An Evaluation of the New Product Development process in the context of operational readiness

Abstract

The successful launch of new products is a key competitive strategy for businesses to drive corporate prosperity as they allow for growth and increased profitability if successfully executed. Innovation processes such as New Product Development, Integrated Product Development and Concurrent Engineering thus form an integral part of businesses staying on top within highly competitive environments. Within this paper the New Product Development process within a specific Company is studied in terms of how it is relates to the operational readiness at the launch of new products. This case study looks into why products are failing to be ready from an operational perspective when the product is being launched through the New Product Development process. The study concluded that though there are specific improvements that should be addressed within the operational functional area, there were strong indicators that the problems encountered within the operations area is merely a symptom of overall larger problems which relates to how the process is utilised both on a micro and macro level. Further, the process needs to be customised so that it is suitable for the Company’s needs and business environment.