Why is Medtronic so bad at launching new products?

Any launch I’ve been involved with or heard of in other divisions have been botched. What’s needed? Communication? SPIFF? Education? Training? Better Marketing?

 

Start with a complex launch and approval process. Regulatory runs this process and forces meeting after meeting all the while trying to ensure the “i’s” are dotted and “t’s” are crossed leading to more questions and testing and human factor studies. When this is all done then they just look at you with blank stares as if to say - ok what do we do now.

Marketing has to force them to make a decision to give the ok for the launch.

Then there is inevitably some manufacturing delay because the launch has been delayed for so long that they turn a deaf ear to marketing who has been telling them to ramp up for the launch. Remember, manufacturing is bonuses based on different operational goals than marketing and they try to keep wip and inventories low.

Bottom line is that divisional senior managers don’t get involved in new product launches and they leave them to functional heads who just point fingers at each other when things get screwed up