A Message from the PDMA Pittsburgh Chapter President - April 2014

We started our 2014 programming slate in January with a screening of the documentary Design and Thinking.  It was a great event, and it's a topic that really epitomizes the PDMA community.  We are a collection of practicing professionals, academic researchers and service providers who look to combine empathy, creativity and rationality to solve problems and drive innovation and strategy.  Our Chapter is a platform for connecting, sharing experiences and exploring new thinking, and we encourage individuals, teams and organizations to join PDMA to become a part of this knowledge base. 

As a member, you get discounts on all Chapter events, and we have some excellent Innovation Forums planned for the coming months.  Topics include hardware accelerators, the power of adjacency, additive manufacturing and hybrid R&D. Please check your email and our Chapter website for dates and times.  Our Programming Committee does an outstanding job of bringing relevant content and some of the most notable industry experts to our area, but much of what they do is guided by input from our Chapter Community. Every good product developer knows the value of lending an empathetic ear to the voice of our customers, so we want to hear from you! Next month you will receive a survey via email asking for feedback about our Chapter and the events we offer.  Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts.  What are some of the topics you are interested in?  How important is networking?  The results will help shape our events and other programs in the months ahead. 

As a volunteer-driven organization, we attribute our success to all the outstanding people who support our events and give of their time and talent to make our Chapter a valuable resource for product development and innovation management.  I am proud to part of such a great organization and offer my sincere thanks to our board, our members and our guests.  I look forward to seeing you at our June event. Until then stay connected through our website, Twitter and LinkedIn.  Also feel free to contact me directly at randyr@ballydesign.com to share any and all things Pittsburgh PDMA! 

   

Randy Rossi

President, PDMA Pittsburgh
President, Bally Design 

June PDMA Pittsburgh Innovation Forum Focuses on Growth Strategies In Your Backyard

Join us June 3rd at Shadyside Courtyard Marriott

The June Innovation Forum - The Power Of Adjacency: Growth Strategies In Your Backyard, presented by Mark Carr, Managing Partner at South Street Strategy Group - will be held on June 3rd at the Courtyard Marriott in Shadyside. 

Identifying and exploiting new opportunities for growth is a constant point of tension for companies. Yet in this never ending quest for growth, many business strategists fail to see the opportunities that are right in their backyards - customer or capability adjacencies that are very natural extensions of their current strategies. An adjacency-based approach to growth has the benefit of leveraging business assets that already exist, but it does come with risks. For example, strategies that are too far afield from your core offerings - and thus with weak linkages - are likely to fail.

In this presentation, you will hear best practices in embedding an innovation culture into an organization through a structured approach of defining, scoping and exploiting adjacencies that can build a long-term pipeline of opportunities for growth. You will walk away from this session being able to: 

• Apply several methods for leveraging adjacencies in your own organization
• Understand how to evaluate and prioritize the best adjacencies for growth
• Identify the key issues required to succeed with adjacencies and the risks to watch out for
• Learn from case studies that demonstrate how a successful adjacency strategy can be developed and implemented.  

Register today! 

Watch your email, or find us on LinkedIn http://bit.ly/PDMAInnovate and Twitter @PDMApittsburgh for event updates. 

Press Release: Pittsburgh PDMA to Host Regional Premiere of Critically Acclaimed Documentary “Design & Thinking” at New Hazlett Theater on Jan. 29th

Movie event includes a panel discussion following the film and marks the first of more than seven PDMA educational events slated for 2014  

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania – January 22, 2014 – The Pittsburgh Chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) will host the regional premiere of critically acclaimed documentary “Design & Thinking” on January 29^th at the New Hazlett Theater. Following the screening, an expert panel of local product developers and designers will provide individual perspectives on the connection between design and new product innovation.

PDMA is dedicated to sharing knowledge and best practices through professional development, education, collaboration, and networking opportunities.  This event will bring together product development professionals, practitioners, academics, service providers, and students to explore the idea of “design thinking” and share experiences.

The “Design & Thinking” reveals design principles through the eyes of businessmen, designers, social change-makers and individuals.  The film examines what design thinking is, how it is applied in business models, and how people are changing the world with their creative minds.

Doors will open at 4:00 pm for networking.  The movie will begin at 5:00 pm.  The panel discussion following the screening will include:  Colburn Jones, Manager of Product Design, Marketing and Product Management at Aesynt; Dino Mariano, Design Director and Senior Industrial Designer at Bally Design; and Eric Anderson, Carnegie Mellon University Associate Professor of Industrial Design, Co-director of the Integrated Innovation Institute, Co-director of the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services (formerly Master of Product Development), Program Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), Member of the IDSA Academy of Fellows.  They will engage the audience in thought-provoking conversation design failures, the future of design, and the changing design requirements of business, culture and society.

Throughout the year, PDMA Pittsburgh sponsors educational and social events where individuals can develop new skills, learn best practices, and network with peers.  More than 10 events are scheduled for 2014.  Future topics include open innovation, the use of startup accelerators, branding for changing times, and using Big Data to address customer needs. Product development and design companies are encouraged to participate in PDMA events throughout the year.   This results in professional growth for individuals, an innovation-related competitive advantage for their enterprises, and the continued economic growth of the Western Pennsylvania Region.

To learn more about the “Design & Thinking” movie event and other upcoming Pittsburgh Chapter events, log onto www.pdma.org.

About PDMA Pittsburgh

The Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) is a professional association dedicated to improving the effectiveness of individuals and organizations involved with product development, product management, and innovation.  The association’s mission is to improve the effectiveness of individuals and organizations in product development and management by providing resources for professional development, information, collaboration and promotion of new product development and management.  The Pittsburgh Chapter is dedicated to the continued to growth of a strong network of local product developers and managers while providing leadership to the next generation.

                                                                                      

Media contact:    

Andi Durkota

412-855-8687

pghpdma@pdma.org

 Download the Press Release: http://www.slideshare.net/PDMApittsburgh/pdma-pgh-news-release-final3-012214

Pittsburgh PDMA Innovation Forum Series Presents: Ned Uber - Demystifying Patents and How to Create the Million Dollar Patent | Nov. 13th

 

Presented by Ned Uber, Ph.D.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013
4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Squirrel Hill 

Patents seem to be written in a foreign language, and the lack thereof has been the downfall of many startups. Ned Uber, Fellow at Bayer Healthcare and Pittsburgh's 2013 Inventor of the Year, will discuss how to use, create, and benefit from patents. 

During this valuable presentation, you will learn:  

• What patents can and cannot do for you and your organization

• Common pitfalls and strategies to avoid them

• Tools to help you create more valuable patents

Agenda

4:00 - 4:30 p.m.     Registration Open and Networking
4:30 - 5:45 p.m.     Presentation and QA

Early-Bird Registration

Members: $25   
Non-Members: $40
Student: $10

On-Site Registration

Members: $30  
Non-Members: $45
Student: $15

REGISTER TODAY

About the Speaker

Ned Uber is Pittsburgh's 2013 Inventor of the year, with 60+ US patents and many more foreign patents. He has been with Medrad/Schering/Bayer for 30+ years. His inventions are in a variety of their products and have provided the base technology for several start-ups. He is also a team facilitator and guest lecturer to CMU, Pitt, and other schools and organizations.

Pittsburgh STEM Summit - Aug. 15 | Why the Pipeline of STEM-educated People is Mission Critical to Product Innovation

For our nation, and our region, to remain economically and environmentally strong and sustainable, we must recruit and educate the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians who will solve the complex problems of our times. Maintaining the pipeline of STEM-educated people is mission critical to the success of any company developing, producing, and managing any product or service offering.

   

Because a STEM-ready workforce is fundamental to product development and management, we are pleased to let you know about the upcoming Pittsburgh STEM Summit, to be held at the Doubletree Pittsburgh Hotel on August 15, 2013.  The summit will feature exciting keynote presentations, information about interesting STEM partnerships, and opportunities to network among STEM leaders in business, formal and informal education, and nonprofits.  The Pittsburgh Technology Council is organizing the summit, which is co-sponsored by STEM Asset Education, Google, Bayer, and the Carnegie Science Center.  

Pittsburgh PDMA members are invited to attend the summit at the reduced cost of $75; the regular admission fee is $99. To register at the special PDMA rate please email events@pghtech.org or call 412-918-4229 and reference the PDMA Pittsburgh Chapter.

Click here for more information and a detailed agenda: http://stem.pghtech.org/

Why does STEM matter?  Here is one example of the cost of lost opportunity:

"The United States could enjoy a remarkable increment in its annual GDP growth per capita by enhancing the math proficiency of U.S. students. Increasing the percentage of proficient students to the levels attained in Canada and Korea would increase the annual U.S. growth rate by 0.9 percentage points and 1.3 percentage points, respectively. Since long-term average annual growth rates hover between 2 and 3 percentage points, that increment would lift growth rates by between 30 and 50 percent.

When translated into dollar terms, these magnitudes become staggering. If one calculates these percentage increases as national income projections over an 80-year period (providing for a 20-year delay before any school reform is completed and the newly proficient students begin their working careers), a back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests gains of nothing less than $75 trillion over the period. That averages out to around a trillion dollars a year."

Source: L. Woessman, P.E. Peterson, E.A. Hanushek, C.X. Lastra-Anadón, 2011. Globally Challenged: Are U.S. Students Ready to Compete? Program on Education Policy and Governance, Harvard University.

For more STEMtistics (sm), click here:  http://changetheequation.org/why-stem

We hope you'll be able to participate in this important initiative.

A Message from the PDMA Pittsburgh Chapter President

I really have enjoyed serving as your chapter president this year. My term will end soon, board members will be transitioning to new roles, and new product development professionals will be joining us.

The Pittsburgh Chapter Board of Directors is extremely dedicated and has worked extremely hard to improve the chapter. Looking back over the four-year history, we have really established an amazing presence and are recognized as a top tier chapter within PDMA. We’ve had programming content that brought in nationally recognized speakers, appeared on "Our Region's Business" TV program, and cosponsored an event with Innovation Works. With 30-50 people typically attending chapter meetings and events, we are doing well and making a positive impact.

I'm very excited about our future and how PDMA can help accelerate innovation and product development in the Pittsburgh region.

Jeff Thompson
President, PDMA Pittsburgh
Director Innovation Programs, McKesson Automation

Networking By Design - PDMA Mix & Mingle Event

Thursday, June 6, 2013
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Bally Design
810 Penn Avenue
PIttsburgh, PA 15222

As our chapter begins its fourth year, we want to conclude the Spring 2013 Program Series with a sincere Thank You for your support and participation. We invite our members and guests to join us at Bally Design for a mix and mingle networking session on Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 6 pm.

You’ll get an inside look at the tools and techniques that drive innovation and creativity in product design for industrial, medical and consumer products while enjoying a “taste of Pittsburgh” and connecting with friends and colleagues—all by design!

Cost: Members: $10;  Non-Members: $20

We hope you can join us.  

REGISTER TODAY

PDMA Pittsburgh Sponsors, Gold Sponsors, and Sponsoring Partners

The free admissions that you receive with your sponsorship apply to this event.

Intentional Insight - McKesson's Process for Innovation

Yesterday afternoon at the PDMA Pittsburgh Innovation Forum, Speaker Jeff Thompson, Director of Innovation Programs at McKesson Automation, provided an overview of the company's innovation process: Intentional Insight. It was a great opportunity to 'look under the hood' and learn how a Fortune 14 company approaches innovation. 

Many thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday for the event - now that you've had a chance to process the presentation, we'd love to hear your key takeaways.

Here are some of ours: 

The mission statement: “Create a sustainable stream of significant growth opportunities for leadership consideration”  

At McKesson it’s about market-driven innovation: "strive to learn more about customers than they know about themselves" 

People matter when doing innovation.  It’s important to have individuals on your team who can handle ambiguity and the right set of partners that will work “shoulder to shoulder” with you on your innovation journey.

We'd love to hear from you!

Post comments to the blog or connect on Twitter @PDMApittsburgh #InnovationForum