Jim Schibler
Product Management Leader
Bringing Clarity to a Complex World
SKILLS
Through more than 25 years of work experience, I’ve developed a broad range of product management skills, and I take advantage of opportunities to broaden and strengthen them further.
Like the famous knife, I'm very versatile and I have Swiss heritage!
Business Strategies
Making products without first developing a business strategy is like heading into the wilderness without a compass—you may come out okay, but your chances aren't as good as they could be.
I help develop sound business strategies by raising the right questions about unmet customer needs, competitive alternatives, sustainable unique competitive advantage, marketing and sales channels, customer support plans, financial issues, and more. I then find the answers and use those to define the best course of action that will lead to success.
Product Requirements
Clear, accurate product requirements are essential for ensuring that developers build what customers need. I wrote detailed Product Requirements Documents (PRDs) for more than a dozen major software and hardware development projects, enabling engineers to clearly understand what they needed to accomplish with their designs.
My PRDs were so clear and well organized that their format was used as models for such documents in an official Design Control Procedure that was key to achieving ISO-9001 registration at a $100 million company.
While many of the requirements documents I developed were for waterfall development processes, I've also developed requirements under more dynamic conditions, evolving product designs by working closely with developers and end users in more agile-style development processes.
User Interface Design
I’m passionate about usability. If users aren’t happy, I’m not happy. I put that passion into action by working closely with customers to identify and prioritize their needs, and with developers to craft user interfaces that let customers work with products in ways that feel natural and intuitive.
A good user interface is easily understood, and it works as you would expect. I pursue a higher goal: great user interfaces that exceed expectations and make people smile.
Marketing
Great products can sometimes sell themselves, but only if customers find out about them. I connect with customers by identifying their pain points and leading them to solutions that relieve the pain.
To me, good marketing means much more than click-throughs, CPMs, and collateral. It's about building high-trust relationships with customers that produce long-term wins for both sides. I strongly believe in using permission marketing and white-paper marketing to establish and build trust, and frequent interaction with customers to stay attuned to their evolving needs.
Writing and Editing
I love language, and I always strive for excellence in mine. I write clearly and concisely, with a smooth flow that minimizes reader effort.
I’m also very good at editing other people’s writing. I have a sharp eye for spotting typos and grammatical errors, and also for issues like unclear references, ambiguous constructions, inconsistent formats, and other flaws that generate unnecessary reading friction.
Beyond the mechanics, I enjoy writing with variety and creativity, exercising the language without tiring the reader.
Whether the challenge is to compose a great slogan, explain complex concepts in few words, or write comprehensive specifications, I enjoy crafting clear, compelling language.
I've done a lot that isn't covered in the above sections.
To view a more extensive list of my skills and work experience, click here.
