The mix of strengths and weaknesses of every development
organization is different.
Human beings are not infallible, and we have limited
resources to work with. Furthermore,
growth and improvement are expected of every organization.
The list below is designed to be a simplistic rating
method to help you examine your product development
organization. Enter
a number from 0 to 10 into the boxes at the right - an answer
of 10 means that you agree with, and perform the item to the
highest degree, while 0 means that you do not perform at all.
When you are finished, add up your answers and check
your score at the end.
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Question
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Answer
0 - 10
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Do you
build prototypes of your product and show them to actual
customers?
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Do you
know what percentage of time is normal for each phase of
a new project?
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Do you
document your customer requirements and the design
you’ll provide them?
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Are your
development cycles short enough to allow you to focus on
the vision?
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Do you
have a good balance between strategic vision and
tactical implementation?
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Do your
products perform at a high level of customer expectation
and quality?
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Do you
keep an organized database of bugs, enhancement
requests, and other issues?
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Do you
interview actual customers before implementing product
features?
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Are your
initial product designs roughly equivalent to the
product you release?
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Do your
customers tell others about how great your product is?
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Do you
resolve all issues for each phase of a project before
moving on?
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Do
project stakeholders set and communicate a clear vision
for each product release?
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Do your
product engineers, designers, and testers have adequate
equipment for the job?
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Do you
release your products when you originally forecasted
them to be released?
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Are you
innovating more than your competitors?
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Do you
have independent, objective people testing your
products?
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Are your
development costs in line with your product sales
revenue?
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Do you
perform formal usability testing with cameras and
computers?
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Do you
have clearly defined alpha, beta, and final release
guidelines?
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Does
your executive staff give adequate freedom to managers
to do their job well?
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Does
your product compare favorably with your competitor’s?
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Is your
technical support staff free from dealing with excessive
product defects?
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Your
Total:
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