LEAN AND AGILE

Volatility permeates every aspect of the high tech industry. Products, competition, consumer behavior, innovation, price and product lifespan all change with breathtaking speed. “While companies in most industries operate in uncertain environments,” writes Accenture in a recent study, “…technology companies operate in ambiguous environments.” This distinction is important, and it both underpins and shapes the dynamics of the industry and its supply chains.

“When a company faces uncertainty, the past can be a reasonable predictor of the future with the right analysis,” Accenture says. “In ambiguous environments, however, the past can be a poor predictor because major disruptions in the present can often change the parameters that shape the future.”