​"Whole Elephant" Approach to Product Development

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No aspect of product development should be conducted in isolation.  Each part is integral to the entire project.  Each part should fit an overall plan. 

Yet many development programs suffer from "Six Blind Men" syndrome. Various elements of the program proceed without adequate interaction from the other members of the project team. 

Work is outsourced to individual contractors who are hired to perform specific tasks - often without knowing how their task fits in the overall program! 

The results can be seen in a poorly designed supply chain, safety studies that do not address the target labeling, incorrect clinical endpoints, or in "post hoc" data analyses.

​More importantly, it is often quite difficult to "kill" a failing program - as no one has the "big picture." 

This can add significant costs --and even years-- to a development program! 

Results when no one "sees" the BIG picture!

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"The Blind Men and the Elephant"
A poem by John Godfrey Saxe (1816–1887)

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind......

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.....And so these men of Hindustan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right
And all were in the wrong.
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HeteroGeneity believes that product development requires a "Whole Elephant" approach. Each task must be assessed in relationship to its role to produce the final product ( = "Whole Elephant").

Our project teams are selected based on the needs of the specific product and work scope. The team is kept apprised of the goals of the project, and each team member contributes to the overall design and execution,
with understanding as to the roles of the other team members.