3 Key Phases of Startup Product Management

If you’re launching a startup product, you know how trying medical device development can be. Successful startup product management requires lots of cost, resources, and talent over the launch period and beyond. Fortunately, you can streamline the startup process, minimize risk, and keep costs in check by understanding the three key phases of product management.

Phase 1: Do It Cheap

It’s easy to let your budget get out of control during the medical device development process. This typically happens because teams lose focus of the most crucial need and start allocating resources everywhere. If you want to control costs, you have to focus on the mission-critical needs and build from there. This applies to each step, from funding and designing to testing and engineering the product for your medical device. 

Phase 2: Do It Right

If you want your medical device to be successful, you have to design the right product and then make the product right. For most startups, this means you have one shot — and you can’t afford to miss the target. For this phase, building it right refers to both your product and your team. 

One of the best ways to build your product right is through comprehensive testing, a task that many medical device engineering companies can help with. Data is your best friend here. Ensure you’re testing with the actual medical device itself, conducting formal field testing, and gathering pre-clinical data. This information will help you confidently move into the next phase confidently. 

When it comes to your team, you should make sure you’re working with people who have the same focus and goal as you. At the same time, it’s important to understand that simple things — like working together to establish milestone-based goals and objectives — will go a long way.

Phase 3: Do It a Lot

You know the saying, “Practice makes perfect.” The reason you know it is because it’s repeated, and the reason it’s repeated is because it’s true! If you want to get ready to verify, manufacture, and validate your medical device, you need to have some practice under your belt first. To do this, it’s essential to understand the difference between verification and validation

While verification is a process of system tests meant to check that a product meets specified requirements at a particular development phase, validation confirms the end product will meet stakeholders’ needs and expectations (one of the most crucial parts of the medical device development process). Although both are important, they’re not interchangeable. 

Streamlining Medical Device Development

The truth is, medical device development can often feel like navigating a maze, especially for startups that are trying to move their medical device from concept to production. As innovators work to create next-generation medical devices and push them to market, hurdles of every shape, size, and description crop up along the way, and knowing how to navigate them is important for both your longevity and your sanity. 

At C3 Medical Device Consulting, we work cooperatively with our clients, serving as an extension of your team for medical device development. By helping you understand the three critical phases of startup product management and what you can expect from each, we make it easy to navigate the unique challenges of each step and position yourself for smoother, easier development and launches. Schedule a free consultation with our team today to get started with your medical device development journey!

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