TEI 172: Apple’s product development process and secrets to success

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you the next
episode of... The Everyday Innovator with host Chad McAllister,
PhD. The podcast is all about helping people involved in innovation
and managing products become more successful, grow their careers,
and STANDOUT from their peers. About the Episode: One of the things
I enjoy doing is teaching product and innovation management
university courses. My students often are in a leadership role in
their organization and I’m helping them with product innovation.
When we discuss examples of innovative organizations, Apple is a
popular choice. It’s also a good choice. They provide many lessons,
such as the power of trends, why focusing on fewer products is
better than scattering your efforts, the advantages of controlling
an ecosystem, and the benefits of the fast-follower strategy. So,
when I was at a product conference and met the person who helped
orchestrate Apple’s original product process that is still used
today, you can understand why I was excited. This was my
opportunity to learn first-hand what Apple was struggling with and
how the new adopted product process helped them. That person is
John Carter. In addition to Apple, he has been a valued advisor to
Cisco, Dolby, HP, IBM, Xerox and others. In addition to innovation,
he has a strong background in engineering and was the co-inventor
of the BOSE Noise Cancelling Headphones. I asked him to join us and
discuss the creation of the Apple product process.