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Other value chains

Porter's model of the Value Chain was for a manufacturing firm.

There are other primary activity patterns, for example:

• R&D
• Design
• Software integration
• Customer behavior forecasting
• Market testing
• Brand management
• Sales and POS data collection
• Service

You have to "map" your process. To start thinking this way, to predict areas needing attention, ask yourself how long does each step of your process take? Then, take it to the next level: how long do our customers perceive that each of these activities take? Time is a close analogy to costs.

The strategic thinker identifies the problem; it is a complex and often time-consuming process to fix.