Tips for managing global innovation projects

Watch on YouTube

<iframe loading="lazy" title="513: What product leaders need to know about making new product development work – with Jack Hsieh" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TwUd4isiQxg?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https://productmasterynow.com" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

TLDR

In this episode of Product Mastery Now, I speak with Jack Hsieh about successful product development strategies. Jack brings 20 years of experience managing innovation projects at companies like Sony Ericsson and Logitech. He shares practical insights from the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) framework and explains how product managers can use these principles to improve their product development process. Through real examples from his work in consumer electronics and aerospace industries, Jack shows how PDMA’s body of knowledge helps create successful products while avoiding common pitfalls in portfolio management.

Key topics discussed:

• Innovation requires both strategy and execution


• Market research remains fundamental


• Process choice should match organization culture


• Portfolio decisions need global perspective


• Technical expertise matters in leadership

Introduction

While recording this episode at the PDMA Inspire Innovation Conference, I had the opportunity to talk with Jack Hsieh about product development evolution. PDMA has been supporting product professionals since 1976, making it the oldest organization dedicated to product management. Jack explains how PDMA’s comprehensive knowledge base helps companies innovate effectively across different industries and cultures.

Understanding New Product Development

Jack breaks down new product development (NPD) into clear components that every product manager should understand:

• Turning ideas into products and services that customers will buy


• Finding market opportunities that create value for organizations


• Making existing products better through strategic improvements


• Creating new value for established markets

The PDMA Body of Knowledge Framework

1. Strategic Alignment

Jack describes how product development needs alignment at multiple levels:

Strategy Level	What It Means	Why It Matters
Corporate Strategy	Company’s overall direction	Guides all product decisions
Business Unit Strategy	Market-specific plans	Focuses resources effectively
Innovation Strategy	Product development priorities	Directs innovation efforts
Capability Strategy	Resource planning	Ensures successful execution

2. Portfolio Management

During our conversation, Jack shares valuable insights from managing product portfolios at Sony Ericsson. He explains how the company handled three distinct product lines:

• Smartphones


• High-end feature phones


• Low-end feature phones

This experience taught him important lessons about resource allocation. For example, his business unit needed to coordinate holidays across three regions: Sweden, Taiwan, and Japan. The overlapping work schedule only provided 190 days per year for full team collaboration, making resource planning especially important.

Jack uses Boeing and Airbus as examples to illustrate key portfolio management principles:

Portfolio Decision	Impact	Lesson Learned
Boeing’s 737 platform extension	Technical challenges with aging platform	Need for balanced technical and business leadership
Resource allocation across product lines	Product cannibalization between categories	Importance of global portfolio optimization
Technical vs. business leadership	Impact on long-term product decisions	Value of technical expertise in leadership

3. Process Management

Organizations need different development processes based on their specific needs. Jack explains several approaches:

Integrated Product Development (IPD)

• Works well for complex products


• Requires strong cross-functional coordination


• Popular in companies like Huawei

Agile Development

• Suited for rapid market feedback


• Enables quick product iterations


• Best for software and digital products

Waterfall Method

• Effective for well-defined requirements


• Provides clear project structure


• Works in regulated industries

Hybrid Approaches

• Combines planning from Waterfall


• Uses Agile for execution


• Balances structure and flexibility

4. Tools and Techniques

Jack mentions that he has personally used more than 70% of the tools in PDMA’s Body of Knowledge. These tools span different product development stages:

Development Stage	Tools Used	Purpose
Concept Development	Design thinking methods	Generate and evaluate ideas
Product Testing	Alpha and beta testing	Validate product concepts
Manufacturing	Pilot production models	Verify production capability

5. Market Research

Jack emphasizes that market research remains the most important skill for product managers. Modern approaches include:

Advanced Research Technologies

• Eye tracking for user experience studies


• AI-powered customer insight analysis


• Predictive analytics for market trends


• Sensory analysis techniques

6. Culture and Organization

Organizational culture significantly affects product development success. Jack shares team structures that work:

• Cross-functional collaboration


• Clear role definitions


• Balanced technical and business input

7. Product Lifecycle Management

Jack shares a personal story about understanding market adoption patterns. When he started his consulting business, he initially focused on multinational companies in Taiwan, thinking his experience with foreign companies would be an advantage. Despite getting over 50 inquiries in his first year, he secured no deals. Reading Crossing the Chasm helped him understand why – these companies were early majority adopters, not early adopters, making them hesitant to work with a new consulting firm.

Real-World Applications

The Logitech Left-Handed Mouse Project

<figure id="attachment_23733" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23733" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-23733" class="wp-caption-text">Left-handed