Don’t just rely on what you hear -- start applying the methods discussed, with guidance and facilitation from leading experts. You may choose one of these complimentary sessions to receive a "ready-to-go" understanding of the material presented. Session A focuses on a specific risk model to help you manage the risks of developing a product; Session B helps you assimilate all the different approaches discussed during the conference and use them for decision-making. These complimentary, 2.5 hour sessions help ensure you leave the conference with valuable working knowledge of what to do.

This is a hands-on session in using a risk model to collect the facts underlying a project risk and working with these facts to plan ways of dealing with the risk. You will become familiar with risk models—including both their strengths and weaknesses—as you proceed through a five-step risk management process. You will also begin to see how you want to adapt this approach to fit your projects, market, and corporate culture. Ideally, you will come to this session prepared by having absorbed Preston and Guy’s presentations given on the first day of the conference.

You will take away:

• An appreciation for the cross-functional nature of a project risk
• A solid understanding of a risk model and how it can help you
• Means of sorting out risks critical to the project from less-threatening ones
• An eye-opener to the broad variety of risk resolution plans you can apply
• A variety of metrics useful for tracking progress in resolving your risks
• Overall, experience with the power and difficulties in gaining consensus on project risk management

Guy Merritt is a group program manager for Tellabs. Preston Smith is a Certified Management Consultant and coauthor of Developing Products in Half the Time. They are co-authors of a forthcoming book on product development project risk management to be published by Productivity Press this year.

Session B

Wednesday, April 15 - 1:00pm - 3:30pm Application of Risk Management Approaches to NPD Decisions: Compare and Contrast Alternative Risk Management Approaches Facilitators: Sheila Mello and Wayne Mackey

Which risk management approach is right for you? This session will provide you with the opportunity to obtain real time experience using the alternative techniques for doing risk management that have been presented at the conference. Compare and contrast the strengths & weakness of the various risk approaches after an exercise which applieseach to a real-world problem. By actually using a methodology to solve a real business problem, you will be able to choose the best methodology for your projects when you return to work.

Experts in risk management from Product Development Consulting, Inc will facilitate the session. Whether the risks that you face are market, technology, consensus focused or implementation driven, this session will help you:

• Understand the contrasting and synergistic elements of the different techniques
• Gain insight as to when to choose which risk management process
• Identify and manage your risks
• Apply metrics for tracking progress and identifying midcourse corrections to your action plans to reverse your risks

Sheila Mello is conference chairperson and the author of the recently published book Customer-Centric Product Definition: The Key to Great Product Development. Sheila is the managing partner of Product Development Consulting, Inc. (PDC), and is a widely known, well-respected expert in the field of product development.

Wayne Mackey's expertise is grounded in over twenty years of hands-on management of large engineering, manufacturing, and procurement organizations. He is especially effective in product development metrics, risk management, collaborative design and business strategy implementation. Mr. Mackey has been a Principal with Product Development Consulting, Inc. since 1997.

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BONUS!

Conference participants receive:

A FREE copy of Proactive Risk Management: Controlling Uncertainty in Product Development, the new book by Preston Smith and Guy Merritt! [Sample Chapter]

- PLUS -

Complimenatry one-year subscription to the MIT Sloan Management Review