Startup Product Values for Product Excellence

As a movement for product excellence, Startup Product Academy (SUPA) grows through recognition that product value creation exists across the entire product lifecycle, and product excellence is achieved through alignment with the following values:

PEOPLE and PLANET FIRST

People first includes consideration, respect, and dignity for all

Recognition, respect for dignity, empathy and validation of all human contribution and touch points across the product lifespan.

Customers, stake-holders, end-users

Workers

Every human who touches the product from inception to destruction including

• all of the elements that contribute to the product manufacturing process and/or

• the actions involved to move the product from idea to construction to consumption, then deconstruction , recycling and obsolescence

No human harmed at any point in the product lifecycle

No destruction of planet or limited resources that sustain human life

For discussion:

• Can any product be considered excellent based on this idealized definition?

• Can we afford to continue making products with planned obsolescence?

• Can any product be funded when people’s interests are placed above profits first?

QUESTIONING and OBSERVATION

Questioning the status quo and the unknown:

Starting with 

• How to use technology to increase quality of life for all involved across all phases of the product development and usage from inception to destruction

• Why are things done, made, built, promoted, manufactured, distributed, consumed and destroyed this way? 

• What are the implications of these actions?

• What are the factors that created this system and maintain the status quo?

• How can this process, product, viewpoint be improved? 

• How can they be transformed into net positive?

MARKET DISCOVERY

Discovering the market first.

Demonstrating that a problem is worth solving by identifying ecosystems, benefits, current issues not being addressed

Encouraging identification of solutions for problems that must be solved that may never have a market but are required to enhance the quality of life on the planet for all

CONTINUOUS LEARNING

• Empowering people with access to knowledge, opportunities to transmit and gain mastery across boundaries, silos and systems to collaborate

• Providing a foundation of knowledge via educational events that forward product leaders, makers, and business people to be accountable for the results of their product endeavors

• Increasing exposure to thought leaders and ideas via digital events, summits, conferences, meetups, workshops, hands-on and immersive, experiential trainings on subject matter immediately implementable and executable

• Opening doors, providing bridges, nurturing open, diverse, inclusive, transparent communities and making this information accessible across boundaries

RESPONSIVE PROCESS

• Identifying appropriate process as opposed to forcing process on people and systems

• Employing systems perspectives, approaches, and best practices

• Recognizing that process (or lack thereof) is a symptom and expression of culture - not a band-aid or panacea

• Functionality first: Form follows function

• People first: successful process buy-in starts from human-centered design thinking approaches
  

APPROPRIATE TOOLS

Applying Responsive Process

tools are identified, incorporated and implemented with recognition of the humans utilizing the tools,

inclusion, empathy for the consequences of tool usage (ergonomics) and

sustainability for long term health concerns of all involved humans and planet involved in utilizing the tools

LONG TAIL VIEW

Immediate experimentation for sustainable, long term results

Accountability for consequences throughout the product lifecycle

HOLISTIC APPROACH

Cross functional, cross-discipline, and cross-team collaboration and customer experience testing across all points

Bias towards

Action

Inclusion

Transparency

Win/win

Diversity

Quantifiable results

And continuous learning organizations

Progress not perfection

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” Harriet Braiker, Psychologist and author

Successive Incremental Iterations

On-going experimentation

Continuous improvements

Data-driven decision making