Product development

Many companies approach product development as if it were manufacturing, trying to control costs and improve quality by applying zero-defect, efficiency-focused...

They cost almost nothing.

Disruption is no longer just coming from the low end.

A company’s software is becoming a critical source of competitive advantage and competitive risk. Yet few managers can agree on the key variables for judging its quality. Here’s a new framework for doing just that.

Smartphones make it possible, if you set the right assignments.

Nowhere in a company is the need for coordination more acute than between the people who are responsible for product design and those responsible for manufacturing. As Daniel E. Whitney argued in these pages recently (“Manufacturing by Design,” July–August 1988), most companies have operated for years in an environment where design and manufacturing communicate infrequently, […]

Challenged by world-class competitors, manufacturing companies in the United States have greatly improved their product development efforts as well as...

Companies say they want breakthrough products, but most are far more adept at making incremental improvements to existing lines. A pioneering division at 3M successfully navigated a process that leads to breakthrough thinking.

Everyone says they are in favor of open innovation and co-creation. We have all heard about the wisdom of crowds, bringing the outside in, and have bought the t-shirt which states that “none of us is as smart as all of us.” But what is co-creation, really, and how do you do it right? Co-creation […]

Looking to make your organization more responsive and efficient? You needn’t break down the walls between your units. Instead, manage your information so that every customer sees a united front.

Keep teams small and share work equally.

Your tech team can't be truly agile if HR, finance, and management aren't.

The only feedback that really matters is the market’s.

On the basis of a sample from the top 200 of the Fortune “500” and data from the PIMS (Profit Impact of Market Strategies) project, this author gives some guidelines for established companies on what to expect from new ventures. He points out that it takes an average of 10 to 12 years before the […]

A hypothetical case illustrates managerial problems in a firm that has lost strategic control of technology and its competitive edge by becoming insulated...

What the role is, and what makes someone qualified for it.

Pricing strategies are running up against ethics.

A Taxonomy of Innovation

Understanding customer demand leads to innovation.

CEO Peter Walsh faces a classic innovator's dilemma. His company, Crescordia, produces high-quality metal plates, pins, and screws that orthopedic surgeons...