Product development

Tap creative people from analogous fields.

Software development is a frenzied decathlon of activity, constantly pressed on all sides by resource constraints, budgets and deadlines. Many items originally...

When a customer buys a product he or she goes through a complex process of balancing the price of the product against the perceived benefits, costs, risks, and value in use of the product. If the customer thinks this way when analyzing a purchase, say these authors, it makes great sense for marketers to set […]

Lessons from a 10-year review of Sony Ericsson’s product development process.

Many companies looking for breakthroughs struggle to move beyond incremental ideas, because cognitive biases trap people in the status quo and prevent...

The author of this article says he would be the last one to argue that the approach described here is a complete view of marketing. Then again, he is convinced that the approach enables marketers to achieve three important objectives. First, it enables them to identify the markets in which their companies have the best […]

Late next week, you’re going to notice some changes around here. We’re about to unveil a new design and structure for Harvard Business Publishing’s Web properties. You’re probably familiar with two of our Web sites- one (HBR.org) focused primarily on content from the print Harvard Business Review, and the second (HarvardBusiness.org) showcasing mostly Web-native content […]

It’s fashionable today to enthuse over globalized markets and cite glowing examples of standardized marketing winners around the world. True, some markets are globalizing, and more companies are taking advantage of them with signal success. But the rosy reports of these triumphs usually neglect to mention the complexities and risks involved; for every victory in […]

A conversation between Roger Martin and Tim Brown.

Consider a coffeemaker that offers 12 drink options, a car with more than 700 features on the dashboard, and a mouse pad that's also a clock, calculator,...

In fact, we’re already seeing signs of a new era dawning.

And how to overcome them, according to a new study.

Diversity, cohesiveness, and autonomy might seem critical to group innovation. But don’t take them too far.

Tactics for empathizing with users.

It focuses on people rather than technology.

Lessons from Howard Schultz, Leslie Wexner, and Brunello Cucinelli.

Designers panicked when they first tried agile development, then proved their value in new ways.

Information technology is revolutionizing products, from appliances to cars to mining equipment. Products once composed solely of mechanical and electrical...

Marketers can differentiate any product or service, even commodities which seem to differ only in price from competitors' offerings. Products almost always...

Author’s note: Alistair Hanna, Michael Reopel, and Stuart Flack, all of McKinsey & Company, contributed to this article. The U.S. defense industry is struggling to reorganize itself for growth, if not for survival. The disappearance of the communist threat and the desperate need to revive the U.S. economy have taken the defense industry for a […]