Packaging and retail
Fortune 500 consumer products company – Technology ForesightClient Overview
Senior management convened a cross-functional team from around a Fortune 500 provider of consumer products to forecast the next twenty years of technology and its implications for one of the company’s business units. There were a few hitches:
– The team had never worked together
– They were only allowed to use 10% of their time; all other work duties were to be maintained
– None of the members of the team had experience in forecasting, scenarios, or any other foresight techniques
– The final deliverables had to be out in under 20 weeks
The executive team searched for a partner that could suggest a methodology, provide custom research and consult throughout the process to assure success. They arrived at Competitive Futures.
– The team had never worked together
– They were only allowed to use 10% of their time; all other work duties were to be maintained
– None of the members of the team had experience in forecasting, scenarios, or any other foresight techniques
– The final deliverables had to be out in under 20 weeks
The executive team searched for a partner that could suggest a methodology, provide custom research and consult throughout the process to assure success. They arrived at Competitive Futures.
Deliverables
Strategic scenarios are not an ubiquitous skill among executives. To make sure that the scenario construction served future decision making, Competitive Futures designed a custom educational program to bring the client’s cross-functional team up to speed on how trend data are collected, analyzed and built into alternative futures.
“We needed consulting that encompassed many areas, team-building, time efficiency, and training. Competitive Futures exceeded all of my expectations, and we were able to use what we learned to make substantial gains in the marketplace.” Consumer Products CMO
Client Value
The project was deemed a success from end to end, and one of the greatest successes Competitive Futures has ever seen in a foresight initiative. The client reported an overall positive reception to information that often challenged the status quo, even as far as the board of directors. The data collected and insights derived exceeded the original scope of the project – a risk we took that worked out in the project’s favor.On the business side, the insights from intellectual property, technology, and the role of economic disruptions have gone into a larger effort to parlay the economic crisis and customer preferences into consistent gains in market share over their main rival. The client continues to gain market share while enjoying strong profitability in an economy that has punished many other players