Mitch Beaumont, Ben Thuriaux-Alemán, Prashanth Prasad and Chandler Hatton
According to the authors research, Agile approaches are increasingly being deployed successfully alongside phase-gate processes in engineering and R&D functions outside software…
Abstract
Purpose
According to the authors research, Agile approaches are increasingly being deployed successfully alongside phase-gate processes in engineering and R&D functions outside software, with a very positive result.
Design/methodology/approach
An Agile approach to product development has been a mainstay of the software industry since the turn of the century. In recent years, some non-software product-based companies have successfully combined both Agile and non-Agile methods in a complementary way to pursue breakthrough innovation. The article reports on how to make this combination work.
Findings
The study found companies adopting two general approaches when trying to introduce Agile into an existing phase-gate process: integrating Agile into a single innovation process or adding a partly parallel Agile path.
Practical implications
As a measure of Agile’s potential, the software industry has consistently produced patents at three times the level of the next-most prolific sectors.
Originality/value
Arthur D. Little’s research reveals that companies that have successfully added Agile methods to their toolboxes and tailor their innovation approaches by the type of innovation – incremental or breakthrough–perform significantly better than those that stick to single phase-gate approach.
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Strategy consultants have much to offer a top executive in terms of improving the bottom line. Yet little is known about the strategy consulting industry, because the firms and…
Abstract
Strategy consultants have much to offer a top executive in terms of improving the bottom line. Yet little is known about the strategy consulting industry, because the firms and their clients are often reluctant to disclose details of their activities. This article surveys the leading strategy consulting firms and explores trends affecting the future of the industry.
Develops an original 12‐step management of technology protocol and applies it to 51 applications which range from Du Pont’s failure in Nylon to the Single Online Trade Exchange…
Abstract
Develops an original 12‐step management of technology protocol and applies it to 51 applications which range from Du Pont’s failure in Nylon to the Single Online Trade Exchange for Auto Parts procurement by GM, Ford, Daimler‐Chrysler and Renault‐Nissan. Provides many case studies with regards to the adoption of technology and describes seven chief technology officer characteristics. Discusses common errors when companies invest in technology and considers the probabilities of success. Provides 175 questions and answers to reinforce the concepts introduced. States that this substantial journal is aimed primarily at the present and potential chief technology officer to assist their survival and success in national and international markets.
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The purpose of this paper is to look at two reports that deal with innovation issues.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to look at two reports that deal with innovation issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The article presents an analysis of two reports: one by Arthur D. Little and the other by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA).
Findings
The report by Arthur D. Little recommends a renewed focus on fostering an “Innovation Culture” as a practical way for companies to ensure they get value from their innovation effort more quickly, and manage their investment wisely during an economic slowdown. The report by NESTA highlights the need for more companies – especially UK high‐technology firms – to develop the capability for total innovation.
Originality/value
The article provides senior managers with advice on how to keep their business models sustainable through a potential downturn.
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The analyses of trends in prosecutions under the Food and Drugs Act, 1955 and the various regulations, which we have prepared every two years or so, covering a three‐month period…
Abstract
The analyses of trends in prosecutions under the Food and Drugs Act, 1955 and the various regulations, which we have prepared every two years or so, covering a three‐month period, have been so much appreciated by readers, both in the administration and the industry itself, that we have prepared a more extended survey, covering the whole of 1966. The survey, as before, takes the form of a month‐by‐month analysis of reports of legal proceedings received by us from all parts of the country, and as formerly records the prosecutions under similar groupings; cases under Section 2, subdivided into those relating to compositional offences, the presence of foreign bodies and those relating to mouldy food: false description cases under Section 6 of the Merchandise Marks Acts; Section 8, the unfit food provision, also subdivided with special categories for foreign bodies and mouldy food; Section 32, milk cases; cases under the Food Hygiene Regulations, 1960, with smoking offences separated; the Milk and Dairies Regulations, consisting almost entirely of prosecutions under Reg. 27, Meat Regulations, Preservative Regulations, Colouring Matter in Food Regulations, etc.
William J. Golden and Arthur D. Little
In the next five years, there will be a shortage of divestiture candidates qualified for leveraged buyouts relative to the number of interested buyers and the available supply of…
Abstract
In the next five years, there will be a shortage of divestiture candidates qualified for leveraged buyouts relative to the number of interested buyers and the available supply of financing. Corporations will, therefore, be well positioned to negotiate favorable terms of sale for qualified divesture candidates using this technique.
An analysis of how speed creates financial incentives and competititve advantage. For example, an Arthur D. Little study found that one automobile firm could potentially reduce…
Abstract
An analysis of how speed creates financial incentives and competititve advantage. For example, an Arthur D. Little study found that one automobile firm could potentially reduce its product development costs by $350 million just by cutting development time 20 percent.
Chandler Hatton, Michael Kolk, Martijn Eikelenboom and Mitch Beaumont
Offer a new model for identifying effective approaches to gathering, understanding and synthesizing information related to new product needs of B2B customers.
Abstract
Purpose
Offer a new model for identifying effective approaches to gathering, understanding and synthesizing information related to new product needs of B2B customers.
Design/methodology/approach
Arthur D. Little, together with the Eindhoven University of Technology, conducted in-depth interviews with over 30 product development leaders in 15 companies across multiple sectors.
Findings
When the team interacting with customers is structured appropriately the research showed that “getting it right” can lead to doubling of innovation success rates and have significant impact on R&D effectiveness.
Practical implications
By identifying the degree to which B2B customer needs are clear (expressed) or unclear (latent) and the degree to which technology needs are known (expressed) or unclear (latent), we can start to characterize the most appropriate skill set that a multifunctional product development team will need in order to develop a winning product.
Originality/value
Companies can use an innovative analysis framework to help make informed decisions about how best to organize their teams. The four approaches can be mapped to the four quadrants of a “Customer Needs/Technology Needs” matrix. The study concludes that the benefits are both strategically and financially significant.
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Alan M. Cody, George B. Hegeman and David C. Shanks
A relatively new chief executive has been impressed by the increased efficiency and profitability of firms, similar to his own, which have reorganized. Prior to the change, these…
Abstract
A relatively new chief executive has been impressed by the increased efficiency and profitability of firms, similar to his own, which have reorganized. Prior to the change, these firms suffered from slow growth, high fixed costs, and excessive bureaucracy—ills that still plague the executive's organization. He intends to make similar changes to his own company—quickly, to put his stamp on the organization and show a real gain in profits as soon as possible.
The current process for developing new food products is seriouslyflawed. Of the 8,077 new food products (stock keeping units or SKUs)introduced to US retail markets in 1993, only…
Abstract
The current process for developing new food products is seriously flawed. Of the 8,077 new food products (stock keeping units or SKUs) introduced to US retail markets in 1993, only about one‐quarter of them were novel – not simply line extensions. Although there are no published data on successes and failures of new food products, it is estimated that 80 to 90 per cent of them fail within one year of introduction. These are just the products that made the retail cut; consider all the products whose efforts fell short and retail introduction never took place. This means that only about 200 novel food products introduced in 1993 will make it after their first year on US retail shelves in 1994. The failure cost to the US food industry is estimated at $20 billion. This cost results from missed sales targets, lost revenues and postponed profits in addition to wasted development resources.