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(2,488)
- People (7)
- News (471)
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- September 2017 (Revised March 2023)
- Background Note
Production Processes
By: Willy Shih and Michael W. Toffel
This note describes four broad categories of process architectures and then examines the nature of task assignment that typically would be found in a factory organized along the lines of each process type. It then delves more deeply into work flow policies, materials... View Details
Keywords: Production Management; Production Planning; Production Scheduling; Process Analysis; Process Maps; Processing Times; Process Improvement; Production; Management; Product; Consumer Products Industry; Consumer Products Industry
Shih, Willy, and Michael W. Toffel. "Production Processes." Harvard Business School Background Note 618-023, September 2017. (Revised March 2023.)
- Article
Medicine's Continuous Improvement Imperative
By: Robert S. Huckman and Ananth Raman
Maintaining quality and spurring innovation have long been central objectives of the US health care system. Like other health care professionals, physicians are challenged to minimize the likelihood of errors that could harm patients while simultaneously making efforts... View Details
Keywords: Medicine; Continuous Improvement; Toyota Production System; Alcoa; Health Care and Treatment; Performance Improvement; Health Industry
Huckman, Robert S., and Ananth Raman. "Medicine's Continuous Improvement Imperative." JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association 313, no. 18 (May 12, 2015): 1811–1812.
- May 2003
- Module Note
Product Development Process Design and Improvement
By: Stefan H. Thomke
Describes the conceptual foundations and pedagogy for a module on the design and improvement of processes for the development of products and services. Can also be used as part of a more general course on Managing Technology and Innovation. Central to Managing Product... View Details
- 2007
- Case
Improving Productivity at Infosys
By: Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble
Govindarajan, Vijay, and Chris Trimble. "Improving Productivity at Infosys." 2007. (Case No. 2-0027.)
- September 1998 (Revised April 2002)
- Case
ECM Group: Improving Global Marketing Productivity
Associated Foods is considering a proposed program barter deal submitted by media consultancy ECM, along with other proposals to improve marketing expenditure productivity. This case allows calculation of the quantitative as well as the qualitative issues. View Details
Arnold, David J. "ECM Group: Improving Global Marketing Productivity." Harvard Business School Case 599-055, September 1998. (Revised April 2002.)
- TeachingInterests
Product Management
A Product Manager is obsessed with the problem their product tries to solve and works to both define the product’s functional requirements and lead cross-functional teams to develop, launch and improve their product over time. Taught by an experienced former Google... View Details
- 05 Oct 2015
- News
Reflecting on work improves productivity
- October 1992 (Revised December 1997)
- Case
Sterling Chemicals, Inc.: Quality and Productivity Improvement Program
Describes the design and implemenation of a quality improvement program. Sterling Chemical's management hoped the program would improve teamwork and productivity at the plant. View Details
Keywords: Quality; Groups and Teams; Performance Productivity; Performance Improvement; Chemical Industry
Wruck, Karen. "Sterling Chemicals, Inc.: Quality and Productivity Improvement Program." Harvard Business School Case 493-026, October 1992. (Revised December 1997.)
- November 1993
- Background Note
Expanding Arsenal of Productivity Improvement
Dooley, Arch-Richard. "Expanding Arsenal of Productivity Improvement." Harvard Business School Background Note 694-048, November 1993.
- May 2018
- Article
Selection and Market Reallocation: Productivity Gains from Multinational Production
By: Laura Alfaro and Maggie X. Chen
Assessing the productivity gains from multinational production has been a vital topic of economic research and policy debate. Positive aggregate productivity gains are often attributed to within-firm productivity improvement; however, an alternative, less emphasized... View Details
Keywords: Productivity Gains; Multinational Production; Selection; Market Reallocation; And Within-firm Productivity; Multinational Firms and Management; Production; Performance Productivity; Competition; Mathematical Methods
Alfaro, Laura, and Maggie X. Chen. "Selection and Market Reallocation: Productivity Gains from Multinational Production." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 10, no. 2 (May 2018): 1–38. (Also NBER Working Paper 18207. See Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 12–111, 2015 for longer version.)
- January 1997 (Revised September 1997)
- Case
Improving the Product Development Process at Kirkham Instruments Corp.
By: Clayton M. Christensen
Describes the efforts of a manufacturer of scientific instruments to implement new methods of managing new product development, which its executives had learned in a Harvard Business School seminar. The executives left the seminar excited to implement a new way of... View Details
Keywords: Change Management; Product Launch; Innovation and Invention; Product Development; Manufacturing Industry; Technology Industry; United States
Christensen, Clayton M. "Improving the Product Development Process at Kirkham Instruments Corp." Harvard Business School Case 697-058, January 1997. (Revised September 1997.)
- 2006
- Book
Service Productivity Management: Improving Service Performance Using Data Envelopment Analysis
By: H. David Sherman and Joe Zhu
Here is an in-depth guide to the most powerful available benchmarking technique for improving service organization performance—Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The book outlines DEA as a benchmarking technique, identifies high cost service units, isolates specific... View Details
Sherman, H. David, and Joe Zhu. Service Productivity Management: Improving Service Performance Using Data Envelopment Analysis. Boston, MA: Springer, 2006.
- January 2011
- Case
AIC Netbooks: Optimizing Product Assembly
By: Steven C. Wheelwright and Sunru Yong
AIC Systems, located in Taichung, Taiwan, is a manufacturer of printed circuit boards, primarily for motherboards and video cards for personal computers. The firm is considered an original design manufacturer (ODM) and takes an active role in innovating and designing... View Details
Keywords: Performance Management; Quantitative Analysis; Manufacturing; Production Planning; Production Management; Diversification; Production; Performance Efficiency; Product Design; Performance Improvement; Mobile Technology; Manufacturing Industry; Electronics Industry; Taiwan
Wheelwright, Steven C., and Sunru Yong. "AIC Netbooks: Optimizing Product Assembly." Harvard Business School Brief Case 114-245, January 2011.
- 2025
- Working Paper
A Preference for Revision Absent Improvement
By: Ximena Garcia-Rada, Leslie K. John, Ed O’Brien and Michael I. Norton
People regularly encounter revised stimuli (e.g., revised versions of products, new editions of
books, tweaked recipes, and technological updates). In principle, a world of constant revision
should benefit people by affording them the most up-to-date offerings. In... View Details
Keywords: Product Change; Versioning; Expectancy Effects; Heuristics; Intuitive Processing; Product Marketing; Change; Perception; Consumer Behavior
Garcia-Rada, Ximena, Leslie K. John, Ed O’Brien, and Michael I. Norton. "A Preference for Revision Absent Improvement." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-087, February 2019. (Revised April 2025.)
- May 1998
- Teaching Note
Improving the Product Development Process at Kirkham Instruments Corporation TN
By: Clayton M. Christensen
Teaching Note for (9-697-058). View Details
- 13 Aug 2019
- News
How hobbies can improve your happiness and productivity at work
- Winter 2016
- Article
Improving Store Liquidation
By: Nathan Craig and Ananth Raman
This paper introduces methods for increasing the efficiency of retail store liquidation, which we define as the time-constrained divestment of retail outlets through an in-store sale of inventory. The retail industry depends extensively on liquidation, not only as a... View Details
Craig, Nathan, and Ananth Raman. "Improving Store Liquidation." Manufacturing & Service Operations Management 18, no. 1 (Winter 2016): 89–103.
- Research Summary
The Toyota Production System: Rules for Activity, Connection, and Pathway Design and Improvement
Researchers have established that Toyota enjoys advantages in cost, quality, lead time, and flexibility when compared to its competitors in automobile assembly. Differences in generating value have been attributed to differences between the Toyota Production System... View Details
- fall 2002
- Article
How Much Does the Market Value an Improvement in a Product Attribute?
By: Elie Ofek and V. Srinivasan
Ofek, Elie, and V. Srinivasan. "How Much Does the Market Value an Improvement in a Product Attribute?" Marketing Science 21, no. 4 (fall 2002): 398–411.