Business of Software Podcast

In this talk from BoS Europe 2019, Sarah discusses why Dressipi started as a B2C play but the data it collected on customers has a much higher value to fashion retailers as it enables them to forecast demand more effectively and reduce their unsold inventory. You will leave with ideas to stimulate creative, data-driven, approaches to problem solving and how you can harness culture to build long-term value in your business. For more great BoS content, subscribe the the BoS newsletter at businessofsoftware.org/updates

What is the world of tomorrow going to look like? They say to find out what life is like in 20 years time, ask a current 10 year old as they are the future and what matters to them may not be the same as what matters to current adults. In this talk from BoS Conf Online Europe 2020, Rita McGrath looks at early warning scenarios and discusses with a high school student the pros and cons of the sudden dive into the deepend of online learning thanks to the 2020 pandemic. For more great BoS articles, discussions, events, and insights, subscribe to the BoS newsletter at businessofsoftware.org/updates

Jeff ‘Tall Jeff’ Szczepanski from Stack Exchange delivers a talk on his experiences of what happens when you think about and manage sales like you would manage a great development team. Don't forget to sign up for the BoS Newsletter and keep up to date with everything going on at BoS. Visit businessofsoftware.org and click Subscribe!

In this talk from BoS Conf Online, Radhika talks about where iteration goes wrong, Methodologies such as Lean and Agile have democratized innovation by teaching us to harness the power of iteration to innovate faster, but our ability to set a clear destination hasn't kept up with the pace. When we iterate without a clear vision or strategy, our products become bloated, fragmented, and driven by irrelevant metrics. They catch “product diseases” that are often fatal to true innovation. For more great talks, visit businessofsoftware.org

Having a dialogue with your customer is worth so much more to you and your business than anything else; and the most important thing that you need to know is how to work out what your sales proposition is, what your story is.  This talk from BoS Conf USA looks at The reason you should be talking to your clients, not just emailing them, not just blogging at them, the reason you should be talking to your clients is because they each have their own unique way of describing a problem. For more great talks, join the BoS Newsletter at businessofsoftware.org/update

Joel Spolsky, founder of Fog Creek Software and co-creator of Stack Overflow, delves into the intersection of simplicity and value in software development. He argues that adding new features can enhance product value, citing personal anecdotes. The conversation explores the pitfalls of decision-making in design, emphasizing the importance of user-centric approaches. Humorously, Joel critiques outdated features and advocates for elegance in coding. He highlights the balance between simplicity and functionality, using compelling examples like Amazon's one-click purchase to illustrate his points.

What works for one company might not work for another; but other peoples mistakes are worth taking note of. In this talk, ServiceRocket's Rob Castaneda discusses the mistakes he made that could help you in your business. For more great talks, viist businessofsoftware.org and sign up to the free newsletter for all that BoS goodness direct to your inbox.

Software companies are often torn between meeting customer needs and product velocity. A well-designed ecosystem allows you to do both. Companies with flourishing ecosystems have several competitive advantages – moats, product development, customer advocates and more. Building and maintaining an ecosystem requires a clear plan and a systematic approach. Knowing where to begin, or where you’re going wrong, can be challenging. In this conversation, Peter and Bill from ServiceRocket discuss everything you should consider. For more great talks direct to your inbox, sign up for the free Bos Newsletter at businessofsoftware.org/update

Brianna Wu is head of development at Giant Spacekat, a company specialising in cinematic experiences using the Unreal Engine. She’s known as a frequent speaker on women in tech issues, and is an advocate for increased diversity in the games industry. In this talk from BoS USA, Brianna looks at what we can do to start helping women in tech. For more great talks direct to your inbox, visit businessofosftware.org/update to sign up for the free BoS Newsletter.

Should you or shouldn’t you listen to your customers? Do they know what they want or just what they think they want? Famously, pre-automobile era, people didn’t want a car, they wanted faster horses. So how do know when to listen to your customer feedback and when not to? For more great BoS Talk, visit businessofsoftware.org