Resume of Jonathan Prusky – Software Product Management
I make technology scrutable*. Period.
SUMMARY
A Senior Product Management Professional, expert at identifying the intersection of a good user experience and real-world applications of technology, resulting in products and services appealing and saleable to the mass market.
- Expertise – Experienced building and managing online communities. Domain expertise in productivity tools, online communication tools and platforms (e.g., email, IM, groups and community applications, search, blogging) and skilled in digital media technologies (e.g., music, photography).
- Leadership – Relates equally well to technical and non-technical groups, providing bridges among all parties involved in the product life-cycle. Able to hold the vision for the application of technology, translating ideas into clear, actionable business requirements and recommendations (e.g., MRDs, PRDs, technical specifications).
- Management – Experience supervising product managers, community volunteers and managing cross-functional teams. Proven ability to build consensus among internal and external stakeholders; ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously while successfully meeting established goals and deadlines.
- Experience – Over 15 years in product management and product marketing, with foundation built at Microsoft -- including key contributions to Word for Windows/Mac and the Microsoft Office product strategy. Directed multiple national product launches. Top-tier corporate experience also includes Borland, Beyond.com, Frame Technology, Adobe, and Apple. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.
EXPERIENCE
Technology and Digital Consultant, JUMP Consulting, Ardmore, PA 2014-present
Developed content for and consulted with Barrack Hebrew Academy. Redesigned website resulting in a 50% increase in stickiness and 20% more page views. Technology audit of the school in preparation for Board approval of a massive technology initiative. Created huge amount of multimedia content, used for a variety of applications, including the website and the YouTube channel; served as a model of what is possible.
Technology Applications Project Leader, Windsor Securities, Ardmore, PA 2003-2014
Boutique
money management firm, with successful 30 year record of consistent,
above-market returns. Over $100 million in assets managed.
• Developed and implemented different approaches to combining firm’s intuitive market feel, with data from disparate internal databases. This created a platform for quantitative analysis, tracking trends using techniques such as exponential moving averages.
• Researched macro-market algorithms using Excel. Developed trading model, back-fitting algorithms over a ten year period to yield annual compound returns significantly greater than average market indices.
Marketing and Product Management Consultant, JUMP Consulting, San Carlos, CA 1991-2003
Part-time consulting on a project-by-project basis, often coincident with regular full-time positions. Clients include the Open Software Application Foundation (OSAF), Borland, Frame, Ashton-Tate and others. Have generated solutions in a variety of industries, including consumer and enterprise software, end user / consumer services, education, and financial analysis.
Internet
• Managed strategy and design of a social software network system that allows professional to rapidly build a gateway to their personal web presence, cross-network with similar professionals, and at the same time own their own data. The "open source"-style approach builds on commercially available free or low-cost components such as weblogs, Google, Yahoogroups as well as static/dynamic links.
• Initiated and continue to manage an online networking community spin-off, from a non-profit, educational services organization, growing it to become one of the top 50 Yahoogroups.
Software
• Wrote white paper on task management for Mitch Kapor's OSAF Chandler project - an open source personal information manager with powerful email client, integrated task manager and peer-to-peer calendaring. Provides design center for more sophisticated approach than Outlook's simple TaskPad.
• Defined applications marketing strategy, positioning, and provided industry analysis to Borland for Sidekick product line, later revitalized, reintroduced, and spun-out successfully.
• Developed market segmentation strategy for FrameMaker that resulted in broader acceptance within the UNIX market. Built the business case for, and later evangelized the Windows version, which eventually became the flagship product.
Director of Product Management, SeeRun Corporation, San Francisco, CA, 2000-2001
Recruited to address product strategy, roadmap, and positioning for this for this 25-person early stage overseas provider of business process management tools for e-commerce, attempting to establish presence in the United States. Company did not receive second round funding; resulting in 50% US staff reduction.
• Led development of corporate strategic positioning, as a member of the executive team.
• Transferred function to the US and partially outsourced it, in order to produced high quality technical publications in 1/3 the normal time in rush-fix situation.
• Developed demo strategy that resulted in a presentation at the exclusive "Showcase 2000," an invitation-only conference that highlights emerging technologies.
Senior Product Manager, Internet Distribution, Beyond.com, Santa Clara, CA, (filed Chapter 11 2/2002, assets sold to Digital River) 1999-2000
Developed key differentiators in preparation for entry to the corporate software market, for this early Internet IPO B2C and B2B software reseller.
• Developed product strategy, planning, and 30-page functional spec for new automatic software update service (eCurrent) for corporate users, which included the UI, product features, and product roadmap.
• Revised and renegotiated partnership and deliverables with technology vendor who was providing back end infrastructure, which enabled the project to move out of a "stuck" place.
• Designed customer profile tracking system and expedited customer purchasing process with major interface enhancements.
Group Product Manager, Internet Services, Human Awareness Institute, Foster City, CA, 1994-1999
Introduced online capabilities to brick and mortar not-for-profit institution specializing in communication workshops. Managed professionals and volunteers.
• Instituted commercial best practices in business, marketing, internal operations and Internet services
• Built and led a team of 12 designers, engineers, and marketing personnel to develop, launch and maintain global website. High visibility on search engines resulted in 10-fold increase in the number of unsolicited participants. Repeat participation increased of 35% due to “stickiness” of special part of website for participants-only.
• Created and oversaw a series of online communities which resulted in localized consumer support and online marketing activities within the context of an international presence.
Marketing Manager, Consumer Home Automation, Echelon Corporation, Palo Alto, CA 1990-1991
Small start-up to develop low cost distributed control systems. Recruited to develop and implement the home market applications marketing strategy.
• Led team to analyze pricing / cost feasibility and assess the readiness, acceptance, and pervasiveness in the consumer home control market.
• Identified final key requirements by building rudimentary prototype system that identified key product requirements.
• Repositioned products away from the consumer home market towards profitable industrial applications when consumer market proved to be unfeasible.
ADDITIONAL RELATED EXPERIENCE
Product Manager,
Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond WA
Developed strategy, functionality, and positioning of key products, defined and developed directional strategy for Windows applications, and managed product life cycle for multiple product iterations. Worked directly with Bill Gates, as member of an intrapreneurial “group of three."
• Defined the product strategy which drove the functionality for GUI word processing products, anchoring the Microsoft Office bundle, resulting in the domination of the office applications market.
• Drove Microsoft's early use of market research (focus groups, usability studies) as a part of product definition, resulting in a customer-driven marketing strategy for Windows Word.
• Conceived and managed the re-launch of Word for Macintosh, including cross-functional team of 25, product positioning, tactical marketing plans, advertising, PR, sales training, and senior corporate executive presentations, growing business from $6 to $25 million, within one year
EDUCATION
Wharton Graduate School Of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• Marketing focus; summer internship at
Apple Computer.
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. BA, Computer Science with Honors
• Designed and wrote a 300-page user’s guide for early hypertext-based, writing system.
|
- Product Management / Market Development
- Competitive Intelligence
- Market Requirements Definition (MRD)
- Product Requirements Definition (PRD)
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Business Development / Partnerships
- Business Plans / Market Research
|
- Strategic Planning
- Product Roadmap Management
- Market Growth / Segmentation
- Project Management
- Product Lifecycle Management
- Product Demonstrations / Evangelism
- Agile technologies
|
AFFILIATIONS
SDForum
Member; multiple contributions to monthly newsletter.
Linked In
Member of many industry and user interface / customer experience groups.
NOTEWORTHY
• Tournament-level backgammon champion.
• Traveled throughout China in 1989 and 1995.
(skrü-t&-b&l) adj. capable of being deciphered; comprehensible