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Our engagement model

Next Mile has four primary engagement offerings:

  • Activate: start a connected product initiative off right
  • Deliver: guide a complex digital effort to success
  • Streamline: find efficiencies to improve program performance
  • Transition: change platforms or providers without disruption

We typically begin with a small Activate- or Streamline-based engagement, then dovetail into a Delivery or Transition management engagement if needed. In some cases, we've run simultaneous efforts, such as Activating a second product while Delivering the first. We'll help you overcome any connected product cost challenge whether you're pre-development, in development, or operating in the field.

over 3–6 weeks

Win before you commit

Let’s go

Makes sense when

  • >You're creating an IoT, SaaS, or OT system
  • >You want to de-risk before you go all-in

Key activities

  • > Next Mile starts your initiative correctly
  • > Chain of justification: audience to features
  • > Architecture ready for next actions
  • > Component architecture(s)

We'll need

  • > Briefings: product, customer need, team
  • > Workshop time with expert stakeholders
  • > Example hardware if available

Scope

  • > Strategy and brainstorming facilitation
  • > Use case ideation and verification
  • > Opportunity mapping and prioritization
  • > Concept positioning and generative research
  • > Core requirement and constraint definition
  • > Experience and technology architecture
  • > Technical landscape evaluation
  • > Feasibility implications and reality checks
  • > Next-action forecasting and estimation

Actionable outcomes

  • > Defined concept and articulated value
  • > Appropriate phase strategy and next steps
  • > Confidence to pursue or halt further efforts

Your homework

  1. 1. Challenge—your moment and use case
  2. 2. Value—why do customers choose you?
  3. 3. Doubts—three key anxieties

Example successes

monthly until finished

Avoid pitfalls, accelerate progress

Let’s go

Makes sense when

  • > Delivery must succeed without disruption
  • > Multi-system complexity threatens progress

Key activities

  • > We become your team's expert guide
  • > Define unambiguous team targets
  • > Feasibility, viability, desirability health check
  • > Manage complex workstreams

We'll need

  • > Advisory-level integration into operations
  • > Your cost-down, triage, or development plans
  • > An initial target milestone

Scope

  • > Coaching and capability enhancement
  • > Technical investigation and remediation
  • > Critical milestones and target prioritization
  • > UX, engineering, and QA requirements
  • > User and customer acceptance test planning
  • > Release management
  • > Vendor qualification and procurement
  • > Ongoing CapEx and OpEx forecasting
  • > Report out and report up

Actionable outcomes

  • > Cadenced product and program management
  • > Calmed program stresses, reduced churn
  • > Habitual on-time delivery, confident teams

Your homework

  1. 1. Vision—describe your ideal end state
  2. 2. Process—outline your current approach
  3. 3. Fires—what's in the way right now?

Example successes

  • Shark Robotics
  • DOTS
  • 3M

over 3–6 weeks

Capture improvement opportunities

Let’s go

Makes sense when

  • > Program results don't match expectations
  • > You need outside perspective to pinpoint why

Key activities

  • > We evaluates tech, processes, and tools
  • > Review objectives, context, and roadmap
  • > Experience your offering as the customer
  • > Look around corners to foresee future costs

We'll need

  • > Access to the full scope of your program
  • > Occasional time with expert stakeholders
  • > Example devices if available

Scope

  • > Customer/stakeholder experience
  • > Physical device BOM and manufacturing plan
  • > Device sensing and firmware
  • > Communication architecture
  • > IoT platform and external integrations
  • > Custom backend, web, and mobile apps
  • > Roadmap, business plan, and target market
  • > Development team, tool, and process health
  • > Program financials if available

Actionable outcomes

  • > Prioritized list of efficiency opportunities
  • > Documented findings and recommendations
  • > Recommended path forward in 5 steps

Your homework

  1. 1. Objectives—share your required outcomes
  2. 2. Situation—moment, use case, and challenge
  3. 3. Inhibitors—what's stopping success?

Example successes

monthly until finished

Reignite your digital effort

Let’s go

Makes sense when

  • > It's time to switch techs or providers
  • > You can't interrupt operations

Key activities

  • > Next Mile plans and manages your transition
  • > Intake and process all relevant context
  • > Map existing service to proposed capabilities
  • > Cover for gotchas and drive to conclusion

We'll need

  • > Detailed access, integration into day-to-day
  • > Your transition or migration plan to date
  • > Intros to relevant parties and proprietary tech

Scope

  • > History and context that led to today
  • > Present operational situation
  • > Ideal future state description, if known
  • > Technology choices, both made and TBD
  • > Full system architecture
  • > Device and interface technology architectures
  • > Physical device BOM and manufacturing plan
  • > Vendor qualification and procurement
  • > Day-to-day transition resource management

Actionable outcomes

  • > The right steps, in order, smarty assigned
  • > Eliminated fears, forward progress
  • > Realized savings and an achievable future

Your homework

  1. 1. Present—where you are today
  2. 2. Goal—describe your ideal end state
  3. 3. Anxieties—highlight three key problems

Example successes

Timeframes are averages—your actuals will depend on your requirements.

Contact us for your customized path forward.