The Best in Another Class

Specify your new product based on capabilities from radically different products.

When specifying a new product, it is quite common to compare it to existing products and think about incremental improvements.  Often, the goal is to be the best in class and set a new standard.  This approach can provide a better, market-leading product for a while.  Using the same thought process, a competitor can follow the same path, leading to a game of product leap-frogging.  A more effective approach is to develop entirely new capabilities following the lead of other companies, perhaps in radically different businesses.