APPLYING PROCESSES THAT ACCELERATE NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Summary
An integrated approach, using both qualitative and quantitative tools to solve both business and research questions, is likely to be the best approach, particularly when one consistently informs the other throughout the entire product development life cycle. This chapter focuses on technologies that reside within the first two stages, discovery and scoping. A variety of techniques are used during the discovery stage of research: Knowledge mapping, designing a project plan, hypotheses generation, person observation and idiography. The chapter focuses on the concept of knowledge mapping and how it links to scoping of the business case, hypothesis generation and landscape development that will be used for further research, either qualitative or quantitative. The chapter explains the variety of technology used during scoping stage of research: game board, qualitative multivariate analysis, rapid product navigation, qualitative Kano methodology, product rubric, conjoint or tradeoff analysis, concept and project briefs and portfolio assessment.