Improving the Process of Product Innovation

OVERVIEW: Innovation managers can improve every stage of the product innovation process (Discovery, Decision, Development, and Delivery) by applying the three guiding principles of total quality management: customer orientation, continual improvement and employee involvement. A survey of 116 innovation managers revealed that the most common problem in the innovation process at every stage is "inadequate resources." The guiding principles focus the respondents' suggestions for improvement of this and other problems: Survey customers to identify where to focus RD probably the best known is that of Booz, Allen and Hamilton (12). Their model is more detailed, and could be valuable for those wanting to get more specific. The Booz, Allen and Hamilton model even provides a process performance measure: the number of ideas surviving each step of the process as they move from strategic planning to commercialization. …