Case Study: Sterling Commerce Increases Alignment Through Product Management

About five years ago, an acquisition spree, coupled with an opportunistic stance on new product development, threw Sterling Commerce's product strategy out of alignment with corporate goals. Sterling fixed the problem by defining a strong and enduring corporate strategy and then doggedly aligning the product strategy to that vision. This new approach consolidated authority over product strategy in the hands of the re-architected product management (PM) team. With authority comes responsibility, so Sterling also defined clear roles, responsibilities, and processes to ensure accountability. Increasing the authority and responsibility of a professional PM organization put product management and marketing at the heart of the company's growth and profitability.