Original Source:  Harvard Business Review

FROM THE JANUARY 2006 ISSUE

“WE ALL KNOW THE POWER OF THE KILLER APP. OVER THE YEARS, GROUNDBREAKING SYSTEMS FROM COMPANIES SUCH AS AMERICAN AIRLINES (ELECTRONIC RESERVATIONS), OTIS ELEVATOR (PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE), AND AMERICAN HOSPITAL SUPPLY (ONLINE ORDERING) HAVE DRAMATICALLY BOOSTED THEIR CREATORS’ REVENUES AND REPUTATIONS. THESE HERALDED—AND COVETED—APPLICATIONS AMASSED AND APPLIED DATA IN WAYS THAT UPENDED CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS AND OPTIMIZED OPERATIONS TO UNPRECEDENTED DEGREES. THEY TRANSFORMED TECHNOLOGY FROM A SUPPORTING TOOL INTO A STRATEGIC WEAPON.

COMPANIES QUESTING FOR KILLER APPS GENERALLY FOCUS ALL THEIR FIREPOWER ON THE ONE AREA THAT PROMISES TO CREATE THE GREATEST COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. BUT A NEW BREED OF COMPANY IS UPPING THE STAKES. ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS AMAZON, HARRAH’S, CAPITAL ONE, AND THE BOSTON RED SOX HAVE DOMINATED THEIR FIELDS BY DEPLOYING INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH ANALYTICS ACROSS A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES. IN ESSENCE, THEY ARE TRANSFORMING THEIR ORGANIZATIONS INTO ARMIES OF KILLER APPS AND CRUNCHING THEIR WAY TO VICTORY…”

https://hbr.org/2006/01/competing-on-analytics

Contributors: Harvard Business Review
Categories: Industry Articles, SIG U Resource
SRC Type: Benchmarking and Analysis, Procurement Operations, Sourcing, Trends