Overview

Companies intent on achieving and/or maintaining market leadership understand that a higher level of risk-taking is necessary to reach that goal. Product and service development efforts which don’t push the risk envelope probably aren’t worth the investment required. As a result, market leaders learn to embrace and work effectively in a high-risk, high-reward environment. 

Intel Corporation is a company that has embraced risk-taking as a means of creating competitive advantage in the computing industry – its new product portfolio is heavily weighted toward high-risk, high-reward, high-velocity development programs. It is also expected that Intel’s products will be first to market with the newest technologies. For product development teams, the time-to-market pressure is constant and can be intense. One program manager put it this way: “Managing a program at this company is like strapping roller skates to your feet and a rocket to your back. Once they are on, it’s ready, aim, launch.” 

How do Intel’s program managers and product development teams succeed?

In an exclusive interactive audiosession to be held on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, Intel Senior Program Manager Russ Martinelli will describe the culture, structures, processes, decision criteria, and behaviors required to manage a high-velocity product development program at Intel. Additionally, he will present a case study that includes how a high-velocity program was stopped once it became clear the business goals of the product were jeopardized.

Specifically he will share:

• How market leadership goals drive the creation of an ‘unbalanced new product portfolio’ made up of high-risk, high-reward products
• Why a risk-taking culture is needed to maintain market and technological leadership -- how behaviors should align to the culture
• Characteristics of a streamlined development lifecycle that facilitate effective collaboration and decision-making
• How business managers and program managers work collaboratively to maintain the risk/reward balance on a high-velocity program
• Business objectives used to create guardrails and keep a high-velocity program on target as well as indicate if and when a program should be terminated
• The expected and unexpected ramifications of canceling a high-risk, high-velocity program in a risk-taking culture

This session is highly recommended for senior leaders responsible for product and technology development, as well as program managers, project managers, functional managers, and teams involved in the development of a company’s products and services.

Groups may listen together for the same low fee - cost is per phone line, attendance unlimited.

Takeaways:

1. Access to slides used during the session via webinar technology
2. Your questions answered directly by an expert during the session
3. Access to synchronized Windows Media file of slides and audio after the sessio

Session Leaders

Russ Martinelli is a Senior Program Manager at Intel. He has many years of experience in developing products in both the aerospace and computing industries. Russ is the co-author of the book “Program Management for Improved Business Results” (Wiley, 2007), as well as the recently completed book “Leading Global Project Teams: The new leadership challenge” (Multi-media, January 2010).

Russ is also the co-founder of the Program Management Academy which offers a variety of services for both corporations and individuals (www.programmanagement-academy.com). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Master of Business Administration degree, and an Engineering Management certification from Caltech. 

What you will learn

• How market leadership goals drive the creation of an ‘unbalanced new product portfolio’ made up of high-risk, high-reward products
• Why a risk-taking culture is needed to maintain market and technological leadership -- how behaviors should align to the culture
• Characteristics of a streamlined development lifecycle that facilitate effective collaboration and decision-making
• How business managers and program managers work collaboratively to maintain the risk/reward balance on a high-velocity program
• Business objectives used to create guardrails and keep a high-velocity program on target as well as indicate if and when a program should be terminated
• The expected and unexpected ramifications of canceling a high-risk, high-velocity program in a risk-taking culture