Capital Equipment Development Team Coaching
Product Development Success Leads to Career Success
“Although recognized as a market leader for decades, our company faced challenges with an aging product portfolio, which became increasingly expensive to sustain. Competitors were gaining market share and eroding our margins. To address these issues, we hired Dave to lead the development of an entire new line of cutting machines. Dave brought with him invaluable expertise and best practices in product development, acquired from his experience at several capital equipment companies. Within his first two years, we showcased the initial embodiment of the new product line at a major trade show. Market share recovery and improved business performance soon followed.”
– James Jenson, President of Flow International, a SHAPE Technologies Group Company
It doesn’t matter if you are the President of the business unit, the Program Manager of a new product development initiative or the quality department representative on a cross-functional product lifecycle team: launching new, differentiated capital equipment products on time that meet performance and cost objectives will enable career growth as your business benefits from higher gross margins and reduced sustaining and support costs.
Engaging CapSure Solutions for one-on-one coaching of your cross-functional product development team members will help you ensure that success. I will help you
- Transform a solid team into a high-performing one, building trust across department representatives so that when the time comes each member is ready to deliver
- Identify and mitigate bottlenecks preventing more effective execution
- Manage risk: ensuring the organization moves as quickly as possible without getting ahead of itself and overcommitting to customers, suppliers, and investors
- Build confidence that the next time the team is called upon to execute a new product development initiative they understand the methodologies and have the skills to perform
I will be with you every step of the way, with one-on-one cross-functional coaching you will get
- Direct, one-on-one access to me, David Crewe
- Access to an online coaching session scheduling tool
- Access to a secure cloud-hosted repository for maintaining action item lists, schedules, progress reports, and coaching session notes
- Regularly scheduled and ad hoc calls to review progress, identify bottlenecks, and plan next steps
- Unlimited virtual meetings, telephone, and email support for any issues that arise
- Access to my templates, tools, training materials, newsletters, and other content to support your individual goals and accelerate progress
I have helped many capital equipment businesses bring products to market that have been transformational to both individual careers as well as company financial performance. I would love an opportunity to help you.
Product Development Coaching / Advisory FAQs
Is one-on-one product development coaching right for me?
Yes, if you are a capital equipment Program Manager or a member of a cross-functional product development team, and you want to
- Maximize your product development program’s chance of success
- Manage critical risk areas to prevent organizational overcommitment
- Improve your ability to execute future development programs effectively
- Accelerate your career
One-on-one coaching is essential for the newly-minted Program Manager looking to master the fundamentals as well as the experienced professional looking for help with complex issues.
I’m a capital equipment Program Manager. What can I expect from one-on-one coaching?
You can expect faster and higher-quality results from your initiatives as a result of
- The focus and discipline that a coaching relationship puts on critical initiatives that might otherwise wane in the face of day-to-day demands
- Less time spent trying to figure out what to do, and more time doing
- Learning and using methodologies and business processes that have been battle-tested across many equipment companies like yours
I manage an engineering department; some of my staff members are Program Managers. What can I expect if I enroll them in coaching?
You can expect your portfolio of products to grow faster and be more profitable and sustainable. When you enroll your Program Managers in one-on-one coaching, you will achieve desired results with less time spent on day-to-day program support, work-product review, and mentoring.
I am a business unit leader in a capital equipment organization. Can your one-on-one coaching help me?
Yes. As the individual responsible for the business unit P&L it is in your interest to maximize the return on investment in product development. If you find yourself spending inordinate amounts of time policing product development activities in your organization, I can help.
Can I just attend a training class instead? I have found some that are available on the internet.
When you attend a training class you might leave feeling inspired to apply what you have learned. But that inspiration is often crushed as soon as you return to the office by a backlog of work and day-to-day demands. Before long the lessons of that great training class and the ambition to apply them fade.
One-on-one coaching solves this problem. Like training, coaching imparts knowledge. But unlike training, coaching also provides the on-going support and motivation to apply that knowledge and create lasting improvement.
What are some product development initiative examples with which you can help?
- Situation and competitive analysis
- Market requirements and product definition
- Product and technology roadmap development
- Program risk assessment and mitigation planning
- Program bottleneck analysis and mitigation planning
- Interim program management
- Product lifecycle business process development
The above can apply to a brand-new initiative or a program that is at any stage along the way to commercialization.
How do we start? What do we work on first?
We will work on the initiatives that are most important to you. These are usually the things that you and your management have decided are your top priorities. They could be: preparing for an important product and technology strategy decision, launching a new product development program, or addressing issues preventing progress on an existing program. Not sure what your priorities should be? No worries. I can help with that too.
Once the initial priorities are established, we will develop action plans that you will execute with my support and guidance. By working together on your most important initiatives, you will produce tangible results while you are improving your product development acumen.
What are coaching sessions like?
Coaching sessions are typically conducted via a virtual meeting but if there is an on-site visit planned, we can also meet in person.
Before each coaching session, I will send you a check-in worksheet. On this worksheet, you will indicate your progress since our last session, the topics you would like to discuss, and the desired outcome of your coaching session.
During the session we will review your work, answer your questions, and determine next steps. If appropriate, I may also provide templates or recommend reading related to your work. If I am also coaching other members of your organization, we will cover interdependencies and cross-functional areas of concern.
How do I get the most out of coaching?
I encourage you to book and attend regular sessions with me to assess progress, review results, identify help needed, and establish next steps. These regular sessions allow me to engage with your initiatives early and deeply enough to help you improve your capability and produce high-quality results. They also help establish accountability for making progress on your most important initiatives.
How often will we meet?
As often as you like. We will set up a time for regular sessions, though I recognize that conflicts will arise in your schedule. You can schedule an ad-hoc session anytime help is needed as you will have visibility to my calendar.
Who will be my coach?
I will. I never outsource coaching to other coaches. You can learn more about me here: About David Crewe.
Do I really get unlimited access?
Yes. You will have direct access to my calendar where you can schedule a session anytime.
Outside of online coaching sessions, will I have email access to you?
Yes. You can email me anytime. I usually respond within 1 business day.
Do I have to make a long-term commitment?
No. Coaching agreements run on a month-to-month basis and can be cancelled any time with 30 days’ notice.
What if I’m not ready for a coach?
No worries. Check out my Case Studies pages and sign up for my newsletter by sending a request via my contacts page.
I’ll let you know whenever I add new content via email.
How do I get started?
In the message field please provide some high level content about your situation. Once I get your message, I’ll send you a link to my calendar. From there you can schedule a convenient time for us to have a call.
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