As acquisitions continue to dominate the technology industry, the typical challenges of product management have been magnified. 

Take five minutes and participate in ZIGZAG Marketing's five question survey of post acquisition issues to find out how your organization compares to others that have traveled a similar path.  Results will be posted within 30 days.

Click here to participate in this short survey.

Click here to download our white paper – Post Acquisition Paralysis:  A Five Point Wellness Plan.

There is a new job listings group on Yahoo focused exclusively on
Product Management and Product Marketing called pm_jobs. The Yahoo
pm_jobs group is the BEST place to find and post Product Marketing &
Product Management job listings.  Joining the group and posting jobs is free.

There are already over 60 recent PM positions posted.

To join simply go to http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/pm_jobs/join

The final Tampa Bay PDMA chapter meeting of 2007 will be held in the King Palm room at the Quorum hotel on Wednesday, November 7, at 6:00PM.

Program:

1.   Chapter President Kirsten Jepson will recap the latest news from the 2007 PDMA National Conference and Chapter President's meeting held in Orlando last month.

2.   Get yourself revved up to make changes for new success in 2008!  Leadership author Debbie Lundberg will lead an interactive presentation:

Product One is You!

What are you good at selling?  You are in sales, you know!  Before you can sell a product or idea, you must know how to sell you.  You are your first and best product.  Everything from how to introduce yourself and remember names while others remember yours, to email and verbal communication, will be covered in the session.

It is important to learn how to present yourself in all situations including the phone, in letters and in person and by doing so, you are selling yourself.  Most successful sales careers are based on relationships, and to get into a healthy relationship, you have to bring a product, you, that is appealing and contributing.

It is appropriate for participants to quickly realize subtle and great changes to share the best of their product (you) offering, so join us for this interactive session on November 7, 2007 with Debbie Lundberg!

Refreshments:

Pub fare and beverages will be served

Admission:

Before 11/05/07:                                         On or After 11/05/07:

PDMA Members - $20                                 PDMA Members - $30

Non-Members - $30                                     Non-Members - $40

Students - $10                                               Students - $20

Registration:

Register now on RegOnline at:

www.regonline.com/159761

Questions:

Contact Mike Presta (813-123-4567) or Doug Robinson (727-123-4567) if you have any questions

Please forward this message on to your PM Colleagues.

Brian Lawley of the 280 Group will be holding a Webinar on
Wed Oct 10th on the topic of:
"PM Productivity: How to get twice as much done in
half the time"

Here is an overview:

As a Product Manager, you will always have far more
work than you can possibly accomplish. Between
thinking strategically to executing the day-to-day
tactical work required for product success, there is
always a full list of to-do items and plenty of requests that
go unfulfilled. This webinar will show you strategies and
tactics for being more productive, with the goal of
increasing your output and freeing up your time
for high-level tasks, while at the same time reducing
your overall stress level.

For more information and to sign up go here:
http://community.featureplan.com/community/2007/10/webinar_october_10_pm_product\
ivity.php

I'm the hiring manager on this one.  The product focus is the company intranet, and the role is heavy on the marketing, communication, and coordination side. Works closely with product manager, project managers, and dev within IT, as well as company-wide intranet authors, and personnel across the organization. The intranet touches all.

The job description is for a Prod Mgr I, but I am considering a range of qualified candidates and looking for the best win-win fit.

Position Summary
Under general supervision, uses fundamental product management knowledge and skills obtained through education and experience to provide product management, market analysis and intranet website creation and maintenance in an assigned functional area. Leads defined projects of moderate scope and complexity and serves as an advisor on smaller, internal products. Guidance is provided to perform varied sometimes complex, activities that require some evaluation, originality and ingenuity in making moderately complex decisions. Regular contact with internal customers is required to identify, research, and resolve problems in selling or servicing products.

Position Responsibilities
Manages the Content Management System (CMS); selecting, implementing, testing system updates, setting requirements and providing directions to IT.
Coordinates the updating of content between various parties; writing, creating, maintaining, auditing, reviewing and migration from other systems.
Develops, maintains and manages the necessary infrastructure for content publication including policies, process and procedures.
Creates and maintains standards to ensure quality control of the content on the Intranet, working in partnership with Business Units and Divisional site administrators and content owners to enforce content-editorial policy and corporate identity guidelines.
Partners and liaisons with various business units to identify opportunities and implement solutions that drive usage, streamline processes and facilitate communications, ultimately developing goals and strategies for future content growth.
Manages the development and implementation of site layout, page design and standards.
Manages the implementation of intranet initiatives.
Reviews and analyzes employee feedback and site metrics on an ongoing basis, taking action where appropriate to drive usage and enhance content.
Works with the Internal Communications team to develop change management and launch communications plans as necessary.
Supports the implementation of employee communication initiatives including quarterly employee updates, employee cascades, electronic newsletters and special projects.  
Assists in specifying detailed product requirements for current and future systems.
Performs needs analysis on intranet to track usage, trends, content quality and recommends improvements.
Performs user interface design tasks including: creating paper mock ups, design walk-through and draft UI design documents.
Develops and delivers training, both group and one-on-one, and provide advice and operational support to Intranet content authors.
Delivers periodic updates to management on intranet status and key initiatives.
Represents assigned functional area at meetings, as required.
Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Required Experience
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Knowledge of:
Fundamental concepts, practices, and procedures of marketing and product management.
Intranet websites.
Fundamentals concepts, practices and procedures of web technology.
Fundamental concepts, practices and procedures of HTML and ASP.
Fundamental concepts, practices and procedures of design software and web implementation tools/languages.

Skill in:
Developing and implementing marketing campaigns for internal investment products and services.  
Customizing and coordinating the dissemination of communication programs.
Performing market research, identifying market segments and specifying product requirements.  
Creating and maintaining intranet websites.
Operating standard office equipment and using required software applications to produce documents such as reports, graphics, electronic communication, spreadsheets, and databases.

Ability to:
Prioritize and work concurrently on multiple assignments to meet conflicting deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.  
Work as part of a team
Build and maintain relationships with business partners.
Provide a high level of customer service
Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with all organizational levels.


Educational/Previous Experience Recommendations:
Bachelors Degree in communications, marketing or business related field and a minimum of three (3) to five (5) years of marketing or product management experience in the financial services industry.
~or~
An equivalent combination of experience, education, and/or training approved by Human Resources.

Both of the recent postings for positions with MIVA are located in Fort Myers,
FL.
www.miva.com

Please submit resumes to jobsdirect@...
with the subject header "Product Manager, Primary Traffic - MIVA Ad Network"

Please submit resumes to jobsdirect@...
with subject header "Product Line Manager, MIVA Ad Network"

Description

MIVA is one of the pioneers of the online pay per click advertising industry (formerly FindWhat.com), and the MIVA Ad Network continues to be a strong complimentary offering to Google and Yahoo advertising campaigns for large direct advertisers, small & medium businesses, and agencies.  MIVA team members benefit from the opportunity to work in one of the hottest high tech sectors, for a global company with offices in Fort Myers (FL), New York, London, Paris, Munich, and Milan.

The MIVA Ad Network is seeking a Product Line Manager to lead the management of their advertising product line.  The qualified candidate is both a strong individual contributor and a leader with 7+ years product management experience, preferably with experience managing web products/sites, and in the online advertising or search marketing industry.

Responsibilities

The Product Line Manager is responsible for driving the product line strategy and roadmap based on an intimate understanding of the market, customers, and the competitive industry.  He or she will work with product managers, product marketing, corporate marketing, sales and operations, and the technology teams to drive the commercial success of the product.  Product Managers and the Product Line Manager will leverage customer and market facing best practices in the management and ownership of;

–        Market qualitative and quantitative analysis and market segmentation

–        Product strategy including prioritization based on quantifiable expected return

–        Product Planning (positioning, market requirements, product roadmap, user personas, use scenarios, and release milestones)

Qualifications

–        7+ years direct experience in product management

–        Strongly prefer 3-5 years experience product management at an internet company (experience with online advertising / search marketing a significant plus)

–        3+ years experience managing a team

–        Experience in market analysis, segmentation, and product positioning

–        Proven track record of transforming customers and market needs into product requirements

–        Strong written and verbal communications skills with experience writing market requirements documents, business plans, and business cases

–        Undergraduate degree in engineering, MBA strongly preferred

–        Pragmatic marketing certified or course experience preferred

–        Vertical industry knowledge in Travel, Finance, Insurance, Health and Pharmaceutical considered an asset

FeaturePlan is proud to be a sponsor of the Product Development and Management Association's (PDMA) International Conference this October in Orlando, Florida.

PDMA International Conference
"Innovation Connection 2007"

• The most comprehensive information on the process of innovation in new product development
• The most sought after education on research, tools and best practices on the process of innovation in new product development
• The most unique experience you will have that encourages dialogue, facilitates networking and promotes innovation

Information.  Education.  Experience.

Highlights:

Keynotes:

Marissa Meyer, VP Search Products and User Experience, Google; Martin Schlatter, VP & Global Chief Marketing Officer, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company; Alex Wipperfurth, Author of Brand Hijack, Marketing Without Marketing

Gurus:

Paul Bennett, Chief Creative Officer & Head of Consumer Experience, IDEO; Joe Ferry, Global Head of Design, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.

Hot Topics:

The Green Market: A Real Business and Innovation Opportunity; Voice of the Customer: Helping or Hurting Creativity?

Tool Story:

Spiraling Up the Portfolio Management Maturity Curve; Technology Management Tools for Effective Decision-Making: Leveraging Strategic and Tactical Knowledge Assets and Applying the Right Level of Process Discipline

And so much more...

It happens only at PDMA International Conference. As a sponsor, we are pleased to offer the benefit of a discounted rate. Simply visit the event website at www.pdma.org/2007 and enter the code "RTS07" for a discounted savings of 20% off the full conference registration price, or call 1.866.223.2579

Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the leading global provider of software
and related services designed specifically for nonprofit
organizations. Over the past 25 years, Blackbaud has achieved
success by providing innovative technology solutions that help
nonprofits meet their most critical challenges.

We are currently seeking Product Management professionals to join
our growing company. If you are interested in learning more about
these opportunities, please copy and paste the linke below to visit
our home page. Thanks, and we look forward to learning more about
how you can add value to our team!

http://career.pereless.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=75022.viewjobdetail&CID=75022&JID=43342&BUID=1519&source=T
ampaPMA

Best regards,

Susan McGaha
Corporate Recruiter – Human Resources
___________________________________________________
Blackbaud, Inc.
2000 Daniel Island Drive
Charleston, SC 29492
Phone 843.216.6200, ext. 3537 | Fax 843.216.6101
Susan.McGaha@... | www.blackbaud.com

There are a couple of new resources from the 280 Group available to
help you get better reviews for your products.

The first is a complimentary white paper on the Top 10 Product
Review Program Mistakes. You can download the white paper at:
http://www.280group.com/whitepapers.htm

The second resource is the Product Review Program Toolkit. In
addition to the whitepaper, you get a 37 slide narrated presentation
that teaches you how to run a review program as well as 15
templates (review program plan, reviewer's guide, press release
press kit checklist, press presentation and others) and a 30
minute consultation with the 280 Group.

To learn more about the Product Review Toolkit, go to:
http://www.280group.com/reviewersguidetemplate.htm

About the 280 Group
The 280 Group LLC provides Product Marketing and Product
Management Consulting, Contractors, Training and Templates
to help companies define, launch and market breakthrough
new products.

Keith Boswell saw this on the SiliconValley PM board and shared...

Does anyone know of studies or benchmarks for ratios of employees in a
> product development organization? I'm talking about ratios of product
> managers to engineers to QA to UI designers to architects etc.

Beyond, of course, saying that it will always depend on a variety of
factors, here's what Marty Cagan of the Silicon Valley Product Group
has to say (from http://www.svpg.com/blog/files/roles_and_ratios.html)

Engineers: One product manager for every 6-10 engineers
Designers: Think 1:4:8, where one visual designer supports 4
interaction designers, and each interaction designer supports 2
product managers.

These numbers are within the range of my own experience, though I'd
lean towards more designers (interaction design, visual design,
information architecture, etc.) per product manager if given the
option.

For engineers to QA, the numbers seem to vary more widely, depending
on how involved your QA staff is and their level of knowledge:
http://www.testingreflections.com/node/view/298

I don't know of any information on architects, though in my experience
it's been about one architect for every 5-15 developers. The lower end
(1 architect : 5 developers) has been for newer product development
efforts that require more hands-on architecture; the higher end (1
architect : 15 developers) has been for more ongoing management or
development of more stable or legacy technologies.

As with anything, your mileage will vary...

Jeff
--

Host: Mike Presta

Location: Verizon Information Technology
One E. Telecom Park, Temple Terrace, FL 33637

When:  Wednesday, July 25, 6:00PM

Phone: 813-366-4611

The next regular meeting of the Tampa Bay chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) will be held on Wednesday, July 25, at 6:30PM. The meeting is being hosted at the Verizon Information Technology Services data center located at:
One E. Telecom Park, Temple Terrace FL  33637. 

Product Management Expert, FeaturePlan Professional Services Group

We are looking for senior software product managers to join our professional services group as product management experts.  Key activities include "best practice" product management consulting, FeaturePlan customer demonstrations, implementations, consulting and training.

Full Description at http://www.featureplan.com/ryma/pmepsg.html

Software Sales Representative, FeaturePlan

We are looking for senior software Sales Representatives located in both east and west coast of USA or Canada.  Hunters only apply!

Full Description at http://www.featureplan.com/ryma/ssr.html

Account and Business Development Manager, FeaturePlan

We are looking for account managers to join our business development team to manage the successful deployments of FeaturePlan and sell our other products and services to our customer base.

Full Description at http://www.featureplan.com/ryma/bizdev.html

Information on FeaturePlan:

Ryma Technology Solutions is the maker of FeaturePlan, which is requirements management software built for software product management. FeaturePlan takes market information and turns it into product requirements, helping product management build products that are better aligned with customer and market needs.

Based on the industry-standard Pragmatic Marketing framework, this enterprise software helps implement a more efficient product management process in the organization. 

http://www.featureplan.com/

The Tampa Bay Chapter of the Product Development and Management
Association (PDMA) proudly presents the 2007 Tampa Bay Product
Development and Management Forum.

Mark your calendars for Friday, August 17, when the Tampa Bay
chapter of the PDMA will present its second annual event on
development and management of products and services.

The Forum will be held on the 9th floor of the Vaughn Center on the
University of Tampa campus.  Featuring impressive views of the Tampa
skyline, the Vaughn center is a premier event location.  This
year's  program is entitled: "The Product Life Cycle" and guest
speakers will present on each phase: Development, Launch, Growth,
Maturity and Retirement .  An interactive panel discussion will
follow the presentations.

This year's Forum will be a full day event and the speaker list is
being finalized.  Along with the speakers, there will be plenty of
time for networking and sharing best practices with fellow
attendees.

Registration details, including event fees, agenda and speaker list,
will be coming soon but be sure to mark the date: Friday, August
17 .

Speaker recommendations are still being accepted so anyone that is
interested in presenting at this year's Forum, please contact Mike
Presta at: 813-366-4611 or email: michael.presta@...

Members:

I am seeking assistance with a formal research project I am
conducting as part of my doctoral dissertation. Participation
involves completing an anonymous web-based survey approximately 20
minutes in length. The survey is targeted for individuals involved
in the creation and marketing of computer and / or information
technology based product and services (software, business IT and
consumer electronics for example) destined (but not limited to) the
U.S. Market.

If you should happen to fit this requirement or know of others that
do, please consider participating by completing the survey and/or
forwarding this invite to any and all other qualified individuals
you may know. The quality of results achieved is highly dependent
upon achieving a large number of responses which is proving to be
challenging. Therefore each and every participant is highly valued
and your support in reaching qualified individuals will be greatly
appreciated.

The research is focused on identifying hidden organizational
barriers to innovation and this study specifically examines the
relationship between organizational trust, knowledge diversity, and
new product success. The results will provide new insights into
actions that can be taken to improve an organization's return on
investments made in new product efforts. Therefore individual
participation and support of this effort will make a valued
contribution to general knowledge useful to almost all
organizations.

Additional information about the study and access instructions can
be found at the following link (click if active or cut and paste the
link into your browser).
http://survey.innovationoxygen.net/index.php?sid=4 .

The survey will remain open at the above link for only a short time.
An aggregated summary of responses will be then be posted a few
weeks later on www.innovationoxygen.net for participants and other
interested parties. The detailed analysis and interpretation of the
results will be published later this summer as part of the
dissertation which will be publicly available through most
university libraries.

If there are any questions or comments about the survey, process, or
subject of the study, you can reach me by e-mail at the address
below.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated,

Dan Lewis
Doctoral Candidate – Capella University
surveyadmin@...

Join TBTF for our annual Party with a Purpose as we invade Raymond James Stadium! You'll experience great food, music, dancing, and our incredible silent auction. Bring your checkbook – you'll want to bid generously on the amazing items our volunteer team has collected this year.

So invite a big group of your colleagues, customers, and friends to this spectacularly fun annual tradition. Literally everyone who is anyone in Tampa Bay's tech community turns out for the Tech Jam. We can't wait to see you there!

Take this opportunity to register now!  Tickets are $30.  Proceeds from ticket sales, silent auction items, and sponsorships will fund the TBTF Foundation.

More information about the TBTF Tech Jam 

A big hat-tip to Keith Boswell of Triangle PMA group  in Research Triangle Park, NC. I was part of the triangle group for the past five years, and Keith suggested I could use any of the templates or files that they have on file.

I've combined those with a new files and links, and resulting in a PM book library, 17 new links, and 19 new files added to the Tampa Bay PMA site. Some of the templates are dated, and I encourage members to suggest other helpful resources or links.

I've also uploaded a new member letter, with a tour of offerings, and guidelines concerning posting jobs. Please take a fresh look around the site, and let me know if you have questions or suggestions, at tampabaypma-owner@yahoogroups.com.

Don

Hello,

I am new to FL, as well as the Tampa Bay PMA.

I have over 7 years experience managing commercial software products,
and a few more years experience in technical writing and project
management.

I have introduced and marketed new products in the media, publishing,
pharmaceutical and financial services industry. The types of products
I have held worked on are digital asset management, enterprise content
management, medical communications, electronic submissions of adverse
events, and financial market data products. I have worked mostly on
web-based services and solutions.

I am relocating to Orlando to support my wife in her new position at
UCF. I have a brand new son, which has made life really exciting!

I am looking for product management, marketing management or account
management opportunities in Orlando. My linked in profile is:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/swish7

Thank you,
Pete Swisher

I can never get enough input on managing feature bloat...

Webinar, May 16 - Controlling Feature Bloat in Your Products with Rishi Bhargava

 Rishi Bhargava, Director of Product Management, Solidcore Systems Inc.

http://www.featureplan.com/community/2006/07/controlling_the_feature_bloat.asp

passing along a topical article...

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Product Managers
By Alyssa Dver

Product management is the most contradicting of all professions. Product Managers
(PMs) need to be product experts and perpetual students. They are accountable for
the business with the limited tool of influence. They must be creative, articulate
multimedia marketers, and yet able to speak technology, finance, and legal-ese. No
wonder there are so few great Product Managers.
After 20 years researching and working with all types of Product Managers, it is
evident what distinguishes a good Product Manager from a great one. Here I boil it
down to 7 key attributes:

1. Great Product Managers know their product but also knows their own
limits.
Obviously, a PM needs to know as much about the product as possible
including the customers and their use of the product, the competition, the pricing,
! etc. This doesn't mean that the PM should know the details of the code or database
schema. Nothing ticks off engineers like a know-it-all PM. Yes, the PM should be
aware of the overall architecture, what language or toolkit was used, any standards
supported, and interoperability requirements. However, leave the development
details to the pros. A PM will be more respected for it.

2. A great Product Manager listens first.
A PM's job is to evangelize but the biggest failure in doing this is to assume
too much about your audience. Engage and educate people by listening to them
first. A great PM will find out specifically what their audience wants to know and
the best way to deliver it.

3. Great Product Managers ask why, not what.
Great PMs know not to jump on every suggestion made for a product
enhancement or pricing adjustment. They ask why the change is important before
expending valuable time and resources. Only th! e answers to "why" can expose if
there is already a less obvious so lution or if there are other ways to address the
opportunity.

4. Great Product Managers are decisive.
PMs must make decisions regularly and as such, they should be firm and
ready to defend their decisions. Great PMs get data when it's available and if not,
they acknowledge that it is the best decision under the circumstances. They also are
prepared to change their decision if more information becomes available and the
change is yet positive.

5. Great Product Managers are responsive.
Let people know that you aren't ignoring them. When unresponsive, people
assume you are unorganized, pretentious, or incapable. Great PMs are
conscientious about their own image and reputation as they are about their
product's.

6. Great Product Managers communicate frequently, concretely, and
concisely.
The hardest talent may be to say a lot with only a few words. A great way to
do this is to use charts, graphs, and ! other pictorial representation of complex
information. Another way is to spend time becoming a great writer and speaker.
These are not natural gifts but rather practiced arts which when mastered, are the
means to gain and sustain attention and credibility.

7. Great PMs manage passion.
Passion is critical and can't be faked. However, too much passion is
annoying. Great PMS are enthusiastic but they don't lose an honest perspective
that not everyone agrees that their baby is beautiful. Great PMs never lose their
temper at a colleague or superior. They are the ever level-headed negotiators and
influencers. Their opinions are strong but they also strive to obtain win-win. This
is an art form as much as it is a personality trait but great PMs have the confidence
to do the right thing and do it with style.

About the Author
Alyssa Dver's book, "Software Product Management Essentials"
(www.swproductmanagement.com)! has sold over 10,000 copies worldwide and was
recently re-released as a 4th anniversary printing.  The 2007 4th Anniversary Printing of Software Product Management Essentials is now available. Books purchased through
www.swproductmanagement.com will receive electronic access to all the templates.

I watched Vivek work the media as well as the entrepreneurial community when I was in the Research Triangle area. He put himself in position to be oft quoted and consulted in the key funding and technology networks...

The Right Way to Get Media Attention

To boost your business' profile, learn the secret to getting attention: Have a compelling story and tell it to the relevant audience

by Vivek Wadhwa

Small Biz

• Goodbye, Cubicle. Hello, Startup!
• Reading the New Eco Labels
• Resisting the Temptation to Grow
• Capitalizing on the Red Sox: Pay Ball!
• A Wedding at a Funeral Home?

Story Tools

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Most entrepreneurs I know think that when they achieve success, fame will follow. And now that I have made the transition from business to academia, I can also say that my academic friends think that big discoveries automatically lead to big press.

They're dreaming. Ralph Waldo Emerson was wrong when he said, "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door." The reality is that even if you did, no one would find you. To be known, you have to have a great story and tell it to the right people.

I've co-founded two successful software companies. In the first, we grew into a $100 million revenue machine in five years and pulled off a successful initial public offering. But it seemed as if no one had ever heard of us. Out of frustration, we used to joke that we should change our motto to "We've never heard of you either."

So when I started my second company, I made it a point to understand how the media work and to focus as much effort on public relations as on other aspects of the business. The result? Over a period of four years, we were featured in over 1,000 articles across the globe. Customers did beat a path to our door.

I have just set up the Tampa Bay PMA yahoo group for the reasons stated on the home page. I have a few links and files to add, but wanted to get this initial post online in case people started to drift in.

I'm currently serving as Sr. Product Manager at Raymond James Financial corporate headquarters in St. Pete, FL. I'm part of the Marketing dept., though we have a growing Technology Product Management group in IT.
LinkedIn page: http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=444506

I was originally plugged into a local PMA yahoogroup through Triangle PMA  out of Raleigh-Durham, NC. I founded a software company there, and appreciate the leadership of Keith Boswell and the many great product managers around Research Triangle Park.

I am married with two boys, 13 and 17, and live in rural Floral City, (a 3-4 hour daily commute for work, ugh!)