The Powers of 10 analysis identifies people who are relevant, and scenarios of each of the identified individuals provide needed insight and understanding. By sketching the profile of stakeholders in scenarios, product developers can anticipate their reactions. They become real people to design for and with. The Powers of 10 analysis helps innovators identify stakeholders, envision scenarios of how their product may be used, and anticipate how it may make a difference in people’s lives. It helps them think about positive influences and negative ones, and how they might design the product differently to lessen the impact of the negative ones. Designing the product includes designing the communication of the product and the services that support it; similarly, designing a service includes designing the products that support it. The Powers of 10 analysis helps the product developers understand how changing a product feature at a micro level has ramifications beyond the product itself, even impacting the experience of those who interact with it.
The important lessons from this analysis, and ones that all good product developers consider, are the extensive list of stakeholders and scenarios of their experience in using or interacting with the product or service. By considering the reaction of all stakeholders early in the process, the product developer can design solutions to potential flaws into the product itself proactively, rather than reactively after it is on the market. The cost of waiting may be negative product reviews or negative word of mouth, or the significant cost of redesigning, retooling, and remanufacturing a product—all of which can have significant impact on its bottom-line profitability.
it is always interesting to see the limited view that so many companies have of themselves. They fail to see themselves at different levels of magnitude and reduction and to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Every company should conduct a Powers of 10 analysis for its products and itself so that all product development teams understand and then reassess the charter with every new product.
In terms of Lubrizol, as the company redirects its energies to organic growth, it has dedicated itself to help make the world a better place through its fluid technologies. one way to do that is through technologies such as PuriNOx and EHF. Although Lubrizol has visions far beyond fossil fuels, it will first use its expertise to foster new growth. In 2001, R&D magazine recognized Lubrizol along with its project partner Caterpillar for developing one of the top 100 significant technology breakthroughs of that year. The company was particularly pleased that the award recognizes technology that significantly changes the quality of people’s lives. The award was for PuriNOx and the start of a new corporate culture.
EHF currently is in front of regulators, oil company partner candidates, and end users in the Northeast United States, with an expected product introduction in 2005. EHF, PuriNOx, and any paradigm shift in a prominent industry, such as fuels, will require intense scrutiny and evidence of likely success. A Powers of 10 analysis, along with a value-driven product development process, will maximize the potential for success. Paul Basar, commercial development business manager (author of the PuriNOx and EHF business plans), says that the Powers of 10 analysis (and Value Opportunity Analysis, discussed in Chapter 9) has profoundly influenced the company’s thinking in all its new product concept projects. Basar says, “The concept of looking at all players, all stakeholders, and understanding both the micro and macro view of what we are doing, is very key now in all our thought processes on new concept development.”
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