Resources coming to you over the Web
Mark B. Mondry, NpDp, partner, phase M, llp
( mmondry@phaseM.com)
The NPD process
Can you blend “open” and “gated”
nPD processes? Recent research suggests you can.
in the most recent issue of the California Management Review
( http://cmr.berkeley.edu/), the article titled “Open innovation and the
Stage gate Process: A Revised Model for new Product Development” (CMR,
vol. 52, no. 3, Spring 2010) introduces what the authors call an “open Stage gate
model” where additional evaluation criteria are included at each gate to explore inbound
and outbound alternatives for each nPD project. The concept incorporates a systematic approach to bringing in technology or know-how to accelerate time to market or reduce risk (inbound)
and exploring external paths to market (outbound) throughout any multi-gate PD process. This
approach continually assesses both your business model and your organizational core capabilities
at each gate. gate evaluations provide both strategic and tactical criteria as a result. if your
organization uses Staged gate nPD processes, consider this enhancement.
Social media in product development
The marketing potential of social media is well established, but what about using
social media for nPD? This is where the concepts of “Crowd Sourcing” and the
“Wisdom of Crowds” come into play. Social media can be used in the discovery
phase to identify customer problems that are difficult to articulate or in the
development phase to leverage engaged communities to help shape
products and services. Companies have deployed a variety of social
networking tools to engage potential customers, from Facebook
to specialized websites for interactive software prototyping and
development. Today, internet companies are using the web
to develop the web. As more cloud computing technology
becomes available out-of-the box, the combination of
social networks and the cloud will offer low-cost collaborative nPD for everyone.
Bottom of the pyramid
Most business school programs have recently incorporated the “bottom of the pyramid” concept to
MBA courses on strategy, marketing, and entrepreneurship following the nobel Prize–winning concept
of micro-loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. Large companies are now leveraging this powerful
concept to grow new markets. For example, mobile phone providers have developed successful methods for
selling inexpensive cellular services to remote villages. This new connectivity has helped farmers check prices at
local markets before selecting where to deliver their grain, thus increasing profitable commerce. Will the bottom of the
pyramid impact your PD pipeline? Think about how this concept combines with the “reverse innovation” model illuminated
elsewhere in this radar scan. got your attention now?
Collaboration
Are you trying to convince decision makers
about the value of collaborative nPD?
Well, the Aberdeen group, a global
fact-based research provider, has research that will back you up. go to
http://research.aberdeen.com
and obtain complimentary research reports
on product innovation and collaborative product
development.
Creative space
Stanford University’s design school, known as the “ d.school” ( http://dschool.stanford.edu/), is the farm program for many of the world’s
top industrial design firms. if you are ever in Palo Alto, Calif., visit the d.school’s fancy new building—recently profiled in the June 2010 issue
of Fast Company magazine ( www.fastcompany.com, “The idea Lab,” June 2010, p. 42). Creative space induces creativity. Also, check out the
d.school’s many insights grown from collaboration between the d.school, and the Stanford engineering, business, and computer science programs
as provided in blogs, executive education, and other resources.
