Telecom New Zealand

Telecom New Zealand (now known as SPARK New Zealand) is a New Zealand-wide communications service provider (CSP), providing fixed line telephone services, a mobile network, and internet service provider. ^[1]

SPARK is a committed division of Telecom New Zealand, specializing in Information communication technology (ICT), which is an area of information technology integrated with unified communications. Their ICT services promises to provide various ICT solutions for businesses such as speeding up the communication networks, providing email system, video conferencing and access to efficient and reliable record-keeping tools to aid the businesses in their daily processes.

In search of development to drive the business forward, the company initiated business progression review to identify key opportunity areas that needs improvements to support the company’s growth. Strategic Programme One (SP1) was assigned to review the management growth and yield products of Spark Portfolio. They evaluated the status of the company’s product development and product management.

It was discovered that the concept-to-market tools and product’s subsequent lifestyle management were broken and lacked appropriate governance.

Concept-to-market Process Issue

Concept-to-market, also now as Product Development, is a series of steps that includes the conceptualization, design, development and marketing of newly created or newly rebranded goods or services. The objective of product development is to cultivate, maintain and increase a company's market share by satisfying a consumer demand. Not every product will appeal to every customer or client base, so defining the target market for a product is a critical component that must take place early in the product development process. ^[2]

In the current case, SP1’s review discovered the lapses in their product development process. Spark’s product development process was broken down into these following steps:

1. Sales data are stored in spread sheets
2. The product division specifying products will seek and categorize the customer’s input from the Sales data spread sheets
3. The data from the product division will be used by the operators to create new product and processes within the OSS/BSS (Operation Support System/Business Support System)

As reviewed, the approach resulted to lengthy and inconsistent time in introducing new products to the market or innovating existing products according to the customers need. There is no standard process, the steps are not time-defined and downstream system became misaligned.

SWOT ANALYSIS of the existing Concept to Market Process