What is a product?

A product is a solution that serves a customer need. This is the most concise and to the point description of ‘product’ I can come up with. In the below article I’d like to unpack it. Defining a product always starts with its customers. Someone out there should have a need that the product can […]

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#10:focus – Validated Learning board for tracking your Product development ideas – Edwin Wopereis (Kramp)

In this Focus topic, Sjoerd meets with Product Owner Edwin Wopereis to discuss the Validated learning board. Edwin is responsible for the Kramp Webshop. Kramp is a technical wholesalerand one-stop supplier of spare parts, technical services and business solutions to more than 40.000 dealers worldwide. Edwin works with multiple developments teams – located in the Netherlands & India – […]

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Creating customers – the purpose of any product
customer road sign pointing left with blue sky and white clouds background

Creating customers = not simply making your customers happy. Product-market fit Creating customers means finding a sustainable product-market fit. When found, the product is a solution for the customers who in turn create a market by their willingness to pay for it. It entails not just making a user happy, but turning a mere user […]

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Purpose of a product? Serve customer needs!

Recently I shared my thoughts on what should come first, your customer or your employees in a small post called ‘Customers First or employees first?’. Now I’d like to revisit this topic, because Steve Denning wrote a quite brilliant, comprehensive article about this topic. In this article I will apply Steve’s arguments to Products instead of […]

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Customers first or employees first?

Customer first. Always. No Customer -> no product or service -> no employees. Nina Maurer asked on linkedin: “Customers first or employees first?“ This seemingly difficult question popped into my feed because of Chris Lukassen. His reply is brilliantly simple: “Neither and both, you need to strike a balance. Suggestion: “people first”” Yes, when we […]

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Minimum quality

Minimum quality is constant & non-negotiable. This should be defined clearly and lived without compromise. However, some aspects of quality (above the defined/agreed minimum) could be considered luxury and are as such ‘promoted’ to features. For instance, when building cars, you want every car to pass mandatory safety regulations. And it may be your brand […]

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