The Name of the Game is Risk Reduction
Bringing a new, innovative and valuable product to the market is all about reducing risk.
The more unique your new idea is, the higher the risk. Simply put, there are more unknowns. Actually in many cases I dealt with in my career, there was no guarantee that it is even possible to make the proposed product. Let alone in the needed timeframe and cost.
So the name of the game is mitigating and reducing the risk.
That sounds easier said than done, but I found that there are two things that inherently help:
Experience - Sure, you are taking a road never taken. Still, there are people who went down similar roads before. There are many potholes in those roads, and it helps to have someone on your side who can help you avoid some and climb out of others.
Communication - both flexible and structured.
Flexible communication means that the team members are continuously updating each other. Every team finds its comfortable way to do that. I would recommend a weekly meeting with ALL the teams leaders in one room (physical or virtual).
Flexible communication means that the team members are continuously updating each other. Every team finds its comfortable way to do that. I would recommend a weekly meeting with ALL the teams leaders in one room (physical or virtual).
The most important Structured communication form is Design Reviews. Although these require significant effort to prepare properly, I never had a project which went surprisingly off track when we had Concepts (CoDR), Preliminary (PDR) and Critical (CDR) Design Reviews. Production Readiness Review (PRR) will make your operation guys happy too.
And yes, I know it is not really a game.
Still, there is no reason not to enjoy the journey.
