SETTING THE SCENE: WHAT S GOING ON IN YOUR ORGANIZATION NOW?

If all has gone well, the personas have been working hard along with everyone else in your organization, and the effort is paying off. The end is in sight. You have finished testing your product and the release plan is being executed. People are starting to think about the next project.

In the development team offices, people are taking the time to sort through and clean out their e-mail in-boxes. They are shredding the mountains of versions of spec docs that have been piling up on their desks. They are cleaning their keyboards and taking long lunches and vacations. Everyone on the development team is taking a deep breath and getting ready to start the process all over again.

Product and program managers are providing materials and information to the marketing and sales teams and are, at the same time, trying to figure out the vision for the next project or product. If yours is a consumer product, the executive, marketing, and sales staffs are working full throttle on building market share. They are delivering the product message and traveling to trade shows. They are tweaking sales strategies and closing deals.

There is an odd mix of buzz and excitement around the release of the product, combined with exhaustion, regrouping, and the first glimmers of interest in the next project. Even though you and your persona team are just as worn out as everyone else, it is...