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The paper analyses the implications of a platform strategy in new product development with reference to the automobile industry. The implications and benefits of a platform strategy are discussed from both the technical and organisational points of view. The impact of a platform strategy on international product development is then analysed. The paper draws on examples from the experience of major Japanese automobile companies. In general, the analysis highlights how platform strategies are evolving and how they must be recognised more and more in relation to the internationalisation processes of R&D activities and operations. Moreover, different approaches are pointed out concerning more advanced and/or conservative approaches to platform development. A more advanced approach leads to more benefits in terms of the performance of the product development process and the reorganisation of the development process on a global level.

Some companies to aid the product development process have implemented a stage‐gate framework, as a high‐level representation of the activities required. Such a framework allows the development process to be closely monitored and controlled, using stages of work and review gates. Six different companies have been examined to show the variations in representation. Each approach was compared to a generic four‐staged framework. Companies which are organised mainly in cross‐functional teams adhere strongly to the four stages, namely a low‐phased approach. However, companies organised with a strong functional structure tend to have more phases and gates within each stage, i.e. a high‐phased approach. These additional phases tend to be placed late in the product development process rather than at the start where their effect would be greater. A generic representation of the product development process applicable to various organisations and industrial sectors, provides an architecture for carrying out any business process improvement project.

Proposes a new product implementation process which is designed to reduce the risk inherent in new product introductions in consumer markets. Defines the stages of this process as idea generation, idea screening, conceptual development and testing, business analysis, product development, test market, and product introduction. Concludes that this process differs from previous models in suggesting a team be created to manage the development, speeding up the tasks in each stage.

Since the post‐Second World War era, total quality management (TQM) has spread throughout corporations, including research and development. The first step in developing a total quality system in research and development is identification of the customer. Identifies who the customers are and defines the relationship between marketing and research and development within a TQM environment. Posits that the amount of attention focused on the customer often correlates directly with the success of an end‐product sell‐through. Highlights the importance of continuous improvement in the research and product development cycle.

This study investigated the issue of collaboration in new product development within the context of the South African textile and clothing industry. The following aspects were analysed in order to contribute to the understanding of the collaboration process: the perceived benefits of collaboration in the new product development process, the risks of collaboration, the effect of collaboration on the new product development process, and the factors that increase the likelihood of a successful collaboration.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the management process considering risks and performances in developing new products.

The paper provides risk factors and performance factors based on literature reviews and then discusses risk and performance management processes during the product development period. Some lessons for effective risk management and performance measures are reported.

The timing of risk management and performance measures is important to the impact level of performance.

This proposed framework could be used as a basis for systematic management of R&D investment projects.

The paper provides insights into the R&D committee's role in developing new products.

Measuring the overall success of product development efforts has been frustrating because there is no generally recognized metric to measure effectiveness. The R&D Effectiveness Index is introduced to address this need. It measures effectiveness by comparing the profit from new products to the investment in new product development. Provides the details for calculating the index along with alternative interpretations. Finds a strong relationship between the R&D Effectiveness Index and other performance factors and argues that the R&D Effectiveness Index can be used to compare performance, measure improvement, and evalute business units. Illustrates its application in a case study.

To expand beyond existing research on the integration of supply chain and new product development that has a limited focused on the need to pre‐inform supply chain before product launch, the need for new product development to consider the impact of product design on supply chain operations and research has focused on ensuring product availability at the product launch.

This research note suggests avenues forward and areas for practice and research to progress.

The existing and limited focus on involving supply chain in new product development overlooks several central issues and opportunities that companies are beginning to explore and that can be supported by research. In particular the opportunity to focus on leveraging supply chain in new product development, for greater market impact and revenue growth.

Addressing the path forward, beyond limited approaches requires greater alignment between new product development and supply chain, it requires a focus that goes beyond just ensuring product availability and it requires alignment much further upstream in the new product development process. Examples of early progress in companies are provided.

In addition to summarizing existing research, new avenues for research and practice are offered that can tremendously improve alignment and the contribution of supply chain on new product development, for the good of the company as a whole. Specific research areas are suggest to enable research to support the realization of the path forward in this area.

Provides a preliminary exploration of the control of new product development in the UK by means of a survey of 30 companies. Identifies interactions between business evaluation, development and screening. Concludes that development and business evaluation can influence one another, and that product features and design features etc. can be added or deleted through decisions from either of these phases.

The innovative process of new product development remains unique within most organizations. This uniqueness stems from the requirements of the new product development manager to grapple with both the universe of emerging technologies from which a new feature or improvement must be found and to simultaneously maintain a constant awareness of the requirements of an ever-changing customer base. Amongst all of this uncertainty, there is still a time when new product development managers choose to ignore the warning signals that a project is failing and continue to commit resources. This paper refers to this as irrational commitment. This paper aims to examine the uncertainty of new product development and the reasons for this irrational commitment to failed projects.

The paper used a structured systematic review of literature to identify the most common types of irrational commitment in new product development and their impact on the corporation.

The paper provides insights into the causes and effects of management irrationally committing to new product development projects that are doomed to failure. It suggests that the three major areas of knowledge that need to be better integrated into the decision-making process are technology trends, marketing knowledge and the capabilities of the company itself.

Because of the chosen research approach of using a systematic review of literature, primary research needs to be conducted in the future to validate and refine the findings of the paper.

The paper provides leadership with guidelines to avoid irrationally committing to failed new product development efforts.

This paper adds to the literature on innovation systems.