Can one really do it faster in the real world with better preparation?

One reader of “Winning Opportunities, proven tools for converting your projects into success (without a business plan)" sent the following message with a challenging question.
As it may be of interest for other readers I am sharing the exchange below:

On 08/12/11 4:53 AM, Dikran Antreasyan wrote:
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I just read your excellent book and made my payment. I will try to apply it in a new project soon.
Nespresso does stand out as a successful case study. However, as I gather from hearing Eric Favre, it took over 15 years for Nestlé to find the right strategy. The question is: can one really do it faster in the real world with better preparation?
That's the whole point of your book of course, though it would be interesting to have some realistic examples.

 

My answer:
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There are many examples of initiatives that were done right from the outset. Most of them had a thorough understanding of PNDs (Pain/Need/Desire as explained in “Winning Opportunities, proven tools for converting your ideas into success (without a business plan)") and consumer psychology. For instance:
- iPad
- iPhone
- Google
- Palm Pilot (to be compared with the Newton that was a flop)

There are several reasons explaining the few years that it took Nespresso to do it right. One of them is focusing on the wrong PND (comfort). When the new management took over they changed the focus and the product took off.

Since the IpOp Model works on a "garbage-in, garbage-out basis it cannot guarantee quick success. The only thing that is sure is that failing to take into account some of the IpOp Model issues could lead to failure.

Nespresso has been smart enough to learn from its early "mistakes" and make the appropriate corrections but if they had continued on the original track they may very likely not have existed anymore  at this point. Now Nespresso is the undisputed leader in portioned espresso with an iconic brand. This shows the importance of selecting the right PND.