We tried to put a process around describing our customer in my last post. Can we do something similar for products? The tool that I like and use regularly is the product feature grid. No rocket science just basic common sense. Here is what it looks like At the top of the grid we put…
Month: March 2010
Risk Frameworks and applications
I never thought that I would ever get round to writing a book; much less three in less than a twelve month period. Such is life. So after Reboot and after Understanding Commodity Risk, comes Risk: Applications and Frameworks. Just finishing the final draft before it goes for typesetting. Expected out in print in early…
The new Reboot cover
Finally got around to getting a formal cover done for Reboot (Thanks to Nida Faizi, an absolutely brilliant designer). The first print run of 500 copies is now completely sold out. One of the last few copies ended up on Dr. Jawaid Ghani’s desk (courtesy of Jehan Ara), the new Chairman PITB (Punjab IT Board)…
What is happening with the Rupee – Two
Earlier in March I asked What is happening to the Rupee? Despite two weeks of digging around, I still don’t have an answer. But I have numerous pieces of the puzzle that can be used to form the outline of a partial answer. Here are the conversations I have had with Interbank trading friends. Opinion…
Finding the voice of the customer
Startup Insights – Finding the voice of the customer I have been teaching entrepreneurship as a practitioner for 8 years and the format that I follow is very simple. Start with a group of students willing to express their ideas in less than one hundred words. Mix in between 18 to 36 hours of instruction….
Woman by the wall – Auction
Just spoke to Sama and found out that “Woman by the Wall” is actually still drying on canvas and has not been sold. Since I was the technologist responsible for getting Sama onto Facebook (thank you Jehan) and her blog (thank you Mohtashim), I made a bet. I told her I could sell Woman…
Introducing Sama Nadeem Izhar
Sama is my arty young sister who picked up the art gene from my mother. If you have visited our office you have already seen samples of her work. Sama’s Facebook Fan Page and her portfolio blog just went up. Her style focuses on desi themes combining the excitement of new media with cultural and…
Value at Risk, Derivative Products and the Dummies crash course on options
I ran two workshops in Dubai and Abu Dhabi last week on derivatives and treasury risk management. Three new related courses in these two areas have now been uploaded as master classes. They are: Master Class: Calculating Value at Risk – a quick and dirty guide to calculating VaR Master Class: Derivative products…
Welcome home
Every time I land at Karachi Airport I realize how much I miss this country when I travel and how lucky I am that despite my schedule, I spend a large part of my working life closer to home. As I walk through one of the fastest immigration lines on any airport, pick my luggage…
Age
From the 6th till about 12 pm on the 19th of March 2010, I managed to get a new first down. For a day short of a fortnight, I got by with four hours of sleep for 13 consecutive nights. I don’t recommend it and certainly don’t care to repeat this record anytime soon. The…