Episode 68

An Internet, or Internet of Things product is complex. In fact, it’s not a product at all but a nested system of systems. The sheer number of technology and business issues to consider at the start can overwhelm even the best trained and most experienced manager. In this episode of the IoT Business Show I speak with Daniel Elizalde about his IoT Decision Framework and how to use it to tame even the most complex of Internet products.

Daniel is an IoT product leader with 17 years of experience. He is the author of the TechProductManagement.com IoT blog, and the creator of the IoT Decision Framework. Daniel also teaches the course “Product Management for IoT” at Stanford Continuing Studies.

In his bestselling book, The Checklist Manifesto, author and surgeon, Atul Gawade, makes the case that the best way to overcome complexity is with simplicity. He argues that most errors are made, not out of ignorance, but because we don’t make use of what we already know. Enter the checklist. In use for over 80 years, the pre-flight checklist has been credited for saving thousands of lives. In the last decade they have been also widely used by surgeons to the same result. So why not in product management? And in particular, for the management of Internet products? This is the strength of the IoT Decision Framework: mental road signs to remind the product manager of the right questions to ask. Although there are other ways to look at an Internet product, the 30 cell matrix with its UX, Data, Business, Technology, Security and Standards & Regulations rows examining, Devices, Embedded Software, Communications, Cloud Platform and Applications, columns, make sure you don’t forget anything.

Here’s What We’ll Cover in this Episode

Mentioned in this Episode and Other Useful Links