The First Mile

A Launch Manual for Great Ideas

Scott Anthony
AUGUST 6, 2014

Sponsored by

2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. Created for Harvard Business Review by BullsEye Resources www.bullseyeresources.com

The First Mile

What makes a great innovation isnt the idea but what is done with the idea. Many great
tion and risk.

Scott Anthony
Managing Partner, Innosight; Author,
The First Mile: A Launch Manual for
Getting Great Ideas into the Market
Angelia Herrin (Moderator)
Editor for Research and
Special Projects, Harvard
Business Review

Customers lie.

2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. Created for Harvard Business Review by BullsEye Resources www.bullseyeresources.com

www.hbr.org

The First Mile

You cant cash a spreadsheet.

Be D.E.F.T.
Document your plan.

homework and that you know what it is that you dont yet know.

2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. Created for Harvard Business Review by BullsEye Resources www.bullseyeresources.com

www.hbr.org

The First Mile

Figure 1
Pages from this business plan provide a snapshot
highlighting key points.

Evaluate it exhaustively.

Focus on key unknowns.

Figure 2
The First Mile Certainty table provides a
quick way to assess how much you really
know about the viability of your idea.

2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. Created for Harvard Business Review by BullsEye Resources www.bullseyeresources.com

www.hbr.org

The First Mile

Test, learn, and adjust.

2. When Testing, Have H.O.P.E.

Hypothesis

Objectives

Projections
Execution

Figure 2
This roadmap keeps you cognizant of risks as

2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. Created for Harvard Business Review by BullsEye Resources www.bullseyeresources.com

www.hbr.org

The First Mile

Focus resources on the opportunities with the most promise.

ing ideas.
Dont reward risk-taking results; reward the right process.
Build parallel disciplines.

2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. Created for Harvard Business Review by BullsEye Resources www.bullseyeresources.com

www.hbr.org

The First Mile

Scott Anthony

Angelia Herrin (Moderator)

Managing Partner,
Innosight

Editor for Research and

Special Projects,

Harvard Business Review

-

Harvard Business Review.

-

Harvard Business
Review

The First Mile:

A Launch Manual for Getting Great Ideas
into the Market

the eBook Building a Growth Factory and

Harvard
The Little

Business Review
Black Book of Innovation
Harvard Business Review

Seeing
Whats Next
Guide to Growth
Lining

The Innovators
The Silver

The Wall Street Journals

2014 Harvard Business School Publishing. Created for Harvard Business Review by BullsEye Resources www.bullseyeresources.com

www.hbr.org