IS YOUR PRODUCT PORTFOLIO WORKING FRO YOU?
A Leadership Workshop on Product Strategy and Lifecycle Management
Trafford Park, Greater Manchester | 21st May 2026 | £167 Per Delegate
SPACE TO THINK. STRENGTH TO LEAD.
Manufacturing organisations invest significant time and effort improving operational performance.
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Yet many leadership teams rarely step back to ask a more fundamental question:
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Is our product portfolio truly aligned with our strategy, market opportunity and operational capability?
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Over time product portfolios naturally evolve. New products are introduced, legacy products remain in production, complexity increases and resources become spread across too many priorities.
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Without clear governance this can lead to unnecessary complexity, declining margins, operational inefficiencies and missed opportunities for growth.
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This practical leadership workshop, led by Steve Dougan, provides manufacturing leaders with an opportunity to step back from day-to-day operations and evaluate whether their product portfolio is genuinely supporting long-term business performance.
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Participants will work through a structured diagnostic framework to assess their portfolio through the lens of strategy alignment, lifecycle balance and competitive positioning.
The Product Performance Health Check
During the workshop participants will work through a structured assessment of their own product or service portfolio.
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The framework evaluates five key areas.
Business Strategy
Understanding the organisation’s long-term objectives and ensuring product thinking aligns with strategic priorities.
Portfolio Strategic Fit
Assessing whether the current product portfolio genuinely supports the strategic direction of the business.
Product Lifecycle
Understanding where products sit within their lifecycle and whether the organisation is balancing today’s revenue with tomorrow’s growth.
Market Position
Assessing competitive positioning and whether products align with customer and market expectations.
Portfolio Health Summary
Bringing these insights together to identify portfolio risks, complexity and opportunities for improvement.
Why This Event Matters
Manufacturing performance is influenced not only by operational excellence, but also by the quality and strategic positioning of the products being manufactured.
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In challenging market conditions organisations must balance several competing priorities:
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Maintaining revenue from mature products
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Investing in the next generation of solutions
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Managing complexity across the product portfolio
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Ensuring their offering remains differentiated in the market
Understanding and managing the product lifecycle is therefore becoming an increasingly important capability for manufacturing leaders.
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This event introduces a practical framework for evaluating product portfolios and identifying opportunities to strengthen product performance.
What You Will Leave With
By the end of the session participants will have developed:
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A Strategic Fit Snapshot of their current product portfolio
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A Lifecycle Risk Assessment highlighting potential vulnerabilities
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A Market Position Reality Check against competitors
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A Portfolio Priority View identifying where to focus attention
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Three immediate actions to strengthen product performance
These insights provide leaders with a practical starting point for improving product governance and portfolio performance.
Who Should
Attend
This workshop is designed for leaders responsible for product performance, strategy and operational delivery within manufacturing organisations, including:
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Managing Directors
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Operations Directors
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Commercial Directors
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Product Leaders
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Continuous Improvement Leaders
Industry Practitioner
Steve Dougan
Steve has more than 18 years’ experience working across multiple industrial sectors including packaging, construction and inspection equipment. His work focuses on helping manufacturing organisations define and execute product strategies, improve development processes and maximise the commercial performance of their product portfolio.
Supporting the Future of Manufacturing
This event forms part of the Future of Manufacturing Leadership Series, hosted by the Future of Manufacturing Foundation.
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The Foundation exists to promote manufacturing as a career destination and connect industry leaders with the next generation of talent.
A donation of £167 per delegate is requested to attend the event.
All contributions support the work of the Foundation.