Sopheon today shared the outcome of its annual America’s Accolade® User Forum.
Sopheon’s annual User Forum was attended by a rich mix of companies spanning a range of industries who came together to share their individual innovation journeys, challenges and aspirations. Some are long-time loyal Sopheon clients of 12 years and longer; others joined the Accolade community as recently as this year. Attendance figures show a 100% increase in the number of client companies represented compared to last year.
Highlights shared:
- Developing business agility is not about applying Agile software development methodology. Rather it hinges on the capability to adjust, pivot and respond quickly to new opportunities for competitive advantage and speed to market.
- There is a marked shift in the focus on using portfolio management to support forward-looking decisions as opposed to the historical focus of reviewing past performance and status.
- A $19 billion industrial manufacturer shared their use of Accolade for Roadmapping to provide visibility and management of their technologies with a 15 year view into the future.
- One global consumer goods leader shared their use of Accolade software to manage 16,000 product development projects, while another in the same industry manages over 50,000 enterprise-wide corporate initiatives.
The two-day event included a keynote presentation by Andy Michuda, Sopheon CEO, who shared Sopheon’s view on the impact of current market trends on innovation models and capabilities, as well as a number of high-level capabilities that will be delivered in upcoming Accolade product releases. The agenda focused on customer experience sharing and best practices, with extensive discussion and Q&A sessions.
“Every user forum we host gets richer with content,” said Mr. Michuda. “This year the audience was especially open and willing to share their experiences. I expect many will have created new professional relationships that will deliver reciprocal support for their go-forward ambitions, both professional and personal. It is truly rewarding to bring this unique and experienced peer group together, and watch them share their knowledge, experiences, challenges and learnings. After all, Sopheon simply facilitates these sessions, which are designed to provide a platform for our customers to learn from one other.”
A survey of attendees identified the following valuable experiences from the event:
- Productive time engaging in candid, collaborative discussion on operational topics with other industry leaders who have a common goal to improve innovation performance.
- Seeing a preview of Sopheon’s upcoming Accolade 11.2 release and forward-looking roadmap, which provided good input for internal planning and alignment.
- Shared client case studies were informative, providing new insights and exposing applied learnings.
- A good balance of new and long-time users provided an interesting and helpful perspective on best practices for maximizing the value of both the Accolade software and innovation processes.
“One of the benefits of becoming a Sopheon client is the access to a rich network of experienced innovation thought leaders who are grounded in real operational activities and who are pushing their company forward. As many of us face common company challenges, it is extremely beneficial to learn how others are dealing with them. It is especially insightful to hear Sopheon’s views and how well they connect with the direction we are headed. It is a good validation of our process and of our selection of Sopheon as our vendor of choice. It's excellent when we have common views of the future.” - Supplier to the semiconductor industry
“These events are great networking opportunities; they are an excellent venue to hear and talk with users and Sopheon about how the system is used, can be used, or will be used in the future. I am looking forward to implementing some of the ideas I saw into our system.” - Ingredients manufacturer
“As a newbie to Sopheon I found the session stimulating and very applicable as we roll out Accolade. I picked up many tips and best practices in addition to developing new relationships with professional peers who I would not hesitate to reach out to for ongoing support.” - Food manufacturer
Planning is underway for Sopheon’s EMEA user forum, which is scheduled for November.
