From Genes to Giants: Best Practices in Early-Stage Product Commercialization

Industries Profiled:
Health Care; Pharmaceutical; Diagnostic; Biotech; Manufacturing; Consumer Products; Medical Device


Companies Profiled:
Abbott; Allergan; Bayer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Eli Lilly and Company; GlaxoSmithKline; Johnson & Johnson; Novartis; Pfizer

Study Snapshot

Despite significant gains in the research and discovery process, the development cycle for new pharmaceutical products remains extremely costly and long. Therefore, it is essential that companies identify early in the development process (before Phase III) which compounds have the highest market potential, allocating their resources accordingly. Injecting commercial insights into the new-product and portfolio management processes improves resource decision-making and increases the chances that a launched drug will become a blockbuster.

Quantitative and comparative data included in this report include number of staff dedicated to early-stage commercialization, number of dedicated staff by company size (in annual sales), funding sources for early-stage programs, centralization / decentralization of market research function, timing of market research activities by clinical development phase, organizational costs of early-stage programs, optimal timing of commercialization integration, and level of executive heading commercialization and portfolio management functions.

This report displays the qualitative and quantitative data gathered in the study through:

• 64 Best Practices
• 30 Information Graphics
• 15 Data Charts
• 46 Quantifiable Metrics
• 56 Manager Narratives

By studying other organizations’ best practices in early-stage commercialization and portfolio management, your company can better understand how to structure and staff these programs for improved efficiency in resource allocation and increased chances of success in new-product launch.

Key Findings

Companies that effectively leverage commercial insights early in the product-development process gain an overall competitive advantage in the marketplace. As such, marketing and product planning executives seek to identify winning strategies, structures and practices in early-stage product commercialization and portfolio management. Throughout this research with a benchmark class of 11 leading companies (10 of them pharmaceutical), Best Practices LLC analysts identified three critical success factors for early-stage commercialization. The top three recommendations from this study are to:

• Build an organizational structure that fosters commercialization excellence through integrated portfolio, project and process management across multi-year development cycles. – This report shares the best practices that benchmark partners use in implementing early commercialization programs. It examines successful structures, resources, and staff roles and responsibilities. In addition to quantitative metrics, the section also addresses the key issues of centralization, co-location, global integration, balancing scientific and commercial orientation, funding sources, activity timing, outsourcing, and R&D and commercial integration.
• Employ integrated tools, techniques and tactics for portfolio management and decision analysis to develop understanding and win broad-based support for tough decisions. – This study report includes numerous detailed practices regarding tools, techniques and tactics for improving resource allocation and go-no go decisions. Examples include co-locating decision analysis and R&D team members, developing standardized frameworks for evaluating projects and making decisions and putting one person in charge of the portfolio decision analysis group.
• Initiate lifecycle management analyses early in the new-product development process to fully evaluate the potential for multiple indications, line extensions, new formulations, alliances and other value-optimization actions. - A third key finding from this benchmark study entails using lifecycle management techniques in early-stage marketing for evaluating multiple indications, line extensions, alliances, new formulations and dual product formulations. Optimizing innovation and driving support for multiple indications are discussed.

Chapter 1: Optimizing Process Integration Through Structure and Resources
• Developing An Organizational Structure To Improve Process Effectiveness
• Establishing Clear Roles and Responsibilities To Improve Accountability and Performance
• Optimizing Staffing and Resources
• Integrating Market Research Into Commercialization & Portfolio Management
• R&D And Commercial Integration Through Structural Arrangements

Chapter 2: Developing "Soft and Hard Skills" to Increase Commercialization Effectiveness
• Critical Behavioral Characteristics For Successful Commercialization
• Building Commercialization & Portfolio Management Functional Capabilities

Chapter 3: Managing Processes, Tools and Techniques
• Process Excellence: Using Standards, Checklists & Templates
• Working Together: Mastering Cross-Functional Management
• Building Bridges For Success: Facilitation & Collaboration Skills
• Co-Location: A Key To Building Trust and Credibility
• Market Research: Tools To Capture Commercial Insights
• Market Research: Managing The Function
• Continuous Learning & Improvement

Chapter 4: Portfolio Development, Management & Measurement
• Portfolio Management: An Integrated System To Support Business Strategy
• Portfolio Management: Shaping, Balancing & Prioritizing Opportunities
• Prioritization & Decision Analysis: Making Tough Choices That Win Broad Support
• Portfolio Monitoring And Measurement
• Project Performance Monitoring and Tracking

Lessons Learned
• Summary
• Company A
• Company B
• Company C
• Company D
• Company E
• Company F
• Company G
• Company H
• Company I
• Company J
• Company K

List of Charts & Exhibits

Early-stage Commercialization Concept Map
Commercialization Process Map
Thought Leader Value Chain
Developing Cross-functional Culture
Fostering Collaboration
Co-location Tactics
Market Research Tools & Timelines
Understanding Customer Needs Map
Communicating With Scientists
Driving Continuous Improvement
Center for Army Lessons Learned
Aligning Strategy & Portfolio
Integrated Portfolio Management
Scenario Planning: Planning for An Uncertain Future
Scenario Planning Process
New Product Innovation Analysis
Capital Budgeting Practices & Analysis - #1
Capital Budgeting Practices & Analysis - #2
Portfolio Prioritization Tools
Staff Resource Trends
Small Focused Portfolio Map
Large U.S. Portfolio Map
Organization Structure Trends
Marketing & R&D Relationship Maps
Large Non-U.S. Portfolio Map
Early-stage Commercialization Activities Map
Roles & Responsibilities
Commercialization Activities By Phase
Internal Stakeholders Map
Staffing Data Analysis
Staff Size Benchmarks
Structure & Staffing Bubble Chart
Funding Sources Data Chart
Market Research Centralization Data
Market Research Time Line
Organizational FTE Costs Data
Commercialization Integration Table
Leadership Data
Skills of Early Stage Marketers
Skill Sets of Portfolio Managers