The customer-centered innovation map

Harvard Business Review, May 2, 2008

Very few companies use the perspective of "getting the job done" to discover opportunities for innovation, say writers for the Harvard Business Review. Instead, the innovation journey for many companies is little more than hopeful wandering through customer interviews. The unsystematic inquiry may occasionally turn up interesting tidbits of information, but it rarely uncovers the best ideas or an exhaustive set of opportunities for growth. Instead, by thoroughly mapping the job a customer is trying to get done, a company can discover opportunities for breakthrough products and services, the article states.