Report Summary: Pharma and Biotech CI Excellence: Optimizing the Structure and Efficiency of Your Competitive Intelligence Function

Industries Profiled:
Health Care; Pharmaceutical; Diagnostic; Biopharmaceutical; Biotech; Manufacturing; Medical Device; Clinical Research; Laboratories


Companies Profiled:
Abbott; Alkermes; Alnylam Pharmaceuticals; Amgen; Astellas; AstraZeneca; BioCryst Pharmaceuticals; Biogen; Bioventus; Ironwood; Orion Pharmaceuticals; Pfizer; Roche; Sanofi; Shire; Sunovion; Tesaro; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd; UCB Pharma

Study Snapshot

Best Practices, LLC engaged 23 Competitive Intelligence leaders from 20 biopharmaceutical companies through a benchmarking survey instrument and focus group interviews.


Key topics covered in this report include:

• Structures of Competitive Intelligence functions, strengths and weaknesses of different structures, best practices
• Roles and reporting relationships: Competitive Intelligence stakeholders, reporting roles, reporting functions, geographic span of responsibility
• Critical Competitive Intelligence activities, ranking and budget
• Enhancing Competitive Intelligence capabilities: vendor management, soft and hard skills, skills gaps and skills ranking
• Use of Centers of Excellence for Competitive Intelligence functions

2. Managing Vendors:

• Shift from client - vendor to partner - partner mindset helps increase the productivity of the relationship and speed up the learning process.
• Information sharing, collaboration & sufficient resourcing are critical attributes of a partner-partner model.

I.	Executive Summary: Insights, Opportunities & Analysis	p. 3
	Research Overview: Objectives & Methodology	p. 3
	Benchmark Class	p. 4
	Key Findings	p. 6
	Demographics	p. 8
II.	Competitive Intelligence Operating Model	p. 11
	Operating Model Evolution	p. 13
	Strengths and Weaknesses of Models	p. 14
	Best Practices	p. 16
	Communication and Coordination Tactics	p. 17
III.	Roles and Reporting	p. 19
	Reporting Roles and Functions	p. 20
	Competitive Intelligence Stakeholders	p. 23
	Geographic and Therapeutic Span of Responsibility	p. 24
IV.	Activities and Budgeting	p. 26
	Competitive Intelligence Activities	p. 27
	Competitive Intelligence Activities Ranking	p. 29
	Effectiveness of Budget Models	p. 30
V.	Building Competitive Intelligence Capabilities	p. 32
	Competitive Intelligence Staff Hard and Soft skills	p. 33
	Competitive Intelligence Training	p. 34
	Identifying and Prioritizing Skills Gaps
	Training Types and Frequency
	Centers of Excellence for Competitive Intelligence	p. 41
	Key CoE Strengths and Weaknesses
VI.	Appendix	p. 47

• Operating model of benchmark companies’ Competitive Intelligence function
• Evolution of Competitive Intelligence structures over time
• Reasons for changing or not changing Competitive Intelligence structure within the next 24 months
• Strengths and weaknesses of centralized and decentralized Competitive Intelligence models
• Job title of the person who directly manages participants’ Competitive Intelligence group or function
• Most effective tactics to coordinate work, data, and analyses within the function and for stakeholders
• Most effective tactics to communicate insights and implications within the function and for stakeholders

• Job level of the person to whom the leader (direct manager) of Competitive Intelligence function directly reports
• Functional area of the person to whom the leader (direct manager) of Competitive Intelligence function directly reports
• Key Competitive Intelligence stakeholders
• Geographic span of responsibility of benchmark partners’ Competitive Intelligence function

• Activities conducted by the Competitive Intelligence function
• Importance order of Competitive Intelligence activities for optimal performance of the function
• Budget coordination for Competitive Intelligence activities
• Key strengths and weaknesses existing within participants’ current budget model for their Competitive Intelligence operations

• Qualifications of current leader/head of Competitive Intelligence function
• Soft skills possessed by Competitive Intelligence staff and most critical training topics for development of a strong Competitive Intelligence staff
• Types of training provided to Competitive Intelligence staff
• Delivery method of Competitive Intelligence training
• Critical success factors in building successful relationships with Competitive Intelligence vendors: Moving from vendor - client model to partner-partner model
• Frequency of training on Competitive Intelligence guidelines
• Use of Competitive Intelligence Center of Excellence (CoE) model
• Location of Center of Excellence within participating organizations
• Benefits of Centers of Excellence
• Strengths and weaknesses of using a CoE model for Competitive Intelligence operations