The orchestration of launch resources is the activation and deactivation of the appropriate resources over time. Effective orchestration is one way to sustainable competitive advantage in an environment that is more reliant on collaboration and networked specialists for new product development. For a discussion on selecting launch resources, see launch architecture.

Problem: Common workplace interruptions and launch-specific interruptions

In the absence of good launch architecture, the development team will have too many interruptions. Unnecessary interruptions cause inefficiency and this leads to problems such as missed deadlines. Interruptions reduce innovation. The cartoon below addresses common workplace interruptions and launch-specific interruptions. Launch activities have the potential to generate a lot of unique interruptions such as discussions about pricing or sessions to promote the product.

Problem: Managing Resources

In most cases, the team leader does not have direct control of the diverse set of resources required to complete development and commercialization. Frequently, things get done by bargaining with other individuals. Some team members may report to other managers. Most team members will have conflicting priorities. A few of the best people will not be available for your project. As the product announcement date approaches, the workload increases. Team members tend to over commit. The stress level in the team increases as individuals are asked to do things that they are reluctant to do such as prepare for formal reviews, allocate time to meet with outside representatives, or investigate ways to meet new compliance requirements. In addition, concurrent, non-project obligations - personal and professional - can add to the stress level.

Besides R&D and Marketing, how will your team orchestrate contributions from disciplines such as interaction design, industrial design, packaging, brand management, search engine optimization, distribution channel management, partner management, public relations, advertising, documentation, post-sales support, tradeshow management, Web 2.0, or the next-big-thing to create a successful launch? How will you ensure that there is synergy among the contributors that produce innovations daily?

When no one on the team has the expertise to orchestrate the variety of resources such as those listed in the preceding paragraph, additional resources should be added to the team. To have maximum credibility, this additional team member should have sufficient experience with most of the disciplines contributing to the commercialization effort to earn their respect.

Problem: Adding new team members and Brook's law

Teams may be reluctant to add new people because of concerns about Brook’s law, the belief that “adding people to a late software project makes it later.” Such delays occur when experienced team members have to allocate time to train inexperienced people and check/correct their work. This takes time away from legacy team members that would have used to accomplish their primary tasks.

Near the time that a product is introduced, the size of the team grows to its largest size. How can a team add resources late in the project and thrive? How can you add team members that need a minimum of supervision and can contribute very quickly?

Problem: Making decisions

As the diversity of the team increases, there are always discussions about who gets to make the important decisions. A common concern is assigning the responsibility for the final product requirements? Is it engineering? Is it marketing? Is TRIZ a better choice for your project? Is DFSS appropriate? What about House of Quality? When are the advertising deadlines the highest priority?

Solutions

The orchestration of launch resources is more complicated than traditional project management. The launch environment is more dynamic. Product development and launch have many more unknowns. Pricing strategy adds dimensions to the launch environment. Product development and launch require the contributions from your core competence and those outside of your area of expertise. If you are interested in learning how OpLaunch can provide solutions to the problems listed on this page, please e-mail launch_architect@oplaunch.com or call Mark A Hart at 724 258 8231.

To learn more about how to maximize the potential for launch success, visit the Launch Architecture, and Optimized Launch pages.

Note: OpLaunch founder, Mark A Hart coined the phrases “launch architect” and "launch architecture" in November 2006.