Just because you have a better mouse trap, it doesn’t mean people need it nor does it mean people are not catching mice with the old outdated non WEB 2.0 mouse trap they are using. Over my coffee today I was reading the last few posts from Oleg and I was astonished to see him proclaim mid-market customers are out of control. I am simply amazed at how many PLM bloggers, when you read between the lines, are calling customers stupid… Oleg’s is just the latest. Sure PLM provides a better way, but this doesn’t mean people are not in control. Sure PLM improves your process, but this doesn’t mean I need it. This kind of thinking is like yelling at a referee or the score board. All it does is make you horse and get people to stare at you!
Before you reach for your gun and follow suit with Oleg do a little self examination. Maybe the value prop is not there? Maybe it is just to expensive? Maybe it is to complicated? Maybe it is you! I’m not saying there isn’t an opportunity to improve the Product Development process, of course there is. I’m also not saying Oleg doesn’t have some good ideas, actually to the contrary, he has some very good ideas. Like the concept that product development tools need to be much simpler and wiki-styled tools that use a more list like function would be a dramatic improvement. This I agree 110%. In a funny way the customer needs solutions that are not 100% complete. What I mean is they need the flexibility to use the tool how they wish. Like CAD there are 9 ways to Sunday to model the same thing. It doesn’t mean any of them are bad, just different. The user decides what is best for him and her.
Make it simple and with clear value and they will come! See you at SWW 2009.
