Towards a more event-driven NPD process: First experiences with attempts of implementation in the front-end phase
Year: 2013
Editor: Udo Lindemann, Srinivasan V, Yong Se Kim, Sang Won Lee, John Clarkson, Gaetano Cascini
Author: Ringen, Geir; Welo, Torgeir
Series: ICED
Institution: 1: Sintef Raufoss Manufacturing, Norway; 2: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Page(s): 099-108
ISBN: 978-1-904670-44-5
ISSN: 2220-4334
Abstract
The search for effective and reliable innovation processes has concerned companies for decades. Stage-Gate (SG) is one of the most common models employed to structure new product development (NPD) efforts. Despite its popularity along with other efforts made to enhance NPD performance, overall innovation failure rates are still reported high. From the perspective of a NPD team SG is not a process at all, it is essentially a series of checkpoints introduced to ensure compliance between resource allocation and perceived business potential. Therefore, NPD teams need a more dynamic environment, focusing on problem-solving and risk mitigation at a more knowledge-based level. The present paper seeks to establish an event-driven NPD process within existing business processes, and determine its applicability in a real-world case study in a company that develops advanced products. An incremental implementation strategy was chosen, introducing the concept in the front-end of a single project, rather than across the entire company. The first experiences show that team performance is improved across three dimensions: outcome (effectiveness); process (efficiency); execution environment.
Keywords: New product development, stage gate, integration events, execution environment, team performance