Consultant’s article review grid
A CIO wants to understand how developments in services might be relevant to her organisation’s strategic approach to IT. She has asked you to review this article and write a brief report for her by filling in this form.

Consultant’s Name
Consulting team’s name and number:
Peer reviewer’s comments
1. THE ARTICLE
1. Author, Title, date, publisher or journal of your article (in APA format, see: http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/elearning/learn/referencing/index.php

PORTER, M. E. & HEPPELMANN, J. E. (2014). How Smart, Connected Products Are Transforming Competition. Harvard Business Review 92, pp. 66-77

Appears to be correct.
2. THESIS
Explain the thesis (argument) the author wants us to accept. Why does s/he think it is important? (Look for this in the introduction, recommendations or conclusion)

This article, and a companion piece to be published soon in HBR, will deconstruct the smart, connected products revolution and explore its strategic and operational implications. The author wants us to accept that with a smart, connected product, that will change the way we do business. Things will be more automate adaptive, fast, and highly depends on technology operationally. He demonstrate a few framework such as “The new Technology Stack”, “Capabilities of Smart, Connected Products” and “The Five Forces that Shape Industry Competition” to persuade readers on his thesis.

It is important because the business world is too competitive today. A good product today might not be relevant tomorrow. According to the author, an ideal product is not just a hardware anymore, it has to be smart, and connected. It comprise of 3 elements which is physical, the hardware, the smart component which comprise of the software, sensors, microprocessors, and enhanced user interface, and the connectivity element comprise of port, antennae and protocols enabling wired or wireless connections with the product. Furthermore, to achieve competitive advantage, a company must be able to differentiate itself and thus command a price premium and operate at a lower cost than its rivals.

Barring grammatical errors, it accurately explains what the author discusses in the article, and why it is important for IT consultants.
3. STRUCTURE
How well does the introduction tell us about the structure body of the article?
It is well understood what the author try to serve the readers from the beginning, the author explain the structure will include framework for developing strategy and achieving competitive advantage in a smart, connected world.

How does the author develop her/his thesis
He starts by explaining the basic idea on the thesis argument and gradually increase the readers understanding by providing the related frameworks, examples/evidence and etc. Is the conclusion consistent with the introduction and body of the article?
Yes.

Accurately portrays the structure of the article, and explains the author’s intentions.
4. NATURE OF THE ARTICLE
Is this a scholarly source? Use the Library’s REVIEW checklist to tell us why/why not. http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/elearning/learn/schvsnonsch/index.php Yes. It is relevant to the topic and within context. The author is one of the professor in Harvard Business School, and another is well experience in IT industry. Even though short of evidence, this article could be used as an additional source of reference for university students. Plus, it’s just recently published – Nov 2014.

Saufi has shown what the criterion for a scholarly article is, and has verified that the article is of a scholarly nature.
5. EVIDENCE:
What proof (evidence) does the author have to support her/his thesis? Quote the page nos. where the author cites evidence).

Few frameworks such as:
The technology stack pg. 69
Capabilities of smart connected products pg.70
The five forces that shape industry competition pg. 72