How do you evaluate your product's impact on the environment and society?

As heading Private Label dept at a leading GCC retail chain, I’m deeply committed to assessing the environmental and societal impact of our products. We employ a thorough lifecycle assessment, prioritize sustainable sourcing, reduce our carbon footprint, and ensure fair labor practices. Our dedication extends to eco-friendly packaging, community engagement, and maintaining relevant certifications. Transparency and stakeholder feedback are central to our approach. In essence, our mission is to set industry standards and create a more responsible world through our private label offerings. Together, we’re making a tangible and positive impact—one responsible choice at a time.

Businesses are there to make money and regulatory bodies are there to ensure that money is made with minimum effect on environment but companies are taking now more responsible approach so as a product manager this is what you do 1) Get your company sustainability plan, target and commitment overall 2) Does your product roadmap match with this plan? Are you getting ahead or delayed? 3) what are the sustainability targets of your competition and industry? Are you ahead or late? 4) the market where you will launch, what are their standards? You need to be clear on that What is your baseline to achieve ? If you go further what is the impact on the tripple bottom line

Defining goals starts with a million $ question : What's your current baseline and methods or assumptions surrounding "activity level info". This is applicable to both environmental and social data. Every incremental value addition or investments or impact measurement has to be layered upon a baseline following certain guidelines/protocols. It's fair to say, any goal setting for measuring impact would be prudent only if it has an assessed base layer with qual or quant or both.

The best way I evaluate impact on the environment or society for any product I design is simply asking myself, is this product needed or is this relevant?

In the Goal Definition phase, evaluating your product's environmental and societal impact can be achieved through the following: 1. Comprehensive Research: Effective analysis begins with understanding the full lifecycle of your product. 2. Clear, Actively Beneficial Goals: Your project's goals should not only minimize harm but actively improve conditions. 3. Stakeholder Involvement: Involve stakeholders to identify potentially overlooked aspects. They provide valuable insights into potential societal impacts that you may not have considered. 4. Regulatory Compliance: Ensure that your product and processes comply with all relevant environmental and societal regulations.

Metrics are 2 kinds. The ones that cause an impact by using the product and the ones that created an impact during the development a product. Carbon footprint, energy, waste, social inclusion etc. can be metrics that can derived during the development of the product. These are generic metrics that can be derived for any product - Software, gaming, EdTech, hardware, media based, etc. Specific products that are developed for the betterment of environment / social causes will have their own metrics to be tracked. It's also worthy to include these into the product lifecycle so that these are tracked consistently and it's not an one time effort.

The metrics that one evaluates lay the groundwork for all development work. The modifications performed during R&D rely completely on the metrics evaluated. Thus, prior to establishing said metrics, ensure to thoroughly conduct market research. Understand that the metrics are tied to the customer needs, each metric you set must be tied to a customer's need (whether its B2B or B2C). As an example, a metric for a runner's shoe sole would be "polymer density" in order to meet the customer's need of lightweight product. If you cannot justify each metric being chosen then it might be worthwhile to re-evaluated said chosen metrics.

While identify your metrics you first spec out the metrics which are crucial to your Business After then you need to single out your North Star Metric which will be the most important Metric which has a direct impact on Revenue, Customers and Performace

1. Relevance, Front and Center: What environmental and societal aspects directly tie into your product? If energy consumption is significant in your product cycle, energy efficiency becomes your non-negotiable metric. 2. Numbers Talk: Don't merely 'reduce waste'; command it to 'shrink by 20% within one revolution around the sun'. Your metrics need to be measurable, quantifiable with a marked timeline. 3. Lean on the Giants: Industry standards and competitor benchmarks aren't just data. They're secret weapons at your disposal. Craft your metrics using these arsenal, construct goals that are realistic yet audacious. 4. Legal Eagles: Make every metric matter. Include ones that fall in line with environmental legislation and societal norms

In the world of product development, setting clear goals is just the beginning. To truly gauge your product's impact, you must carefully choose the right metrics. These metrics should be SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Striking a balance between quantitative and qualitative data is essential, as is considering both positive and negative outcomes. Take metrics like carbon footprint, energy efficiency, waste reduction, user satisfaction, social inclusion, or ethical compliance; these provide a holistic view of your product's influence. To make this process more manageable, tools like the Product Impact Framework, the Life Cycle Assessment, and the Social Return on Investment can be invaluable allies.

The true value lies in converting data to insights and insights to outcomes. There are a multiplicity of ways to collect data from products out in the field. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is one - which deploys $200 - $1,000 sensors to collect a range of data parameters like pressure, temperature, etc. For ex: The COVID-19 vaccines had to be transported at a specific temperature. Monitoring the product's temperature across the supply chain is crucial to ensure drug safety. Where do you collect and compute the data is key: The Edge or the Cloud or in a Fluid Compute way?

Having a sustainable Data Strategy is very important. This starts with Data Aggregation, building in the right Customer Journeys and User Experiences to ensure Data is being captured the right way is very key

1. Identifying relevant data sources: Look at production reports and customer feedback. 2. Implementing monitoring strategies: Use software or checklists. 3. Collaborating with stakeholders: Engage with your team and suppliers. 4. Using industry tools: Utilize available data collection tools. 5. Regular data reviews: Update your data frequently to ensure accuracy.

Manufacturing: source of data is critical; it can be gathered from suppliers, based on their "declaration of facts". A single "source of truth" has to be collated & maintained over a period of time, to understand the contribution to sustainable methods! Non-manufacturing: define KPIs, identify sources of data, establish checks & balances, ensure the data is "truthful" before publishing! Project based: a few parameters to consider: timelines (slippage/ahead), people's time & effort - impact on carbon, energy, etc. Such derived parameters & their KPIs must be identified. This will tell you that if a project is finished on time, the "Green favor" we are doing to protect the environment! Connecting people efficiency with Green Environment!

In the cybersecurity realm, a robust data collection strategy spans the product's entire lifecycle while maintaining strict adherence to data protection laws. It entails real-time logging from security platforms like Splunk and CloudTrail, user feedback via surveys and interviews, third-party audits, and environmental metrics monitoring. Data is collected frequently and validated for accuracy. Compliance with GDPR and CCPA is ensured, with data analysis tools such as Splunk and Tableau aiding in insights and reporting. The strategy promotes continuous improvement in security, user satisfaction, and environmental responsibility, guided by data-driven decisions.

Once Data is captured efficiently then it needs to be warehoused in the right environment using the right resources with adequate higher availability and safety After which Data Mining comes to mind. The ability to mine large sets of data to make informed decisions off these data is very crucial in today's Businesses

Analysis & paralysis can happen once substantial data is available. Trade-off / neutralization parameters have to be identified to ensure "a pinch of salt" is added to the data to offset! Once the data is normalized, with BI tools, they can be charted, comprehended and submitted!

1. Organize Your Data: Create databases and ensure the accuracy of your data. 2. Interpret Information: Use statistical analysis or software to understand the data. 3. Identify Trends: Look for patterns that indicate your product's environmental impact. 4. Compare with Benchmarks: Gauge where you stand in comparison to industry benchmarks. 5. Create Reports: Use visual aids to present your analysis effectively.

The initial point regarding the interpretation and visualization of data is crucial. Data becomes valuable when it’s transformed into actionable insights, and visualization aids in this process. Comparing data against predefined goals and benchmarks is a critical aspect of analysis. It helps identify areas for improvement and sets the stage for data-driven decision-making.

In the cybersecurity domain, effective data analysis involves employing techniques like descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, predictive analytics, and machine learning to derive insights and enhance security. Tools such as Excel, R, Python, Tableau, and Splunk aid in data manipulation, analysis, and visualization. Visualization techniques include bar charts, line charts, heatmaps, and more to represent security data patterns. Acknowledging data limitations, conflicts, and privacy concerns is crucial, while benchmarking against industry standards helps identify areas for improvement in security measures.

Communications is Key And in product management we sometimes call this Product Envagelism As a Product Leader it is your sole responsibility to be the most passionate advocate and envagelist of your vision, strategy and value propositions And this has to be constantly sold to the target market

1. Message Definition: Articulate your product's environmental and societal benefits. 2. Target Audience: Identify who needs to hear your pitch, be it customers, investors, or employees. 3. Communication Channels: Determine where your audience is most active, like LinkedIn, trade shows, and newsletters. 4. Timeline: Align communication with key events such as product launches or industry events. 5. Measure and Refine: Track the effectiveness and make adjustments as necessary.

Effective communication is the bridge that connects your insights to stakeholders, igniting a meaningful dialogue about your product’s impact. Tailoring your communication to the specific audience is essential, and the use of clear, concise, and compelling language and visuals ensures that your message resonates. Transparency and honesty should underpin your efforts, where you openly discuss your data and methodologies and actively invite feedback and criticism from your stakeholders. To disseminate your results effectively, various methods such as reports, dashboards, presentations, or stories can be employed.

In the cybersecurity domain, effective communication of product impact entails tailoring messages to diverse stakeholders. For executives, emphasize business alignment and risk reduction. Technical teams benefit from detailed data and metrics. End users need clear, non-technical language emphasizing data protection. Use visual aids, such as reports and infographics, while maintaining transparency about data sources and limitations. Encourage feedback and host regular meetings. Deliver comprehensive reports and engaging presentations, and use real-world stories to illustrate impact. Address compliance and regulatory updates and prioritize security awareness training.

Communication is a two-way iterative process, distinct from a presentation. The preparatory steps to communication are collecting meaningful data, interpreting it, and creating its visualization. After you build the data visualization, you can start communication with stakeholders. Since this is an iterative process, expect to collect improvements to your data visualization. Different stakeholders have unique expectations of the data's meaning. And this is a normal process when communicating complex data. Rework here does not convey failure but evolution.

Customers usually don’t know what the ideal product they could use. It’s our job to figure it create features and envision use cases where these features will be most successfully utilized. As customers demands growing from feature to feature, the best way is to add small minor features and option to check if it could turn out as something very valuable and what customers would gladly use, or on the other hand, won’t use at all, that’s how we could be in a win-win situation where customer get the feature they love (or not get what they don’t want to without ruining the whole customer journey) and we would have a clear answers what client do like and what’s not.

The most overlooked aspect of a product journey is the feedback loop on subsequent product iterations. Alas, this is the best phase of value-creation for customers. Organizations often look at new builds as revenue growth and they under-emphasize the importance of protecting the turf and generating future cash flows from products out and running in the field.

Given it's importance, most companies nowadays formulate their approach (and commitment) to evaluate their product's impact on the environment in a 'top down' way e.g., a Corporate Policy. In particular, product's eco-performance assessment over life-cycle is derived from the Corporate Policy and is typically integrated in enterprise product development cycle processes as milestone deliverables. These deliverables include sustainability goals and relevant metrics definition, data collection and consolidation, and final reporting. Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), Hazardous Substance Declarations, Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), Product Category Rules (PCR), and ISO14000 series are vital templates to evaluate/report product's eco-impact

Openly communicate your product's carbon horoscope! As the focus shifts to reducing, reusing, and recycling - customers are becoming more conscious of what they wear, consume, and use.

Designs sustainably which starts from the source of the material, and considers about packaging with circular designs thinking to reduce carbon emission.

In product development, comprehending our target audience is paramount: identifying who they are, discerning their primary concerns, and gauging their readiness to invest in sustainability or goodwill. Recognizing our prosocial customers is a strategic imperative. Companies hold a duty to cater to stakeholder interests, with the maximization of stakeholder returns being a central mission. Marrying the needs of the customer with stakeholder profitability is the cornerstone of a successful product development endeavor.