Innovation Talks

Mark Adkins is the Director and Chair of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), an international community of professionals, professors, students, and service providers. PDMA supports the education of its members while expanding their networks. Mark is also the CEO of LeanMed, a medical device company that aims to use innovative technologies to provide essential treatment to underserved regions.

Mark joins me today to discuss PDMA's mission, its members, and its humble beginnings. He explains the importance of networking in expanding your skills and reach. He shares how the pandemic was a mixed blessing for PDMA. He describes what people can expect from their annual conference. Mark also highlights the trends he sees around the PDMA world and reveals what he wishes he had known early in his career.

"When you're part of a chapter, you meet people doing what you do, but you never know it."

 - Mark Adkins

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     PDMA’s mission and humble beginnings

●     How Mark got involved in PDMA

●     What the chapter in Pittsburgh is all about

●     Why the pandemic was a mixed blessing

●     The Knowledge Hub (kHUB)

●     The Journal of Product Innovation Management’s reputation

●     The changes and trends Mark sees around the PDMA world

●     What to expect from their annual conference

●     What Mark wishes he knew earlier in his career

Resources Mentioned:

●     Using Lean Startup for Social Impact with Mark Adkins

●     The Journal of Product Innovation Management

Connect with Mark Adkins:

●     PDMA

●     kHUB

●     Inspire Innovation Conference

●     Mark Adkins on LinkedIn

This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.

For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

Frannie Matthews is the President and CEO of the Colorado Technology Association—the definitive tech hub between the coasts—and has helped leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs since 1994. Under Frannie’s leadership since 2018, CTA has grown in size and influence, with a 31% membership revenue boost in 2019. She has over 35 years of experience in the tech industry but never stops scanning for refinement and improvement. Frannie was part of IBM for 18 years, driving the company’s success by putting client experience, value, and satisfaction at the forefront.

Frannie joins me today to describe what the Colorado Technology Association is about and how they empower future leaders in the technology space. She explains what people will love about Colorado and how the CTA has been working hard to turn it into a tech hub. She shares how the pandemic made it hard for CTA to sustain its growth in 2019 and how it improved its business model throughout the last two years. Frannie also discusses why she sometimes prefers an old-school approach to business structuring and to-do lists.

“Collaboration is so much more powerful in a growth mindset.”

- Frannie Matthews

This week on Innovation Talks:

●      What the Colorado Technology Association is about

●      What Frannie says is beautiful about Colorado

●      How the pandemic required them to change their business model

●      What Frannie sees as the best way to retain technology talents

●      Why Frannie prefers an old-school approach to having a structure

●      The advantages of partnering and collaborating for growth in any industry

Resources Mentioned:

●      Book: Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman

Connect with Frannie Matthews:

●      Colorado Technology Association

●      Colorado Technology Association on LinkedIn

●      Colorado Technology Association on Twitter

●      Colorado Technology Association on Facebook

●      Frannie Matthews on LinkedIn

●      Email: [email protected]

This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon 

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.

For additional information on new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly!

The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

Huub Rutten—Vice President of Product Research and Design and co-founder of Sopheon—joined me last episode to talk about the governance pillar of portfolio management. He explained the importance of having a Rules of Governance Charter and the difference between technology-driven and marketing-driven growth, among other topics.

In Part 2 of our portfolio management series, Huub describes why the navigation system is the first data your database should have. He shares his experience regarding estimations and how to obtain more realistic expectations. He explains what can happen to your governance if your data is of poor quality. Huub also describes how portfolio management is slowly becoming integral to innovation management.

"If the data is not good, the governance is not implemented. A direct consequence of bad governance is bad data." - Huub Rutten

This week on Innovation Talks:

●      Why the navigation system is the first data your database should have

●      Why estimations are more realistic further along your project

●      Pertinent data to have for portfolio management

●      Ensuring high-quality data is always obtained

●      How data allows you to make better decisions

Connect with Huub Rutten:

●      Huub Rutten Website

●      Huub Rutten on LinkedIn

●      Email: [email protected]

This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.

For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

Huub Rutten is the co-founder of Sopheon and its Vice President of Product Research and Design. He helped establish Polydoc, Sopheon's ancestor, in 1993. Before launching Sopheon, He spent over 15 years teaching college students communication skills and linguistic disciplines. Huub then pursued a career in strategy development for various industries, including banking, medical services, and aviation.

Huub joins me today to discuss the Governance Pillar of Portfolio Management. He shares the challenges of allocating resources as a portfolio manager. He explains what the Rules of Governance Charter should entail and why having one is essential. He describes the key differences between technology-driven and marketing-driven growth. Huub also clarifies what it means to cultivate a culture of innovation in your organization.

"When you don't have a governance system in place, there is chaos." - Huub Rutten

This week on Innovation Talks:

●      What it means to have governance around portfolio management

●      The challenges of being a portfolio manager when allocating resources

●      The importance of having a Rules of Governance Charter

●      The difference between technology-driven and marketing-driven growth

●      The importance of cultivating a culture of innovation

Connect with Huub Rutten:

●      Huub Rutten Website

●      Huub Rutten on LinkedIn

●      Email: [email protected]

This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.

For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

Innovation takes place all over the world, but a few places have earned a reputation as certified innovation hubs. One of these places is Munich, Germany. I recently went on a trade mission delegation to Munich, and some of the things I saw blew my mind, especially in the automobile industry. The innovations I saw made me think about what’s in store for the future of cars and space aeronautics.

In this episode, I recount my trip to Munich and elaborate on why it’s one of the best places on Earth if you want to see innovation and futuristic concepts. I describe my experience touring the BMW factory and how efficient their building process is. I explain what their robots do and why BMW still makes its own seats. I discuss IHK and why it’s the future of talent. I also highlight a new type of aerospace engine that’s still in the development stage.

"Munich is positioning itself as a knowledge and innovation hub." - Paul Heller

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     What I learned during my mission delegation to Munich

●     What I saw when we toured the BMW manufacturing plant

●     The efficiency of BMW's automobile factory

●     Why BMW still makes their own seats

●     The IHK and why it's the future of talent

●     Exploring the Urban Co-Lab

●     Innovations in aerospace engines

Resources Mentioned:

●     Urban Colab

●     IHK

This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners like you.

For additional information on new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter, where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

Mark Adkins is the Co-founder & CEO of LeanMed, a medical device company that aims to bring essential treatment to underserved and remote regions with the help of innovative products and technologies. Their first successful product is the O2 Cube, a solar-powered oxygen production system meant to help rural hospitals without medical access to oxygen. Mark is also the Director & Chair of the Product Development Management Association (PDMA), an international community of professors, professionals, and students deeply interested in innovation.

Mark joins me today to discuss how LeanMed came to be and how they plan to innovate the medical industry in underserved regions. He elaborates on Africa’s problems with pneumonia and hospitals lacking medical oxygen. He describes why you can’t crowdsource medical equipment and how you can use your network to develop solutions for problems worth solving. Mark also explains why scaling is necessary to have a social impact.

"If you want to make the world a better place, you have to have social impact. Social scale equals social impact.” - Mark Adkins

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     LeanMed and the services they offer

●     How pneumonia in Nigeria spurred the need for Mark to start LeanMed

●     Finding a problem worth solving

●     The difference between innovation and research companies

●     Why you can't crowdsource medical equipment

●     The ecosystems you encounter in innovation

●     The challenge of getting their product out in the market

●     Why scale means social impact

●     Mark's actionable advice to startups

Resources Mentioned:

●     Oxygen as a Utility Report

Connect with Mark Adkins:

●     LeanMed

●     Product Development Management Association

●     Mark Adkins on LinkedIn

This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.

For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

Huub Rutten is the Vice President of Sopheon’s Product Research and Design. He co-founded Polydoc, Sopheon’s predecessor, in 1993. He spent over 15 years in education and research, educating college students on linguistic disciplines and communication skills. He then moved to work as a strategy development consultant for various industries, including banking, healthcare, and aerospace. His focus for the last 20 years has been innovation management software and methodologies.

Huub joins me today to describe portfolio management and the steps involved in creating the ideal portfolio. He dissects different types of portfolios and defines portfolio management. He explains what to consider when making a portfolio. He discusses his experience in helping others manage their portfolios and offers tips for those who don’t know where to start. Huub also outlines the processes involved in creating the ideal portfolio.

"Strategy is the navigation system and portfolio management is the steering wheel." - Huub Rutten

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     Huub's definition of portfolio management

●     The different types of portfolios

●     Addressing the confusion about portfolio management

●     The right way to implement portfolio management

●     The processes involved in portfolio management implementation

●     Creating the ideal portfolio and the criteria to consider

●     Huub's experience helping leaders manage their portfolios

●     Huub's advice to those who want to get started with their portfolios

Connect with Huub Rutten:

●     Huub Rutten Website

●     Huub Rutten on LinkedIn

●     Email: [email protected]

This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.

For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

Brian Utz is the Director of Product Management at Sopheon. His responsibilities include defining and communicating Sopheon’s core product strategies, encompassing idea generation, setting goals, and marketing and launching products. Before joining Sopheon, Brian was the Director of Digital IT Practice at Highmark Health Solutions and VP of Product Management Consumer Lending at PNC Financial Services.

Brian joins me today to discuss product management, goal setting, and what it means to only have one big goal per product. He recounts where his passion for innovation started and what led him to work in product management. He explains the critical difference between a tool that does the job and a tool that does the job better. He describes how goals can inform your team of the product’s overarching purpose. Brian also shares the worst thing that can happen when you’re nearing product launch day.

"Having the goal behind your product allows you to instill that purpose in your whole team." - Brian Utz

This week on Innovation Talks:

●     Brian's professional experience before joining Sopheon

●     How Brian got started in product management

●     The worst thing you can do when nearing product launch

●     The difference between an "okay" and "great" tool

●     Brian's thoughts on generating product goals

●     What the SMART acronym means

●     How many goals a product should have

●     Why you should have one clear "Northstar" for your product

Connect with Brian Utz:

●     Brian Utz on LinkedIn

This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.

For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon’s newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

Daniel Elizalde is a product executive and climate tech product team advisor. He provides support and consultations on the creation of digital solutions that accelerate the energy transition. He specializes in smart grids, energy efficiency, virtual power plants, renewable integration, electric vehicles, and charging infrastructures. Daniel is also the author of The B2B Innovator's Map, [...]

The post B2B innovation in energy and climate with Daniel Elizalde appeared first on Sopheon.

Ketan Jahagirdar is Sopheon’s Director of Product Management and has been with the company since December 2021. Before joining Sopheon, Ketan founded ROI Blueprints, which provides cloud-based project management software for various businesses. He has over 25 years of experience in technology strategy, program management, and enterprise architecture. Ketan specializes in telematic solutions, IT strategy, [...]

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