Session Description:
Mobile technology and social media are straining the resources of information companies. On top of their regular responsibilities, Editorial is expected to work with a wider range of media types, such as blogs and videos, some of which they have no experience in. Development needs to syndicate content to an array of smartphones and tablets.
This session offers a portfolio approach to creating successful, profitable mobile and social products. It presents frameworks for:
*Evaluating and supplementing existing talent, content and technology,
*Structuring the organization to be responsive and effective,
*Evaluating and funding new business ideas,
*Prioritizing initiatives so that the most promising are not starved of resources and the “”moonshots”" get a fighting chance, and
*Avoiding the pitfalls that arise from “”not knowing what you don’t know.”"
Learning Points:
This session will address key questions and provide actionable solutions for effectively building out your content offerings for smartphones, tablets and social media:
1. Budget – Are there funds available to support a mobile initiative? What is the new product development process? What features, functions and content should be included?
2. Organization – Is the current organizational structure conducive to creating mobile offerings?
3. Publishing – Can I use or augment my existing streams or do I need new ones?
4. Talent – Do I have the talent I need? If not, should I hire or outsource or train?
Take advantage of new trends in agile: Iterationless Kanban and Continuous De...
Mobile's Impact on Workflow and Talent
1. PDMA Product Camp 2012
The Impact of Mobile and Social Media
on Workflow and Talent
Teri Mendelsohn
Mendelsohn Consulting, Inc.
2. Data
“iPads are outselling desktop PCs…. Apple reported 15.4 million iPads sold in
4Q11.”
“That doesn’t even take smartphones in account – Apple sold 37 million
iPhones during the quarter, too. Add Android phones into the mix and
Windows probably made up less than 50% of all Internet connected devices
sold in the last quarter of 2011.”
“Another way of looking at it: the iPad is now equal to 17% of the overall PC
market, which Gartner pegged at 92.2 million units in the last quarter of
2012. In June, it was 11%. A year ago, it was 7%”
--Matt Rosoff
SAI Business Insider
Jan. 24, 2012
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3. Data
Source: Morgan Stanley Blue Paper, “Tablet Demand and Disruption:
Mobile Users Come of Age,” Feb. 14, 2011.
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4. Data
Source: “BII REPORT: How Content Is Being Consumed On Mobile Devices,”
Business Insider, Sept. 25, 20212.
5. Data: Industries that will lead mobile payments
Source: Heather Leonard, “BII MOBILE INSIGHTS: How Mobile Will Change Business,”
Sept. 26, 2012,
http://www.businessinsider.com/bii-mobile-insights-how-mobile-will-change-business2-2012-9
6. Agenda
1. Budget – Are there funds available to support a mobile
initiative? What is the new product development
process? What features, functions and content should
be included?
2. Organization – Is the current organizational structure
conducive to creating mobile and social offerings?
3. Publishing – Can I use or augment my existing
streams or do I need new ones?
4. Talent – Do I have the talent I need? If not, should I
hire or outsource or train?
5. Summary
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7. 1. Budget
Budget Carve out % of Secure funds for Dedicate budget $
existing resources trial product
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8. 1. Budget: Innovation process
Ideas submitted
Ideas to innovation Trials Number
screened committee funded of ventures
Approve Approve Approve
•Redlight •Redlight •Redlight
•Revise •Revise •Revise
•Greenlight •Greenlight •Greenlight
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9. 1. Budget: Prioritizing
Illustrative 5-High (high impact; difficult)
1-Low (low impact; easy)
Ease of
Design- Implement
Opportunity Impact Contracting Spec’ing ing -ing Total
A 5 0 0 1 0 1
B 5 0 2 1 2 5
C 5 0 2 1 2 5
D 5 0 2 1 2 5
E 5 0 2 2 2 6
F 5 0 3 2 3 8
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10. 2. Organization
Budget Carve out % of Secure funds for Dedicate budget $
existing resources trial product
Organization Status quo Revise ownership Create
structure heavyweight team
structure
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12. 2. Organization: Recommended
Has breadth of
authority to
make everyone
work together
Supports
& trains but
does not
produce
content
Play to
strengths but
required to
produce all
media types
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13. 2. Organization: Team structures
• Functional (traditional) – Team members work under different
functional managers; projects evolve in serial fashion as tasks pass
from one function to next
• Lightweight – Heightened degree of coordination due to
“administrative” oversight; similar to functional team
• Heavyweight – Core team members are representative of their
functions on integrated development team
• Autonomous – Team members are co-located and answer only to
heavyweight project manager; team has extreme latitude to devise
solutions to problems it has responsibility for
Source: E. Smith & S.C. Wheelwright, “The New Product Development Imperative.” (Boston: Harvard Business
School Publishing, 1999, rev. 2001).
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14. 3. Publishing
Budget Carve out % of Secure funds for Dedicate budget $
existing resources trial product
Organization Status quo Revise ownership Create
structure heavyweight team
structure
Publishing Use as is; acquire Modify, acquire Modify, acquire
ltd. add’l.
software/licenses
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15. 3. Publishing: Content
Illustrative
Existing
Platform Use As Is Modify Needed Notes
Images X
•Photos
•Charts, tables,
graphs
•Maps
Text X
•Articles (short,
daily/weekly)
•Reports (long,
monthly)
•Blogs (short, daily)
Video
•Live X
•Streaming X
•YouTube X
Audio X
•Live
•Streaming
•Podcasts
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16. 3. Publishing: Content
Illustrative
Existing
Platform Use As Is Modify Needed Notes
Events X
Presentations (PPTs) X
Social media X
•Twitter
•Facebook
•LinkedIn
•Google+
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17. 3. Publishing: Platform
Illustrative
Existing
Platform Use As Is Modify Needed Notes
Print X
Web X
Mobile
•iPhone X
•iPad X
•Android X
•Other
Events X
Social media X
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18. 4. Talent
Budget Carve out % of Secure funds for Dedicate budget $
existing resources trial product
Organization Status quo Revise ownership Create
structure heavyweight team
structure
Publishing Use as is; acquire Modify, acquire Modify, acquire
ltd. add’l.
software/licenses
Talent Train and/or Train Train and hire
outsource
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19. 4. Talent: Needed skills and talent
Skill not on staff
Deliverable Medium Responsibilities Skills Best Performed by
Questionnaire Survey Monkey Compose questions •Domain knowledge Mary T.
•Ability to format q’s
(open-ended, yes/no,
multiple choice)
Excel, SAS Analyze findings •Familiarity with Joe S., Ellen Q.,
software Ramesh S., Tanya H.
•Data analysis
•Statistics
Presentations PowerPoint, Excel, •Create visual reports •Identify “a-ha’s” in Former consultants,
CMS on key findings & data analysts and others
implications •Create narrative with MBA
from data
•Display data visually
(Excel)
Data visualizations InDesign GS3, •Identify patterns, •Data analysis Designer with data
Photoshop findings •Graphic design viz. specialty
•Display data in
visually compelling
way
Video interviews Video, Brightcove •Draft questions •TV presence TV journalists
•Conduct interview •Create compelling
•Edit final version narrative in visual 19
medium
20. 4. Enhancement options
Deliverables Pros Cons
Train •Skill stays in-house •Time consuming
Hire •Fresh perspective •Expensive
Outsource •Needed skill •Skills depart at end of project
•Unfamiliarity with internal
systems
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21. 4. Talent: Sourcing skills and talent
Deliverable Train Hire Outsource Estimated Cost Source
Presentations X $10,000 Presentation
skills consultant
Data X X •$70,000/yr. •Data viz.
visualizations •$100/hr. designer
•Freelancer
Video interviews X $5,000 Media training
consultant
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22. 5. Summary
Budget Carve out % of Secure funds for Dedicate budget $
existing resources trial product
Organization Status quo Revise ownership Create
structure heavyweight team
structure
Publishing Use as is; acquire Modify, acquire Modify, acquire
ltd. add’l.
software/licenses
Talent Train and/or Train Train and hire
outsource
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23. 5. Check list
Budget
1. What percentage of team’s time should be dedicated to experiment?
2. Are there funds available (trial, reallocated)?
3. Is there a clearly-defined innovation process (what document to use, committee members, approval
criteria)?
4. What metrics will be used to assess each phase? What determines whether to go to next phase? Who will
decide?
Organization
1. Does owner have authority across publications to make sure everyone “plays nice”?
2. Is there duplication of resources? What kind? Where?
3. Given the scale and urgency of a mobile project, which is the best team structure to use (functional,
lightweight, heavyweight, autonomous)?
Publishing
1. How much of system currently is automated?
2. What changes/purchases need to be made to produce mobile content?
3. Is the same CMS used for print and digital?
Talent
1. Is there broad understanding of pros/cons of training, outsourcing and hiring? Is there general alignment on
which to pursue when?
2. Are content producers expected to work across all media types?
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24. Contact Information
Teri Mendelsohn
Mendelsohn Consulting, Inc.
320 Central Park West
New York, NY 10025
917.603.3987
Teri@mendelsohnconsulting.net
www.mendelsohnconsulting.net
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