Workshop:

Just Enough Product Development Process

In a high-mix environment, how do we introduce standard processes without adding unnecessary bureaucracy?

Developing and marketing successful products is a process of learning by trial and error. Companies that repeat errors on subsequent projects are doomed to failure. The best companies retain the knowledge learned from each development within a formalized “product development process” or “new product introduction template”.

However, if not managed properly, these formalized processes can become bureaucratic and tedious, losing their credibility within the organization and their usefulness. For example: low-volume, high-mix products do not always need the same checks and rigor as higher-volume products.

In this workshop, we will show how to provide “just enough process” for highly effective new product developments and launches. Best-in-class product development process templates will be provided and discussed, and we will show by example how to develop a “living process” with out-of-bounds criteria and metrics for improvement. Workshop participants will get a chance to share their own lessons and experiences with product development processes.

Workshop Outline:

The basic New Product Development (NPD) process template
Phased-Gate processes and checklists
Cross-functional and cross-enterprise NPD dynamics and conflicts
Out-of-bounds conditions and corrective actions
Metrics for improvement
Living, scalable templates – “Just Enough Process”
Learning and improvement in NPD

Benefits to Attendees:

Project Managers will learn “best-in-class” processes for developing and launching new products rapidly
Participants will begin to develop or improve their own NPD process templates
Develop metrics to understand whether you are improving with each project
Learn how to make a scalable, living process to bring your cross-functional or cross-enterprise team together

This workshop is designed for 8 to 20 participants.

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