I got a call from an engineering friend of mine. He just moved to a new city for a new job. He writes firmware for a small company. Reason for the call? He is bored and wondered if we had any projects he could work on. Good engineers love their jobs and hate just sitting… Read More

Does it ever seem like the last 10% of the project takes 90% of the time? If you have had this experience, you are not alone. It happens all too frequently when trying to develop technology products in a small company. Managing a project with several different engineers, all with their unique areas of expertise,… Read More

The most common inquiry we get from startups is, “when do I use a company versus a contractor versus an employee?” Our research has concluded that getting this question right correlates with startup success, and getting it wrong often leads to startup failure. So, what is the right answer?       Employee: – The… Read More

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any direction will do.” Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland We are often brought in to help with troubled product development projects that are not progressing as expected. You might expect that the reason for the lack of success would be because of the team’s poor technical skills and… Read More

A Requirements Document (RD) is the first step to creating a great product. Because it is the first step, an RD has the greatest leverage of all product development activities. A small error in the direction at this stage can make a big difference in where the product ultimately ends up. Good is the enemy… Read More

Someone once said that the only difference between those with experience and those without is that the experienced have already made all the mistakes the inexperienced will make. If that is true, then Finish Line PDS certainly has a lot of experience. After almost 20 years of helping startups develop their products, we have seen… Read More

It’s an exciting time for every successful startup: when and who to hire as the baby company grows to meet expanding opportunities! At the same time, this moment is fraught with peril. The right hire can propel the firm to the next stage of development, while the wrong hire can seriously set back or even… Read More

There are many more ways to pay for product development than you may realize, including not paying for it at all. What is right for your situation will depend on your exact circumstances. You may wish to review the following before starting your next product development project. 1. Employees: Most of us are familiar with… Read More