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Software Product Management Audit

Content:

- Software Product Management

- The SPM Audit

- The SPM Audit Process

- The Auditor A Software Product Management Audit looks at a company’s capability to actively manage its software products towards economic success. It provides the roadmap for an optimization of the organization and relevant processes ensuring a competitive market position now and in the future.

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Software Product Management Audit

Software Product ManagementSoftware Product Management (SPM) is the gearbox between the various functions in a software company. Solid SPM is a cornerstone in winning and maintaining a position as global market leader. SPM represents an enterprise or business unit in strategy formulation and its operational reali-zation. SPM includes work with requirements, release definitions, product release lifecycles, the creation and interpretation of product strategies, balancing long-term technology push with shorter-term market-pull, and assuring a winning business case by selecting the right requirements for realization at an appropriate price. SPM coordinates all units within the com-pany that are relevant for the success of the product in its’ lifetime.

The SPM AuditThe SPM Audit is a review of a company’s current software product management processes, documentation and interactions with the other organizational functions and its’ ability to build and maintain a competitive product position in the market.

The outcome of the SPM Audit is a status report and an optimization action plan.

The Audit Report is presented at a 1-day workshop starting with a review of the findings and options for optimization and concludes with the facilitation of an action planning process.

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Software Product Management Audit

1 Execution of the action plan defined at the workshop is not within in the scope of the audit.

TBK-SPMFS-001

The SPM Audit Process1

The SPM Audit is based on a review of available documentation of processes, organization and deliverables plus a series of on-site interviews with stakeholders. The SPM Audit follows the principles of the Maturity Model developed at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands (I.v.d.Weerd, W. Bekkers, S. Brinkkemper: Developing a Maturity Matrix for Software Product Management, Utrecht University Technical Report, 2009).

Client involvement and time lineThe SPM Audit requires the participation of current software product manager(s), executive management, R&D management, sales mana-gement, marketing management and service/consulting management. Each function must be available for a 2-hour interview.

The SPM Audit can normally be performed within 4 calendar weeks.

The AuditorThe SPM Audit is performed by Hans-Bernd Kittlaus, an internationally renowned expert on SPM. He has been working as trainer and consul-tant for software organizations such as Lycos, Deutsche Telecom and SimCorp. Hans-Bernd Kittlaus was previously head of SPM and development units of IBM. He is a board member of ISPMA, and has published numerous articles and books, e.g. “Software Product Management and Pricing” (Springer, 2009).

Hans-Bernd Kittlaus

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Audit Planning Meeting

Material Review

Interviews

Workshop

Execution