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Lee helps companies design, develop and market their solutions.
His expertise includes improving the product lifecycle management and
development processes, implementing and improving the product management
and product marketing functions, conducting "voice of the customer"
campaigns, strategic business and product planning, market segmentation,
product management and product/service marketing. Clients range from
emerging companies expanding to the next stage in their growth to large
organizations needing an infusion of outside expertise in order to meet
changing business conditions. As part of his practice, he often takes
a hands-on role to supplement internal resources during implementation.
Lee has held senior positions in engineering, marketing and product
management at companies ranging from venture capital backed start-ups
to Apple Computer, Unisys and Imagery/Eastman Kodak. Mr. Shaeffer
also was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he specialized in
product/market strategy. A sampling of his experience includes the
following:
- Decorative home products manufacturer: established a process
for gaining better market feedback and translating the "Voice of the
Customer" into products. Established an advisory board consisting of
interior decorators and other experts, launched a fast-response market
research initiative, developed and am in implementing a process for
managing new products from inception through commercialization.
- Battery charger manufacturer: determined competitive landscape,
industry channel structure and market segmentation to help vendor
reposition itself for the next phase of industry growth.
- Online Recruiting Tools Vendor: managed the product life cycle
for a rapid response terabyte database service with advanced search
capabilities; grew over threefold to serve over 1 million consumers.
Wrote Product Requirements Documents, designed mockups, worked daily
with developers and OEM customer. Led product planning,
implementation and account management for private-label on-line
career sites that typically sold to vertical industry associations.
Managed several modules of an enterprise applicant tracking system.
Conducted customer interviews, developed detailed specifications,
worked with Development on schedule/functionality tradeoffs,
performed testing to requirements, generated collateral and
training materials.
- Legal and Ethical Compliance Application Vendor: Defined several
new products that capture and process information impacting an
enterprise's risk exposure and that result in specific risk
mitigation measures to improve a company's financial and market
performance. Worked with client to prepare product launches.
- Document Imaging Vendor: Helped define and launch a "new
to the industry" set of applications that enabled company to
go public. Conducted in-depth field interviews and secondary
research; wrote a comprehensive business plan that included
extensive competitive analysis, presented to Board of Directors
and obtained approval to invest up to $4 million; worked with
the development team to define the initial release of the
products; formulated the channel strategy and reseller program;
positioned the product family and developed key messages for
the press, analysts and prospects.
- Eastman Kodak: Worked with a document imaging subsidiary to
identify and prioritize market segments and penetrate the most
promising targets, developed channel strategy, orchestrated
launch of multiple products position in US and Europe.
- Large Power Utility: Defined and initiated implementation
of a product lifecycle management process and product management
function for IT department of a >$10 billion electrical utility.
Conducted due diligence to determine department's current state
of product lifecycle management; identified new processes and
enhancements to current processes that would help client meet
objectives (e.g., improve client satisfaction scores);
conducted multi-day educational sessions to prospective
product managers and other stakeholders.
- Regional Software Industry Association: As part-time interim
executive director held profit and loss responsibility.
Recruited into the position to refocus the organization.
Segmented the market to sharpen the value proposition for
each set of constituents and build barriers to competition.
Defined and developed products and services to increase
value to members and sponsors.
Lee holds a BS in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and an MBA from Stanford University. He is
currently on the board of the Product Development and Management
Association and has served as founding president of its Los Angeles
Chapter. He has written numerous articles and contributed a
chapter to the "PDMA ToolBook for New Product Development 3".
He also is a frequent speaker and workshop leader on a variety of topics related to
product development, the product development process, agile product
development, product marketing, market segmentation, and product management.
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