Publications
Publications
- September 2015 (Revised March 2016)
- HBS Case Collection
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; Applications and 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.)