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  • February 2011 (Revised November 2012)
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Product Development at OPOWER

By: Thomas Eisenmann and Rob Go
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:19
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Abstract

OPOWER, a software startup that helps utilities engage their customers in ways that reduce energy consumption, is scaling rapidly. The company's new head of product management has designed a system to address a point of constant tension: whether to build custom features in response to new customers' requests, even if these custom features entail expensive departures from OPOWER's product roadmap. The system grants Sales a number of tokens it can "spend" annually on engineering work to build custom features—boosting the odds of signing contracts with new customers. In December 2010, a request for proposal from a very large utility will put the token system to the test, because the customer is demanding a custom feature that would be unusually disruptive to develop.

Keywords

Business Startups; Customer Relationship Management; Entrepreneurship; Growth Management; Product Development; Sales; Customization and Personalization; Energy Conservation; Environmental Sustainability; Information Technology Industry; Utilities Industry

Citation

Eisenmann, Thomas, and Rob Go. "Product Development at OPOWER." Harvard Business School Case 811-075, February 2011. (Revised November 2012.) (request a courtesy copy.)
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About The Author

Thomas R. Eisenmann

Entrepreneurial Management
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Related Work

    • February 2011 (Revised November 2012)
    • Faculty Research

    Product Development at OPOWER

    By: Thomas Eisenmann and Rob Go
Related Work
  • Product Development at OPOWER By: Thomas Eisenmann and Rob Go
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