Tools and Templates

Every building is different, but we still want our architects to know about blueprints, building codes and the strength of various materials. In that spirit, here is an assortment of templates and example that may help in your next software or service planning effort.

Note that most are filled out with fanciful information to give you a sense of what belongs: I can’t confirm (or deny) working on teleportation hardware or ESP-based password protection…

“The Art of Product Management”

If you haven’t read my collection of articles on technology product management, start-ups and thinking like a customer, here’s a shameless plug. You can order the paper version or Kindle version from Amazon.

Early Product Planning

Marketing Requirements (MRD) Document Template (MS Word)
Sample Customer Use Case (MS Word)
Getting Into Customers’ Heads | AIPMM Presentation (PowerPoint)
“Whole product” Bill of Materials (BOM) Checklist (MS Word)
Sample Beta Test Agreement(MS Word)
Market Needs Presentation | An example for carriers (PowerPoint)
Positioning template | Courtesy of Gary Pine (MS Word)

Pricing and Forecasting

Strategic Pricing for Start-Ups | Basis of SVPMA workshop, (PowerPoint)
Simple business model/business plan spreadsheet. Can you map out key variables for your product’s first year?(Excel)
Transaction-based Service Revenue Model (Excel)
Product-based Revenue Model (Excel)
Sales productivity and Revenue Recognition

Services versus Products

Sales Tools, Templates and Sales/Marketing Planning

External (sales) roadmap (PowerPoint)
Security White Paper (MS Word)
Joint marketing agreement (JMA) template (MS Word)
One-way and mutual non-disclosure (NDA) templates (MS Word)
Cost Comparison Calculator (Excel)
Online calculator (Excel)