Business Strategy, Marketing, Innovation, Technology, New Product Management



Posts Tagged ‘ New Products Management ’

3D Pong Game

Sep 7th, 2010 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, General, Information Technology, Innovation, Strategy, Technology, Technology Strategy

From Engineering.com

3D Pong Game

While this is a fun time waster.  What does it tell us about the future of interactive technology?  Will 3D TV etc. be big?   What does this mean for business?  How can you use the emerging 3D technology to create competitive advantage?

What do you think?



Fortune Google 24/7 Blog

Jul 15th, 2010 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, Feature, General, Information Technology, Innovation, Technology Strategy

From Fortune Magazine

Fortune GOOGLE 24/7

This blog looks like a great way to keep up with all things GOOGLE from a business and technology standpoint.  I will be checking it often.

What do you think?  Any other sources so dedicated besides GOOGLE itself?



Managing Customers’ Dreams

May 17th, 2010 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, New Product Management, Operations Management

From Managing Automation Blog — Chris Chiappinelli

Managing Customers’ Dreams

This blog post plus video sums up the business challenges and requirements of the design-build (Continuous Product Development) business for industrial automation well.  http://www.enhancedautomation.com

A focus on the customer requires a focus on quality, cost, specification and reality; often many of these concepts clash.

Are there other challenges?



Product Portfolio Management (PPM) Research

Apr 25th, 2010 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Leadership, New Product Management, Technology Strategy

From PDMA Visions

Portfolio Pain Points

This study, once again points out how poorly we manage our NPD Projects.  We do not seem to think of the collection of projects as a portfolio and do not manage them as such.  If we are to achieve our strategic goals for NPD as well as our objectives for each of the projects we have in process, we need to manage them as a portfolio.

Too many projects and poor decision making is at the root cause of poor success rates for both strategic and tactics objectives.

This research connects to a previous post regarding an article by Robert Cooper   Cooper Article

What do you think?  Am I overly concerned?



Effective Gating — Gates with Teeth

Apr 25th, 2010 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Innovation, New Product Management, Technology Strategy

This article is from Marketing Management — You may need to be a Member of AMA to Access all content

Effective Gating by Robert G. Cooper

Effective Gating ABSTRACT

This article is a great reminder that we have TOO many projects in our product development pipeline.

We have ineffective gates (and NPD Processes) that do not KILL bad projects.

We do not have effective (NPD) portfolio management systems and governance processes.

We have TOO many small, incremental projects to be an effective  (NPD) profit growth engine.

What do you think?



Knowledge Management — Case Studies Ba Based Companies

Jan 18th, 2010 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, Innovation, Knowledge Management, New Product Management

From KM Edge

Referred by Evelyn of MSOE Rader School of Business MG-750

KM Edge (blog) from APQC presents a wonderful PPT which looks at three Ba Based Knowledge Management approaches in Japanese Companies.  As we study Knowledge Management, we learn more of the concept of Ba.  This presentation gives us some insight into the power of Ba.

Ba Based Knowledge Management Approaches

Comments?



GOOGLE Releases Real Time Search

Dec 8th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, General, Information Technology, Technology

From Fast Company

Google Unveils Real Time Search

From the article……

“But it’s clear that Google’s execs have tapped Twitter as the real winner in real-time status, despite Facebooks half-billion userbase, as these two were presented right at the end. You might think that’s about as real-time as you can get, but the team noted they won’t stop until the speed of light around the world is the only barrier to getting real time search data.”

Look out BING!

Are they now up-to-date?  What next?



Spending on Innovation

Dec 5th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Innovation, New Product Management, Strategy, Technology Strategy

From Strategy and Business

Profits Down, Spending Steady: The Global Innovation 1000

“Booz & Company’s annual study of the world’s biggest corporate R&D spenders finds that most companies have stuck with their innovation programs despite the recession — and many are boosting spending to compete more effectively in the upturn.”

My take: Innovation should ALWAYS be a priority. R&D for New Products, a priority.

What do you think?



Turn by Turn Navigation on Droid. Satellite View

Oct 28th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, Feature, Information Technology, Innovation, New Product Management, Technology, Technology Strategy

Thanks Hugh

GOOGLE Maps Navigation (Beta) Video

Scroll Down for Video

Awesome!  Perhaps we know why some are predicting  iPhone  domination by the Droid!    Can I build this into my car?  Are you listening Toyota?

Check out the slide shows too!

Voice command.  FREE no ads (for now)

What do you think?



R&D Spending and Innovation

Oct 27th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: General, Innovation, New Product Management, Strategy, Technology Strategy

An article on “strategy+ business” entitled “Profits Down, Spending Steady: The Global Innovation 1000″

” Booz & Company’s annual study of the world’s biggest corporate R&D spenders finds that most companies have stuck with their innovation programs despite the recession — and many are boosting spending to compete more effectively in the upturn.”

Within the article we read quotations from business leaders  “Innovation is what drives our competitive position in all three of our markets — automotive, professional, and consumer — and therefore we can’t back off,” says Robert Lardon, corporate vice president for strategy and investor relations at Harman International Indus­tries Inc. Adalio Sanchez, general manager of IBM’s System X server business, echoes that point of view: “I would argue that the recession is a catalyst for in­creased innovation.”

This is encouraging for new product developers and a welcome sign that innovation is live and well, and in fact, an imperative for survival — long term.

What do you think?



Apple “iTablet” Coming?

Oct 26th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, Information Technology, Innovation, Knowledge Management, Marketing, New Product Management, Technology Strategy

Here we go, the rumors are starting?  The New Your Times’ Bill Keller ranting about the end of newspaper publishing (the coming of Googlezon?) and the potential of an iTablet?  Is this good marketing — pre-announcement?  Market Research?  Apple iTablet

What do you think?  Marketing?  Rumors?  Advance, off the record, notice?



Baseball and Innovation

Oct 25th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Innovation, New Product Management

A recent HBSP blog post “What Baseball Can Teach Us about Innovation” teaches us that statistics, and the use of widespread use and availability of statistics help baseball improve.  The posting suggests that statistics can help innovation efforts.   From the blog “Companies should create an internal encyclopedia in which they highlight the year they started work on each innovation, what type it was, how projections about its market potential changed through time, its key characteristics, and its ultimate performance. The encyclopedia would facilitate statistical analysis to help the company increase its success rate.”

What do you think, can better categorization and measurements of innovation efforts help us be more innovative?



The “Nook” from Barnes and Noble eBook Reader

Oct 21st, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, General, Information Technology, Innovation, Marketing, Technology Strategy

Thanks to Hugh for the link.

Well, here it is the Barnes and Nobel Nook using the Android System, ATT partnership, wirelesss connection,  and some cool electronics, we have a challenger to the Kindle.

What do you think?



SixthSense Demo Video from MIT Media Lab

Oct 20th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, Feature, Information Technology, Innovation, Knowledge Management, Leadership, New Product Management, Technology, Technology Strategy

Thank you Kathy and Catherine for this referral.  (Two students recommended this same video)

Great TED Talk on a device that can serve as our “SixthSense

Amazing and not too far away!

What do you think?



Body Accelerometers — New Fitness Product

Oct 20th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, General, Information Technology, Innovation, New Product Management, Technology

I have been reading more about the “networked” body and decided to add some of the articles to this blog.  I find it very interesting as it applies to “pervasive computing” ,  ”mobile computing”, “wireless computing” etc. that we are seeing an ever increasing array of products that work with our bodies.   The article “Test Driving the Networked Body” talks about the device as well as the service that augments the accelerometer for fitness measurements and the program to improve fitness.   From the article, ” The 3-D accelerometer has transformed mobile gaming (hello, iPhone), console gaming (thanks, Wii!), and now…fitness? The tech that accurately measures your movements has birthed a new generation of health monitors that track your daily activity and present it through a data-rich Web site. The big question: Can all that data be translated into a healthier lifestyle?”.

Do you think you will try something like this?  Will we all have devices prescribed by our doctors?  What do you think about just about “everything” being trackable?



Kindle Manufactured in USA — Not

Oct 20th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, General, Innovation, New Product Management, Strategy, Technology, Technology Strategy

A blog post at Harvard Business School states that the USA cannot make the Kindle.  The article gives lots of insight into the design and manufacturing of the Kindle.  More importantly, it raises the questions associated with the importance of our (USA) ability to manufacture a product such as the Kindle.

The US Can’t Manufacture the Kindle and that’s a Problem

What do you think?  Does the USA NEED to be a manufacturer?  Why?   Is this “killing innovation”?



“Innovation Manual” – New Book

Oct 7th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, Innovation, Leadership, Marketing, New Product Management, Technology, Technology Strategy

I learned about this new book from an article and short video on the INSEAD KNOWLEDGE website.

The article is “The Innovation Manual“  and we can see from the perspective of a marketing professor a number of key points, many of which we have discussed in our classes, but it serves as a great reminder about the “basics” .

David Midgley, the author of the book, uses the example of the Apple iPod and the business model it created.  Once again, we see this model coming out as a key to success. Further, the role of customers in product/service innovation and development.  We also read about the importance of an innovation culture and the challenges of maintaining a culture of innovation.  The book promises to tell us all about it.

What do you think of the reminders here?  What should be emphasized more?   Less?



Kindle’s UK Launch — Bungled?

Oct 7th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Breakout Topics, Feature, Information Technology, Innovation, Knowledge Management, Marketing, New Product Management, Technology, Technology Strategy

Seems to be a bit of a theme this Fall, but yet another article about the Kindle.  (I bet you can guess what might be on my Christmas List this year) However, as we think about NPM (New Products Management) we need to understand how important “Launch” is, and pricing.  This article points out a bit about how we need to think about launches in multiple countries may in fact, cause problems for us.

The FAST Company article “Has Amazon Bungled Kindle’s International Launch” gives us a bit of a case study.  What could/should they have done differently?   What have we learned about the importance of a “service” strategy that becomes part of a product launch?  What have we learned about partners?



Princeton not too happy with Kindles

Oct 6th, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Information Technology, Innovation, Knowledge Management, New Product Management, Strategy, Technology

Thank you David for your suggestion of this article.

Kindles yet to woo University Users

One student said in the article ““Much of my learning comes from a physical interaction with the text: bookmarks, highlights, page-tearing, sticky notes and other marks representing the importance of certain passages — not to mention margin notes, where most of my paper ideas come from and interaction with the material occurs,” he explained. “All these things have been lost, and if not lost they’re too slow to keep up with my thinking, and the ‘features’ have been rendered useless.”

Humm.  Interesting.  You can highlight on the Kindle, however, in the university environment, it gets in the way of learning.  At least according to this student.

What do you think?



BRAND –

Oct 1st, 2009 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: General, Marketing, New Product Management, Strategy

Ok, so I am not teaching a marketing class at the current time, I still think that a reminder once in a while about the importance of brand and brand building is a good thing. 

Branding is a consideration in New Product Management, often might even be a criteria in new concept screening.

The article “Five Letter words is key to Marketing Success” is what prompted my thoughts of branding.

So, how important is brand?  How much should it (brand fit, brand extension)be a part of new product concept criteria?