The Product Archaeology Canvas
Publication Date
2016
Description
The Product Archaeology Canvas (PAC) is a pedagogical tool designed to
help students understand how complex value-based decisions are made in established technology businesses. The PAC is a combination of three distinct sources. Product dissection is the disassembly of a product with the goal of understanding the technical decisions that were made. Archaeology strives to create a coherent narrative from incomplete information. A Canvas is a visual tool that can show nonlinear interactions between various components. Combined together, the PAC is a holistic deconstructing of the decisions of an intrapreneur who creates value from within an existing business structure.
In this paper, the PAC will be explained along with how it is used within a classroom
to both deconstruct a product (backward looking) and evaluate proposed product improvements (forward looking). The PAC and Business Model Canvas will be compared and industry validation will be presented, as well as evaluation data from students. Lastly, derivatives of the PAC will be explored including additional classroom applications, use in business consulting, and the use of the PAC as an industry training tool.
Journal
Journal of Engineering Entrepreneurship
Volume
7
Issue
2
First Page
10
Last Page
35
Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Recommended Citation
Tranquillo, Joseph. "The Product Archaeology Canvas." Journal of Engineering Entrepreneurship (2016) : 10-35.