Controlling New Product Development in the Small Technology-Based Firm

The development of a new product requires the continuous collection, communication and analysis of information internal and external to a firm. Whether formal control procedures are the most effective method of collecting and communicating this information, however, is a topic of ongoing debate. This research describes new product development control practices and examines the relationships between the method of control (i.e. formal or informal) and innovation success in thirty-three North American technology-based companies. Results indicate that companies using formal control procedures view their methods as more successful, are more satisfied and define success more stringently than firms using informal methods of control.