E M 590 Leading Design and Innovation

Course Description and Objectives

Leading Design and Innovation covers techniques to identify opportunities for innovation and methods to lead comprehensive product design and development. Key topics include product management lifecycle, AI product design, design for manufacturability, product vision and strategy, Scrum and agile development methodologies, Standardization, designing for quality, and data driven design decisions.

Course Objectives

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the product management lifecycle, focusing on developing the skills necessary for effective product management in various stages, from ideation to decline. Students will identify and describe the stages of the product lifecycle and the role of a product manager. Students will learn to apply these concepts in real-world scenarios and align their decisions with the product’s lifecycle to maximize success.

• Students will define a product’s vision and strategic direction by understanding the market, competition, and customer needs. Develop strategic visioning skills by analyzing market and competitive landscapes and crafting comprehensive product hypotheses and user personas.
• Planning the product’s timeline and steps from conception to launch is covered next, involving the creation of detailed product roadmaps, aligning with business strategy, and prioritizing features based on value and feasibility.
• Explore AI product design, including cost analysis, technical planning, understanding AI-synthesized media, and applying the Lawler Model for AI problem definition and product design synthesis.
• Evaluate collaborative development techniques, resource, time, and scope management, and the translation of requirements into actionable technical specifications.
• Examine the iterative development cycle, particularly using agile methodologies like Scrum, Agile, and integrating user feedback to align the product with project goals.
• Analyzing data to inform decisions and track product success involves lessons on conducting A/B testing, monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), and gathering user feedback.

Faculty Contact: etm@wsu.edu
Semester Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Location: Global Campus

Course meets at times posted via web conferencing software.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Define a vision and strategic direction for the product.
• Plan the steps and timeline that the product will follow from conception to launch and beyond.
• Evaluate AI product design.
• Improve product development by incorporating iterative techniques such as Scrum, Agile, and Lean manufacturing.
• Implement design for quality techniques.
• Balance resources, time, and scope to deliver a product that meets users’ needs.
• Analyze data to inform decisions and track the success of the product.
• Recommend a strategic withdrawal of a product from the market, managing declining sales, and transitioning customers and resources to new offerings.