tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:36:19 +0000InnovationProduct DevelopmentOpen InnovationBusiness CultureExploring the art and science of world class product development as practiced by the people who are identifing, developing and maintaining new products and services.http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Steve)Blogger13125All information and materials on Better Product Development are provided on an 'as is' basis and are not intended in any way to be comprehensive. tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-2634256058362069652Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:05:00 +00002010-12-21T09:10:23.490+11:00Product DevelopmentBusiness CultureInnovationTuning the Innovation EngineA major issue in achieving and then maintaining successful product development is the challenge of sustaining the optimum blend of spark and fuel that is essential for the innovation engine. Both elements are critical for innovation, but all too often these two key components can become unbalanced effecting performance and sustainability.Fuel, in the form of commercialhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/uXhBrng7e6Y/tuning-innovation-engine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/12/tuning-innovation-engine.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-7004923066160510425Sun, 21 Nov 2010 10:03:00 +00002010-11-21T21:21:49.054+11:00Having a great product-to-market process with a clear strategy is fine but without a pipeline of innovative ideas it’s like an empty fuel tank. Successful companies must be continually looking to feed their innovation engine. Without a full tank the portfolio of fresh competitive products weakens, the program of continuous service improvements breaks down and the customer renewal roadmap of http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/9m9XjDz1xqc/genius-and-heroism-is-that-right.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/11/genius-and-heroism-is-that-right.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-815819250364830756Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +00002010-11-21T22:17:29.744+11:00Successful innovation and new Product and Service development is a vital way to achieve business growth, market differentiation, customer loyalty and profitability. If your innovation engine is performing well the benefits can be substantial.Consider one of today’s classic new product successes:“In the third quarter of 2009, Apple’s iPhone division delivered $1.6 billion in profits, while Nokia http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/6ZdKpUfXIHo/importance-of-improving-innovation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/09/importance-of-improving-innovation.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-7204965843364048482Sat, 21 Aug 2010 11:30:00 +00002010-11-21T21:51:02.764+11:00Successful businesses build on their strengths; they manage their risks and understand their limitations. To be sustainable and grow they must continuously discovery and apply productive knowledge. And to grow rapidly in a competitive market, businesses must use their capabilities and competencies to identify and commercialise novel business ideas.A notable characteristic of those businesses http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/S-fESSnD9Ss/know-yourself-now-thats-obvious.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/08/know-yourself-now-thats-obvious.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-3937637237981934635Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:26:00 +00002010-11-21T21:01:16.294+11:00Open InnovationProduct DevelopmentBusinesses are increasingly recognising the limitations of their own capacity for innovation, development and new ideas. With the rise and rise of open and reliable knowledge networks an alternative model is now available for sourcing innovation.Open Innovation as a concept grew from the 1960’s practices of inter-firm cooperation in R&D and expanded over time into user innovation, cumulative http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/XJaAGRkzcWs/centre-of-innovation-can-be-outside.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/11/centre-of-innovation-can-be-outside.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-3058658896207835440Tue, 18 May 2010 01:15:00 +00002010-05-18T11:25:29.567+10:00Health warning: “Inhaling your own exhaust fumes may cause brain damage”.Probably because self confidence is such a vital ingredient for successful new product development it sometimes also becomes particularly vital to guard against the dangers that can accompany excessive self-confidence in our innovationThose dangers exist because the success of any innovation and product development is http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/0SdAmbSgCAQ/health-warning-inhaling-your-own.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/05/health-warning-inhaling-your-own.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-5507435813652264369Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:01:00 +00002010-03-24T09:04:31.636+11:00In a recent blog post that I was reading (by Kathy Harris from Gartner), it was suggested employees who are enthusiastic and committed to innovation, should start a “Grassroots Pilot”. It sounds like an interesting idea but I can’t help wondering if the challenges aligning personal motivations and corporate motivations would just be too much to make this a sustainable model. I’d be very http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/oGkCdAwsTbA/bootstrap-innovation-only-in-virtual.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/03/bootstrap-innovation-only-in-virtual.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-3020493545306035340Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:37:00 +00002010-03-19T11:16:15.311+11:00Reading a recent blog I was struck by the confidence and clarity that Gary Hamel seemed to be identifying a critical flaw in the DNA of popular business management. He cites a recent survey that found “only 20% of employees are truly engaged in their work — heart and soul”. While the respondents laid much of the blame for their lassitude on uncommunicative and egocentric managers, the question hehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/hfdVXvxxJeg/has-popular-management-practice-become.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/03/has-popular-management-practice-become.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-1299059063939749976Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:37:00 +00002010-03-11T16:32:24.323+11:00Comparing the "Innovation Intensity" in a sample of 120 typical tier 1 companies with their "Innovation Intensity" five years ago (in 2004/05) suggests innovation has declined about 15% for an average tier 1 business.Using the same analysis method described in an earlier blog, the results seem very clear: The findings for the sample of 120 tier 1 companies:20% have stronger then the average http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/jyTGeFhhms8/are-businesses-becoming-less-innovative.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/03/are-businesses-becoming-less-innovative.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-2258982979938920056Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:05:00 +00002010-03-11T13:37:06.351+11:00Sometimes, just because it’s taken for granted, the obvious becomes a really important thing to test. Maybe it was that one cynical conversation too many with the CxO about “real” priorities, operational performance, capacity expansion and business efficiency that set me doubting whether product development really is necessary or useful. A well managed RFI/RFP process controlled by Procurement http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/-O9YpGqbQp4/no-one-innovates-because-it-has-no.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/03/no-one-innovates-because-it-has-no.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-5105300424073569493Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:34:00 +00002010-03-03T08:50:38.979+11:00Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been working on a small new product development challenge posted by one of the Open Innovation forums. It’s a really inspiring initiative; designing a 6,000 litre rain water storage system costing less than $100 that families across rural communities in a region of south west India can build and maintain.Circumstances at the time meant I was tackling the work http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/RSLBNVeEhKU/its-important-to-get-balance-right-or.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/03/its-important-to-get-balance-right-or.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-345659190698788986Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:55:00 +00002010-02-05T11:00:47.382+11:00“It’s a technical success but a commercial failure.” A familiar cry about many newly developed products and services. But is that really important?Recently I’ve followed an exciting blog “Build a startup in seven days and under $500” where Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin took us through his daily journey from idea to launch for his new product. I think it’s a great story of personal motivation and http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/nU95E39-uv8/its-techncial-success-but-commercial.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/02/its-techncial-success-but-commercial.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6116644020044796389.post-8713041285567274134Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:20:00 +00002010-01-14T15:55:16.330+11:00The world of product development is wide and exciting. It’s full of opportunities and rewards, inevitably tempered by a measure of disappointments and frustrations. I’ve certainly always found it fun and fulfilling.To get the most from this product development world it may useful to consider the fundamentals important for a “good life”. Just as we all need air, water, food and shelter; there are http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BetterProductDevelopment/~3/DsZLw0RqFfU/so-where-to-start-with-better-product.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (The Complete Product )http://betterproductdevelopment.blogspot.com/2010/01/so-where-to-start-with-better-product.htmlen-usAll information and materials on Better Product Development are provided on an 'as is' basis and are not intended in any way to be comprehensive. The Complete Product nonadult