach to make product management more
successful, inspired by the model used to great effect by the Business
Continuity and Disaster Recovery industry. This will be the subject of a series
of compelling articles over the course of the next year.

Product management is challenging, but when you are successful at it, the
rewards are worth it.

Cordially,

Jacques Murphy
Founder and Editor
ProductManagementChallenges.com

Tel: 215 605 1088 (Eastern US time zone, a mobile phone)
Email: jacques.murphy@...


SPECIAL OFFER TO EMAIL NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS

This email is going out to subscribers to the free email newsletter - and thank
you so much for subscribing! This is an opportunity to be one of the first to
get the benefit of the content on ProductManagementChallenges.com.

I invite you to subscribe, and when you do, your subscription will be
discounted. Instead of the regular annual subscription price of 75.00 US
dollars, when you subscribe for six months at the price of 50.00 US dollars, I
will extend your subscription to last for one year.

TO SUBSCRIBE

1. Go to www.ProductManagementChallenges.com

2. In the Log In area at the top right of the screen, click Subscribe and follow
the steps.

3. You can make your payment by credit card or using your PayPal account.

**Note: You click the PayPal button even when paying by credit card.**

I hope this great product management resource serves you well for years to come!

HOW THE SPECIAL DISCOUNT WILL WORK - SPECIFICS

When you subscribe, select the option for half a year at 50.00 US dollars. You
will receive a standard set of emails indicating that you are a registered user
and that your payment has been processed. Within two US business days following
that, the expiration date on your user account will be extended to one year from
the date you subscribed. You will receive an email confirming that fact.

For questions or any issues, contact Jacques Murphy at the telephone or email
specified in the signature line above.

SOME ARTICLES OF TIMELY INTEREST

Here are a few articles that came to mind when I wrote this email. You can find
the articles by going to the Category (shown in parentheses below) listed in the
right sidebar of the site.

Product Research in Today's Tough Times (Technology Marketing)

Launching a Product: It's Not Development (Product Management)

Influence: It’s Under Your Control (Free Articles, General Helpful Topics)


Copyright (c) 2009 Jacques Murphy

#424

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Mon Jan 5, 2009 6:37 am
Subject: The Dot Com archive

gabriel_stei...

Offline

http://dotcomarchive.org/

The Dot Com archive, for those who want to reminisce and learn ...

#423

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Tue Dec 9, 2008 4:30 am
Subject: Recession Proof Your Product Management Career - Product Management View Webinar

gabriel_stei...

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"Recession-Proofing Your Product Management Career" with Brian Lawley

Wednesday - December 10, 2008 - 12:00-1:00 EST

Webinar Summary:

Given the turbulence of the stock market and the uncertainty facing the global economy now is the time to take action to make sure you do everything possible to ensure your future is as secure as possible. Unfortunately Product Management and Product Marketing are often the first areas that are cut due to tough times, resulting in unplanned job hunts for those who are forced to leave and significant extra work for those who remain.

This seminar will help you create a specific plan of action that you can implement immediately to minimize the chances that you will lose your job, maximize the chances of finding a great new opportunity if you need to and handle the stress and increased workload if others are laid off and you have to take over their responsibilities. As a result you will be in a much stronger position should the economy continue to slow and your company takes action accordingly.

Speaker Bio:

Brian Lawley is the CEO and founder of the 280 Group, which provides consulting, contractors, training and templates. During the last twenty years of his career he has focused on Product Management and Product Marketing and has shipped more than fifty successful products. He is the former President of the Silicon Valley Product Management Association, won the 2008 AIPMM award for Excellence in Thought Leadership for Product Management and is the author of the best-selling book, Expert Product Management. Mr. Lawley has been featured on CNBC's World Business Review and the Silicon Valley Business Report and writes articles for a variety of publications including the Product Management 2.0 newsletter and Blog.

Webinar Presenter:

Brian Lawley

CEO & Founder

280 Group

Wednesday

December 10th, 2008
12:00 - 1:00pm EST

#422

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Mon Dec 1, 2008 4:00 pm
Subject: Seeking an expert in FocalPoint

gabriel_stei...

Offline

Managing Director | +972-54-6860473 | www.blackblot.com

I am seeking an expert in FocalPoint (a requirements management software from Telelogic) for a small project. Referrals welcome. Please contact me directly at info@... or +972-54-6860473 .

Thanks and Best Regards,

Gabriel Steinhardt

Blackblot - Product Management Expertise™

Adapt your product management practice

#421

From: David Teich <teich_communications@...>
Date: Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:22 pm
Subject: Re: The top fifty all time worst cars

teich_commun...

New posts from How To Be A Good Product Manager

Link to How To Be A Good Product Manager

Posted: 04 Sep 2008 06:02 PM CDT

If you want to be a bad product manager, dogmatically follow product management rules. Learn a product management framework and abide by it it no matter what. Product managers need to “stick to their guns” and never give in. Thought leaders, authors, and consultants are experts and you should follow their advice without question.

If you want to be a good product manager, adapt your practices to the organization and situation. Product management is not (yet) an advanced science. Instead of laws and rules, we have guidelines and experiences to guide us. While it is in the best interest of a product manager to identify and follow best practices whenever possible, these are not absolute rules. What works effectively in one organization may not work for another, and a good product manager needs to identify what will make him or her most effective and change tactics accordingly.

Marty Cagan argues that the “product management model” which may work best in a company depends on several factors, including the type of product, the product development process, the role of product management, the size of the organization, and the company culture. Beyond that, it is important to realize that these elements are interrelated as well. For example, the “best” product development process for an organization will depend on these other factors. What works well for a large, formal company with established product management may not work well for a small informal startup where product management is just getting started.

Many product managers — especially new ones — are looking for a strict guide to follow which will lead them to product management success. Unfortunately, we do not have one yet, and it seems unlikely that one will be established in the near future, given the multitude of variations that exist. Those who expect to be given a prescribed plan are often frustrated at the lack of direction and afraid they are failing in their product management duties.

As a product manager, you should not look for the perfect model, or feel guilty if you are not doing things the exact way that the experts / consultants / authors / bloggers (including this one) prescribe. Instead, focus on understanding the needs of the organization and the market, and put yourself in a position to make the most impact.

Maybe the type of requirements document that works “best” for your situation is different than what the training prescribed; what really matters is whether it will meet the needs of the engineers and the team.
Maybe your Win/Loss Analysis can not follow a traditional structure due to the nature of your customers and how they make purchase decisions; what really matters is whether you can collect the relevant data which will help improve your product and sales process.
Maybe you are not able to tackle all of the aspects of your chosen product management framework at once; what really matters is whether you are focusing on the areas which will have the biggest impact initially.

These should not necessarily be looked at as faults that need to be corrected. Instead, they could just be the nature of the situation and represent the best possible response.

Regardless of the situation, product managers should still focus on continuous improvement, possibly even developing a plan which addresses areas on which to focus. A good product manager will concentrate less on comparing himself or herself to other product managers, and more on what is best for the company, the product development team, the market and the customers.

Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (2)

#409

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Fri Aug 29, 2008 10:38 am
Subject: Blackblot - Product Management Expertise� // Update

gabriel_stei...

Offline

Here are the latest updates:

� New "Project" web page added, describing Blackblot's PMTK implementation project service for high-tech companies. See Project page.

� LinkedIn has added group discussion features that enable group members to discuss topics of mutual professional interest. Membership in the "Blackblot Alumni" private LinkedIn group is available only to Blackblot product management training graduates and associates. Please feel free to join if you are a Blackblot curriculum training graduate. The invitation link is: https://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/2042/044E41346915/ .

Thanks and Best Regards,

Blackblot � Product Management Expertise�

#408

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Sun Aug 17, 2008 3:41 pm
Subject: Book: Product Manager�s Desk Reference

gabriel_stei...

Offline

New book on product management from Steven Haines. See it here.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Blackblot - Product Management Expertise�

#407

From: "Gabriel Steinhardt" <gabriel.steinhardt@...>
Date: Mon Aug 4, 2008 5:15 am
Subject: Blackblot - Product Management Expertise // Update

gabriel_stei...

Offline

Here are the latest updates:

� �Blackblot Product Manager�s Toolkit�� (PMTK) version 3.5 is now available. See the PMTK page.

o View the changes and additions in PMTK version 3.5. See the update history list.

o After nearly eight years of continuous development and feedback from over two thousand corporate and individual users worldwide, PMTK version 3.5 is the most comprehensive and mature version of PMTK to date.

� New �Workshop� web page added, describing Blackblot�s onsite facilitation workshop. See Workshop page.

Special note of gratitude is extended to Mr. Dan Stadler, a product management expert and technology business advisor, for his invaluable contribution.

Thanks and Best Regards,

Blackblot � Product Management Expertise�