Product Leadership Capability
Uncertainty /
Basic
Score
Products
Does our product range
and performance meet
current and future
expectations of our
value streams?
Product
Structure
How modular and
upgradable are our
products?
Product
Technology
How advanced are the
technologies used in
our products?
0
1
Awakening /
Repeatable
2
3
Enlightenment /
Defined
4
5
Wisdom /
Managed
6
7
Certainty /
Optimised
8
9
10
Score
 Product range satisfies a
reasonable portion of the
market’s current needs.
 Product features and
performance below par in
comparison to most
competitors.
 Awareness of the need to
improve product range,
features and performance.
 Product range satisfies
most market requirements  Product range satisfies all
within the scope of the
market needs within the
business.
current scope of the
business.
 Product features and
performance on par with
 Product features and
most competitors.
performance on par with
leading competitors.
 Plans emerging for
expanding the product
 Plans in place to expand the
range and features to
product range, features and
address current and future
performance.
requirements.
 Product range meets all
current and future market
needs within the scope of
the organisation.
 Product features and
performance significantly
ahead of competitors.
 Road-maps in place and
continuously reviewed
underpinning development
of product range, features
and performance.
/10
 Modularity, upgradability
and component
standardisation does not
exist.
 Limited numbers of
products are modularised to
enable customisation and
upgradability.
 The need for modularising
and standardising the
product range recognised.
 Products fully modularised
 Most products modularised enabling upgradability.
to enable customisation
 Modularity being integrated
and upgradability.
into the design and
manufacture process.
 Modularisation and
standardisation of products  Component standardisation
in progress.
and re-use developing
throughout the range.
 Products fully modularised
enabling upgradability, in
the field or back at works.
 Modularity fully integrated
into the design and
manufacture process.
 Component standardisation
and re-use prevalent
throughout the range.
/10
 The technology used
outdated relative to
market needs.
 No technology planning
exists.
 Underlying product
technology somewhat
outdated.
 Recognised and some
degree of product panning
taking place but limited to
the technical functions.
 The technology surpasses
most companies in the
 Technology comparable
market allowing it to
with some competitors.
compete with market
 Some product (not
leaders.
technology) road-mapping
 Some technology roadevident but limited to
mapping is evident but
technical functions.
reactive and largely limited
to technical functions.
 Products represent industry
leading technology used as a
competitive factor.
 Technology road-mapping a
continuous process involving
all functions.
 Emerging technologies
continuously scanned and
evaluated.
/10
 Limited product range only
meeting a small portion of
the market's needs.
 Product features and
performance well below
main competitors.
 Plans for improvement
and investment tenuous.
Product
Management
Systems
How do we manage our
products?
Product
Development
How do we ensure that
our products/services
stay at the forefront?
 No clear product ID system
in place.
 A large number of product
management tools missing
or only available across a
few business processes.
 Dated tools used offering
limited functionality.
 Information sharing largely
over the phone and by email.
 Little or no training
provided.
 Basic product ID and data
rules in place but not
organised to enable
automated processes.
 Entry level but functional
product management tools
used enabling basic
functionality.
 Tools used as standalone
systems lacking integration
across the business and
partners.
 Basic levels of training
provided.
 Limited capability for
capturing requirements
and configuring customer
specific solutions.
 Limited ability to fully
bring new products to
market.
 Product performance and
testing standards well
below market average.
 Informal approaches to
developing tests.
 No R&D capacity.
 Customer requirements
captured, but no process in
place for configuring
customer specific solutions.
 Ability to bring new
products to market on par
with ‘entry-level’
competitors.
 A very basic process in place
for new product
development.
 Product performance and
testing standards below
market average.
 R&D capacity of an entry
level competitor.
 Smart product ID and data
management systems in
place but structures,
routings and configurations
generated manually.
 Full range of tools used,
available across nearly all
business processes.
 Industry leading software
tools used and integrated
across all business processes
and partners.
 Training provided to ensure
competency.





Able to capture customer
requirements and
configure customer
specific solutions through
basic processes for
product configuration.
Ability to bring new
products to market about
market average.
Product development
process in place.
Product testing standards
and performance on par
with market average.
R&D team strength
comparable to average
competitors.
 Smart product ID and data
management systems in
place but structures,
routings and configurations
generated manually.
 Full range of tools used,
available across nearly all
business processes.
 Industry leading software
tools used and integrated
across all business processes
and partners.
 Advanced levels of training
provided.
 Smart product ID and data
management systems in
place.
 Products structures and
routings generated
automatically.
 Product structures and part
numbers optimised for
automated configuration.
 State of the art systems fully
integrated across all
business processes and
partners.
 Industry leading software
augmented by specialist inhouse developed systems.
 Training provided to
professional standards.
/10
 Able to capture customer
requirements and configure
solutions quickly though
mature processes for
product configuration.
 The ability to bring new
products to market better
than most.
 Formalised product
development process that
integrates customers.
 Product testing standards
and performance on par
with market leaders.
 Strong R&D team rivals
market leading competitors.
 Market leading capability to
capture customer
requirements and configure
solutions quickly through
formalised and automated
processes.
 Market leading ability to
bring new products to
market.
 Fully developed and gated
product development
process integrating all
stakeholders.
 Setting industry leading
benchmarks for product
performance and testing.
 Industry leading R&D teams.
/10
Technology
Development
How do we ensure that
our technologies stay at
the forefront?
 Lacking the ability to keep
up with the latest
technology.
 No or limited engagement
with key partners and
wider R&D network.
 Technological expertise
well below par.
 Using mostly out of date
off the shelf tools.
 Basic capacity researching
new technology but lacks
know-how for informing the
product development
process.
 Limited dialogue with key
partners.
 Awareness of the broader
R&D network with some
early stages of engagement.
 Technology development
reliant on dated off the shelf
solutions.
 Technology development
 Technology development
and product development
and product development
managed separately but not
not differentiated.
so well integrated.
 Limited or no use of road
 Technology road mapping
mapping. However, some
used mostly internally.
collaboration with key
 Starting to make use of a
partners taking place.
broader R&D network.
 Limited or no use of broader
 Technology development
R&D network.
reliant mostly on up-to-date
 Technology development
off the shelf solutions with
reliant on up-to-date off the
some own range of
shelf solutions.
systems/tools emerging.
 Technology development
and product development
integrated but managed
separately through separate
technology and product
roadmaps.
 Extensive use of technology
road mapping with key
partners.
 Making extensive use of an
R&D network participating
in national and international
projects.
 Producing own range of
systems/tools to enable
technology development.
/10
Total Score
/60
Total Score %
Please divide your total score above by 60 and multiply by 100