Recreating the Catalog –Global CSP Strategies for Product Management

Nancee Ruzicka, Senior Research Analyst

OSS/BSS Global Competitive Strategies

October 15, 2008

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Focus Points

• Why product management matters now

• Implementing a factory approach

• Product versus Service catalog

• Integration with fulfillment

• CSP strategies

• Vendor strategies

• The last word

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Why Product Management Matters Now

• 12-18 month product development cycles are no longer acceptable

• Majority of new products do not require network build-out

• Products must be componentized and pre-integrated with OSS/BSS so they can be

assembled and delivered in real time

• Components must be reusable

• Common product catalog needs to be available to every sales channel

• Common service catalog needs to be available to every product component

Ideation

• Marketing• Finance

• Network Planning

Product Design

Proposal

• Product detail• High level cost estimate

Go/No-Go

5-7 days

Product Brief• Detailed design• Detailed business case• Resource planning

8-12 weeks

Go/No-Go

Product Build• Construction/Network Access• Hardware/software modifications

• OSS/BSS integration• Training• Testing

6-18 months

User Test• Small group• Friendly• End-to-end

4-6 weeks

Launch

2-4 weeks

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Implementing a Factory Approach

• Service components• Basic underlying network-based service; voice, data, video

• Requires engineering design and support, fewer changes

• Includes network configuration data, workflow, and pricing

• Includes policies/rules specific to access, bandwidth, interoperability, quality

• Service components can be sold as stand-alone products

• Feature components• Features, functionality, applications that augment a basic service

• Mix-and-match by product managers or customers, always changing

• Includes service and device configuration data, pricing, and bundling

• Includes policies/rules specific to compatibility, customer, availability

• Feature components require an underlying service component

Product = Service Component + Feature Component(s)

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Implementing a Factory Approach

Component

Definition

Local

MMS

Int’l.

MMS

UnlimitedGames

GamePak

2

VoIP

w/ LNPCaller ID

w/ VoIP

Local

Channels

Region N

Local N +

Premium

Channels

Unlimited

IM

Access N

etw

ork

Config

ura

tion

CP

E/H

andset R

ule

s

Billin

g R

ule

s

Usage R

ule

s

Activ

atio

n W

ork

flow

Serv

ice T

hre

shold

s

Component Definition

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Implementing a Factory Approach

FixedData

MobileVoice

FixedVoice

FixedVideo

MobileVideo

MobileData

Customer

#1

MMS

Local

Channels Games IM Caller

ID VoIP

Product

Assembly

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Product Versus Service Catalog

Product

Catalog

Service

Catalog

Sales channel Order Capture interface �

�

Rating, bundling, pricing rules �

Device, plan, service assembly rules � �Order decomposition interface

Provisioning/activation interface �

Activation, configuration rules

�

Assurance interface �

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Integration With Fulfillment

Product Definition& Planning

Product DesignProduct

DeploymentProduct Test

& Launch

CustomerOrdering

CustomerActivation

CustomerUpdate

Assurance, Billing, CRM

Product Management

Fulfillment

CustomerData

ProductCatalog

ServiceCatalog

NetworkInventory

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CSP Strategies

Some of the requirements that should be addressed up-front and consistently executed for all OSS/BSS efforts include:

• Common component definition

• Data alignment

• Standardized interfaces

• Platform and application performance

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Vendor Strategies

• Vendors enter the market where they are strongest

• Product catalog reconciliation and integration with ordering

• Service catalog integration with fulfillment

• End-to-end product development and delivery approach

• Ecosystems and pre-integration

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The Last Word

• PLM that integrates product management and fulfillment represents a new way of thinking for CSPs

• Commonality and consistency are essential to deriving business value from product and service catalog investments

• Balance is required between short-term initiatives; e.g. ecommerce upgrades and long term PLM strategies

• Initiating a business-wide PLM effort requires broad-based support

• Existing product and sales channel silos can be a barrier to progress

• Beyond the ability to launch new products, CSP success will bedetermined by how well those products live up to customer expectations

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