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Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2015 (Revised March 2016)

Intuit: Turbo Tax PersonalPro - A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs

by Shikhar Ghosh, Joseph Fuller and Michael Roberts

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Abstract

The case provides a vehicle for teaching about both corporate intrapreneurship and the use of lean startup methods. It tells the story of a product manager within Intuit who develops an idea for a new product that spans two of the company's existing business units—professional tax software, sold to accountants and the consumer-focused TurboTax product. The new product—TurboTax Personal Pro—connects consumers with professional accountants online, allowing them to have their taxes prepared by a professional. The cycle of product development transpires within the larger, corporate context of Intuit, where founder Scott Cook has been attempting to transform the enterprise into a leaner, more innovative company. As the project unfolds, many of the barriers that inhibit innovative in large companies—conflicting incentives, competition over decision rights, the inflexibility of core processes—are revealed. The case also describes in detail the lean startup methods used by the new product team, but in a resource-rich environment, unlike an entrepreneurial firm.

Keywords: Business Units; Business or Company Management; Software; Accounting; Product Development; Financial Services Industry;

Language: English Format: Print 22 pages EducatorsPurchase

Citation:

Ghosh, Shikhar, Joseph Fuller, and Michael Roberts. "Intuit: Turbo Tax PersonalPro - A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs." Harvard Business School Case 816-048, September 2015. (Revised March 2016.)

Related Work

  1. Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | October 2018 (Revised May 2019)

    Intuit: Turbo Tax PersonalPro - A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs

    Joseph Fuller, Shikhar Ghosh and Monica Baraldi

    Teaching Note for HBS No. 816-048. The case tells the story of a product manager within Intuit who develops an idea for a new product that spans two of the company's existing business units—professional tax software, sold to accountants, and the consumer focused TurboTax product. The new product —TurboTax Personal Pro—connects consumers with professional accountants online, allowing them to have their taxes prepared by a professional. The cycle of product development transpires within the larger, corporate context of Intuit, where founder Scott Cook has been attempting to transform the enterprise into a leaner, more innovative company. The case describes in detail the lean startup methods used by the new product team, and how their attempts bump up against the existing, entrenched systems and processes of the larger enterprise.

    Keywords: Business Units; Business or Company Management; Software; Accounting; Product Development; Financial Services Industry;

    Citation:

    Fuller, Joseph, Shikhar Ghosh, and Monica Baraldi. "Intuit: Turbo Tax PersonalPro - A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 319-045, October 2018. (Revised May 2019.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related
  2. Supplement | HBS Case Collection | November 2018

    Intuit Video Supplement I: Running Better Experiments

    Leonard A. Schlesinger and Joseph B. Fuller

    Citation:

    Schlesinger, Leonard A., and Joseph B. Fuller. "Intuit Video Supplement I: Running Better Experiments." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 319-703, November 2018.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related
  3. Supplement | HBS Case Collection | November 2018

    Intuit Video Supplement II: Territorial Issues

    Leonard A. Schlesinger and Joseph B. Fuller

    Citation:

    Schlesinger, Leonard A., and Joseph B. Fuller. "Intuit Video Supplement II: Territorial Issues." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 319-704, November 2018.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related
  4. Supplement | HBS Case Collection | November 2018

    Intuit Video Supplement III: What We Learned

    Leonard A. Schlesinger and Joseph B. Fuller

    Citation:

    Schlesinger, Leonard A., and Joseph B. Fuller. "Intuit Video Supplement III: What We Learned." Harvard Business School Multimedia/Video Supplement 319-705, November 2018.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related
  5. Case | HBS Case Collection | September 2015 (Revised March 2016)

    Intuit: Turbo Tax PersonalPro - A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs

    Shikhar Ghosh, Joseph Fuller and Michael Roberts

    The case provides a vehicle for teaching about both corporate intrapreneurship and the use of lean startup methods. It tells the story of a product manager within Intuit who develops an idea for a new product that spans two of the company's existing business units—professional tax software, sold to accountants and the consumer-focused TurboTax product. The new product—TurboTax Personal Pro—connects consumers with professional accountants online, allowing them to have their taxes prepared by a professional. The cycle of product development transpires within the larger, corporate context of Intuit, where founder Scott Cook has been attempting to transform the enterprise into a leaner, more innovative company. As the project unfolds, many of the barriers that inhibit innovative in large companies—conflicting incentives, competition over decision rights, the inflexibility of core processes—are revealed. The case also describes in detail the lean startup methods used by the new product team, but in a resource-rich environment, unlike an entrepreneurial firm.

    Keywords: Business Units; Business or Company Management; Software; Accounting; Product Development; Financial Services Industry;

    Citation:

    Ghosh, Shikhar, Joseph Fuller, and Michael Roberts. "Intuit: Turbo Tax PersonalPro - A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs." Harvard Business School Case 816-048, September 2015. (Revised March 2016.)  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase Related

About the Authors

Photo
Shikhar Ghosh
Professor of Management Practice
Entrepreneurial Management

View Profile »
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Photo
Joseph B. Fuller
Professor of Management Practice
General Management

View Profile »
View Publications »

 

More from these Authors

  • Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2019

    Away: Scaling a DTC Travel Brand

    Jill Avery and Joseph B. Fuller

    Away, a direct-to-consumer, digital native e-commerce seller of travel luggage, is debating how to invest its latest round of venture funding. How quickly could and should Away scale and what were the most promising growth trajectories to maximize its potential? Three decisions face the founders. Should Away continue to invest in driving growth in suitcases and other travel bags or was it time to begin to expand into other adjacent travel categories? How should they use the results of the company’s first customer segmentation study to select target segments and quantify their growth aspirations? What were the right distribution strategies moving forward following a series of pilots that included company-owned stores, temporary airport kiosks, and pop-up experiences with retailer partners?

    Keywords: brands and branding; brand management; DTC; e-commerce; marketing; marketing strategy; entrepreneurship; venture capital; Consumer Products Industry; travel industry; brand extension; lifestyle brand; consumer behavior; customer segmentation; retailing; Scaling and Growth; Startup; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Marketing Channels; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Consumer Products Industry; Travel Industry; United States; North America;

    Citation:

    Avery, Jill, and Joseph B. Fuller. "Away: Scaling a DTC Travel Brand." Harvard Business School Case 520-051, November 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsEducators Related
  • Exercise | October 2019

    Business Model Exercise: Purpose and Overview

    Shikhar Ghosh and Christopher Payton

    Citation:

    Ghosh, Shikhar, and Christopher Payton. "Business Model Exercise: Purpose and Overview." Harvard Business School Exercise 820-708, October 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related
  • Supplement | HBS Case Collection | October 2019

    Dulcie Madden (A)—Growth or Exit? Exercise on Cash Flows

    Shikhar Ghosh

    Citation:

    Ghosh, Shikhar. "Dulcie Madden (A)—Growth or Exit? Exercise on Cash Flows." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 820-707, October 2019.  View Details
    CiteView DetailsPurchase Related
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