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

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

  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

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Shikhar Ghosh
Professor of Management Practice
Entrepreneurial Management

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Joseph B. Fuller
Professor of Management Practice
General Management

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