In this episode, I’m interviewing Paul Dailey, Product Manager for Low Volume Irrigation at Rain Bird, about the complete innovation journey of bringing a new commercial irrigation product—the all-in-one zone control—from concept to market. Paul Dailey shares actionable insights on hardware product development, leveraging focus groups, customer interviews, and production-intent prototyping. He discusses balancing technical feasibility with actual user needs, learning from failed launches, and executing a strategic “rolling thunder” go-to-market plan. Tune in for practical frameworks and candid lessons from 25+ years of hardware B2B product innovation.

I love how universal product innovation and management is. The same principles that advanced solar energy storage are now transforming how we irrigate our landscapes and green spaces. In this episode we detail the journey of hardware product innovation by examining the development of a commercial irrigation product from concept to launch. You’ll discover the frameworks and tools used to develop products at one of the world’s leading irrigation companies, Rain Bird—practical tools you can use immediately.

We’re about to learn from Paul Dailey, Product Manager for Low Volume Irrigation at Rain Bird Corporation. Paul is responsible for landscape drip irrigation products and is about to bring a new product, The All-in-One Zone Control, from initial concept to launch. Paul has also successfully developed a number of sustainable energy products. At OutBack Power, he directed product and marketing strategy as well as product management. He’s built product management teams and has over 25 years of experience in B2B hardware innovation. He is also an accomplished maker in his spare time.

Get ready to take notes—Paul will share the step-by-step process he uses to innovate in a 90-year-old company.

Rain Bird’s Stage-Gate Innovation Process:
Paul Dailey describes Rain Bird’s product development stage-gate process, all with a strong emphasis on quality:

Customer-Centric Product Ideation:
The All-in-One Zone Controller originated from a deep understanding of landscape architects’ pain points—mainly space constraints and installation complexity in valve boxes. Rapid prototyping enabled fast, iterative feedback.

Focus Groups & Customer Interviews:
Rain Bird leveraged both moderated external focus groups and on-site customer interviews across the country. This hybrid approach surfaced insights on design, usability, regional differences, and buying motivations.

Prototyping & Field Trials:
Transitioning from concept to manufacturable prototypes, the team used low-volume “bridge tooling” for field-ready units, validating both design and assembly line processes.

Go-To-Market Strategy:
Rain Bird uses a “rolling thunder” launch, building anticipation with customers, sales teams, and channel partners ahead of full release, ensuring the market is primed and ready.

Key Learnings:

“There is nothing new under the sun.” – King Solomon  (~900 BCE) 

Paul Dailey is an experienced product management leader with a demonstrated history of success in the renewables and distributed energy industry. He is skilled in Sales, Market Research, Management, Renewable Energy, and Business Development. He has a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) focused in Marketing and Product Development from Washington State University.

Thank you for taking the journey to product mastery and learning with me from the successes and failures of product innovators, managers, and developers. If you enjoyed the discussion, help out a fellow product manager by sharing it using the social media buttons you see below.

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