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• 1. [Article] New Product Development: Amorphous Silicon Thin Film PV

  Q-Cells is a company founded in 1999 and is currently a global leader in manufacturing solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.[1][2] The current products use traditional crystalline Silicon (cSi) technology. Although ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: New Product Development: Amorphous Silicon Thin Film PV Author: Sheikh, Nasir Jamil, Bokka, Naresh, Rasiah, Rekha, Bourque, Greg, Natale, Rocco, Khamis, Rabah Year: 2010 Q-Cells is a company founded in 1999 and is currently a global leader in manufacturing solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.[1][2] The current products use traditional crystalline Silicon (cSi) technology. Although this is recognized as the industry leading technology, Q-Cells has set a goal to be the leader in next generation solar PV. We need to develop a process capability within our organization to support the design and development of industry leading second generation (2G) PV technology. The organization has created the Q-Cells NPI process, a modified stage gate phase model to support this new product development. The Q-Cells senior management has given their support to our defined product development lifecycle process. To achieve this goal of 2G solar PV, our new technology experts have been searching for new developments in research labs around the country. The rest of this report will document the process we propose for use by Q-Cells to insure a successful product development, from the idea generation stage, successively through definition, design, systems engineering and product engineering to full production manufacturing. Title: New Product Development: Amorphous Silicon Thin Film PV Author: Sheikh, Nasir Jamil, Bokka, Naresh, Rasiah, Rekha, Bourque, Greg, Natale, Rocco, Khamis, Rabah Year: 2010 Q-Cells is a company founded in 1999 and is currently a global leader in manufacturing solar photovoltaic (PV) panels.[1][2] The current products use traditional crystalline Silicon (cSi) technology. Although this is recognized as the industry leading technology, Q-Cells has set a goal to be the leader in next generation solar PV. We need to develop a process capability within our organization to support the design and development of industry leading second generation (2G) PV technology. The organization has created the Q-Cells NPI process, a modified stage gate phase model to support this new product development. The Q-Cells senior management has given their support to our defined product development lifecycle process. To achieve this goal of 2G solar PV, our new technology experts have been searching for new developments in research labs around the country. The rest of this report will document the process we propose for use by Q-Cells to insure a successful product development, from the idea generation stage, successively through definition, design, systems engineering and product engineering to full production manufacturing. Close

• 2. [Article] Do Maps Guide the Way to NPD Success? Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Knowledge Mapping in Product Development

  New product development success largely depends on the ability to combine newly acquired information on customer demands and technological options with knowledge that exists within the company. Project ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Do Maps Guide the Way to NPD Success? Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Knowledge Mapping in Product Development Author: Jetter, Antonie J, Year: 2005 New product development success largely depends on the ability to combine newly acquired information on customer demands and technological options with knowledge that exists within the company. Project organization and high employee turnover, however, make it difficult to be informed about what knowledge is available within the company and to access it successfully. Knowledge maps, a popular concept in present knowledge management, offer a possible solution by ?guiding the way to knowledge?. Their purpose, structure and content varies greatly, as does their ability to capture different aspects of knowledge. This paper investigates the theoretical basis of different types of knowledge maps and investigates their applicability in development projects. Title: Do Maps Guide the Way to NPD Success? Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Knowledge Mapping in Product Development Author: Jetter, Antonie J, Year: 2005 New product development success largely depends on the ability to combine newly acquired information on customer demands and technological options with knowledge that exists within the company. Project organization and high employee turnover, however, make it difficult to be informed about what knowledge is available within the company and to access it successfully. Knowledge maps, a popular concept in present knowledge management, offer a possible solution by ?guiding the way to knowledge?. Their purpose, structure and content varies greatly, as does their ability to capture different aspects of knowledge. This paper investigates the theoretical basis of different types of knowledge maps and investigates their applicability in development projects. Close

• 3. [Article] Theoretical Framework for Managing the Front End of Innovation under Uncertainty

  A growing body of research suggests that the fuzzy front-end of product development should not be managed with a one-size-fits-all standard process. Instead, projects with different market and technical ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Theoretical Framework for Managing the Front End of Innovation under Uncertainty Author: Jetter, Antonie J., Sperry, Richard Year: 2009 A growing body of research suggests that the fuzzy front-end of product development should not be managed with a one-size-fits-all standard process. Instead, projects with different market and technical uncertainties should be managed with one of five different processes (linear, recursive, evolving, selectionism, trial-and-error). Based on a review of the literature, the paper develops a theoretical framework for front-end management which provides the foundation for ongoing empirical research. Title: Theoretical Framework for Managing the Front End of Innovation under Uncertainty Author: Jetter, Antonie J., Sperry, Richard Year: 2009 A growing body of research suggests that the fuzzy front-end of product development should not be managed with a one-size-fits-all standard process. Instead, projects with different market and technical uncertainties should be managed with one of five different processes (linear, recursive, evolving, selectionism, trial-and-error). Based on a review of the literature, the paper develops a theoretical framework for front-end management which provides the foundation for ongoing empirical research. Close

• 4. [Article] Fuzzy Cognitive Maps for Product Planning: Using Stakeholder Knowledge to Achieve Corporate Responsibility

  Many new products that were originally welcomed for addressing customer requirements and greater societal needs turn out to have severe negative consequences because product developers uncertain about ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Fuzzy Cognitive Maps for Product Planning: Using Stakeholder Knowledge to Achieve Corporate Responsibility Author: Jetter, Antonie J., Sperry, Richard C. Year: 2013 Many new products that were originally welcomed for addressing customer requirements and greater societal needs turn out to have severe negative consequences because product developers uncertain about or unaware of the of the far-reaching and indirect effects of their product designs on diverse stakeholders. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) aims to solve this problem by improving decision-makers knowledge about and empathy for stakeholder concerns. However, it does not provide systematic approaches for integrating and applying stakeholder knowledge into the product development process. To address this gap, this paper proposes a novel approach for bridging stakeholder engagement and product planning that is based on Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) modeling. The method helps product planners to systematically capture, understand, and assess stakeholder needs and their interdependencies. For illustration purposes, the method is used for planning alternative product concepts for renewable energy systems in an urban Eco District. Title: Fuzzy Cognitive Maps for Product Planning: Using Stakeholder Knowledge to Achieve Corporate Responsibility Author: Jetter, Antonie J., Sperry, Richard C. Year: 2013 Many new products that were originally welcomed for addressing customer requirements and greater societal needs turn out to have severe negative consequences because product developers uncertain about or unaware of the of the far-reaching and indirect effects of their product designs on diverse stakeholders. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) aims to solve this problem by improving decision-makers knowledge about and empathy for stakeholder concerns. However, it does not provide systematic approaches for integrating and applying stakeholder knowledge into the product development process. To address this gap, this paper proposes a novel approach for bridging stakeholder engagement and product planning that is based on Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) modeling. The method helps product planners to systematically capture, understand, and assess stakeholder needs and their interdependencies. For illustration purposes, the method is used for planning alternative product concepts for renewable energy systems in an urban Eco District. Close

• 5. [Article] Educating the Guess: Strategies, Concepts and Tools for the Fuzzy Front End of Product Development

  Many companies lack efficient management of the early phases of new product development (NPD) - the socalled fuzzy front end (FFE). Rather than on structured methods, decision makers rely on ?gut ?feel? ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Educating the Guess: Strategies, Concepts and Tools for the Fuzzy Front End of Product Development Author: Jetter, Antonie J. Year: 2003 Many companies lack efficient management of the early phases of new product development (NPD) - the socalled fuzzy front end (FFE). Rather than on structured methods, decision makers rely on ?gut ?feel? or ?guessing?. In an attempt to ?educate the guess? this paper discusses the activities and challenges of the FFE, as well as strategies to manage them successfully. It then briefly presents traditional and recent approaches to front-end management support. Based on the identified strengths and weaknesses of existing front-end solutions, the framework of a new management support system for the FFE is presented. Conceptually, the system is based on psychological findings about the process of action-regulation in complex decision environments. Methodologically, it uses Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) for modeling and simulation. Title: Educating the Guess: Strategies, Concepts and Tools for the Fuzzy Front End of Product Development Author: Jetter, Antonie J. Year: 2003 Many companies lack efficient management of the early phases of new product development (NPD) - the socalled fuzzy front end (FFE). Rather than on structured methods, decision makers rely on ?gut ?feel? or ?guessing?. In an attempt to ?educate the guess? this paper discusses the activities and challenges of the FFE, as well as strategies to manage them successfully. It then briefly presents traditional and recent approaches to front-end management support. Based on the identified strengths and weaknesses of existing front-end solutions, the framework of a new management support system for the FFE is presented. Conceptually, the system is based on psychological findings about the process of action-regulation in complex decision environments. Methodologically, it uses Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) for modeling and simulation. Close

• 6. [Article] Fast and Frugal Heuristics for New Product Screening - Is Managerial Judgment "Good Enough?"

  Project screening in the fuzzy front-end of product development is dominantly based on managerial judgment, yet little is known about the quality of heuristic screening decisions. This research models ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Fast and Frugal Heuristics for New Product Screening - Is Managerial Judgment "Good Enough?" Author: Jetter, Antonie J., Albar, Fatima M. Year: 2013 Project screening in the fuzzy front-end of product development is dominantly based on managerial judgment, yet little is known about the quality of heuristic screening decisions. This research models three commonly discussed fast and frugal (F&F)heuristics for project screening (take-the-best, tallying and elimination-by-aspect) and explores their performance. An illustrative dataset of 52 new product development projects is used to compare the performance of F&F heuristics against that of regression models, which reflect compensatory judgment behaviour. The findings uncover a 'less is more' effect that justifies the use of simple heuristics in early stage product screening; two out of the three F&F heuristics reach accuracies of over 80% for project selection and 70% for project rejection and the best F&F model, tallying, performs similarly to the best regression model. The findings warrant a fresh look at managerial screening heuristics as 'good enough' decision making approach. Title: Fast and Frugal Heuristics for New Product Screening - Is Managerial Judgment "Good Enough?" Author: Jetter, Antonie J., Albar, Fatima M. Year: 2013 Project screening in the fuzzy front-end of product development is dominantly based on managerial judgment, yet little is known about the quality of heuristic screening decisions. This research models three commonly discussed fast and frugal (F&F)heuristics for project screening (take-the-best, tallying and elimination-by-aspect) and explores their performance. An illustrative dataset of 52 new product development projects is used to compare the performance of F&F heuristics against that of regression models, which reflect compensatory judgment behaviour. The findings uncover a 'less is more' effect that justifies the use of simple heuristics in early stage product screening; two out of the three F&F heuristics reach accuracies of over 80% for project selection and 70% for project rejection and the best F&F model, tallying, performs similarly to the best regression model. The findings warrant a fresh look at managerial screening heuristics as 'good enough' decision making approach. Close

• 7. [Article] Project Selection for New Product Development utilizing a Hierarchical Decision Model

  Evaluation and selection of new projects is vital to the health of an organization. This paper explores the background of new project selection and the methodologies to evaluate new projects for selection. ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Project Selection for New Product Development utilizing a Hierarchical Decision Model Author: Gomez, Fredy, Lai, Ho-Min, Ball, Larry, Alawini, Abdussalam Year: 2010 Evaluation and selection of new projects is vital to the health of an organization. This paper explores the background of new project selection and the methodologies to evaluate new projects for selection. To illustrate the process, a new product selection evaluation is performed for North African Food Products (NAFP) using a Hierarchical Decision Model (HDM). NAFP is the pseudonym for an existing confidential food products company in North Africa. Two improved existing and eight new products were evaluated using the pair wise comparison method. HDM experts were consulted for construction of the model. Five products were selected for consideration by NAFP managers. The research methodology is discussed and appendixes for the data and interviews are provided. The new products selected for development were either improved existing or new products from NAFP‟s existing production lines. The results were validated by post survey interviews with the NAFP managers. Conclusions and suggestions for future research are also provided. Title: Project Selection for New Product Development utilizing a Hierarchical Decision Model Author: Gomez, Fredy, Lai, Ho-Min, Ball, Larry, Alawini, Abdussalam Year: 2010 Evaluation and selection of new projects is vital to the health of an organization. This paper explores the background of new project selection and the methodologies to evaluate new projects for selection. To illustrate the process, a new product selection evaluation is performed for North African Food Products (NAFP) using a Hierarchical Decision Model (HDM). NAFP is the pseudonym for an existing confidential food products company in North Africa. Two improved existing and eight new products were evaluated using the pair wise comparison method. HDM experts were consulted for construction of the model. Five products were selected for consideration by NAFP managers. The research methodology is discussed and appendixes for the data and interviews are provided. The new products selected for development were either improved existing or new products from NAFP‟s existing production lines. The results were validated by post survey interviews with the NAFP managers. Conclusions and suggestions for future research are also provided. Close

• 8. [Article] An Investigation on Fast and Frugal Model for New Project Screening

  Research in psychology is increasingly interested in decision-makers' use of heuristics or rules of thumb because they have accuracies close to more complex decision rules and seem particularly useful ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: An Investigation on Fast and Frugal Model for New Project Screening Author: Jetter, Antonie J., Albar, Fatima M. Year: 2011 Research in psychology is increasingly interested in decision-makers' use of heuristics or rules of thumb because they have accuracies close to more complex decision rules and seem particularly useful in difficult decision-making contexts when uncertainty is high and speed is of the essence. One particularly difficult decision setting is the fuzzy front-end of new product development because a large number of product ideas need to be screened to identify the few that should be developed further. This process is currently poorly supported through decision tools and mainly occurs on the basis of managerial “gut-feel”. This study explores managerial “gut-feel” by investigating the performance of simple project screening heuristics: two so-called Fast and Frugal (F&F) heuristics, Take-the-Best and Tallying, and three logistic regression models with 3, 5, and 7 decision variables are used to screen a simulated dataset of 52 projects. Each model's ability to recognize successful projects and correctly reject poor projects is compared against the predictions of the other decision models. The results how that the logistic regression models outperform the F&F models in overall prediction quality and in the ability to predict project failure. However, the Tallying model has an overall performance that is close to the logistic regression and both F&F models are better at predicting success than the logistic regression model. Furthermore, the regression model that only takes 3 decision variables into consideration performs better than the regression models with 5 and all 7 decision variables. This indicates that a simple “less is more” decision approach, which is the basis of managerial “gut-feel”, can be a successful strategy for front-end screening. Title: An Investigation on Fast and Frugal Model for New Project Screening Author: Jetter, Antonie J., Albar, Fatima M. Year: 2011 Research in psychology is increasingly interested in decision-makers' use of heuristics or rules of thumb because they have accuracies close to more complex decision rules and seem particularly useful in difficult decision-making contexts when uncertainty is high and speed is of the essence. One particularly difficult decision setting is the fuzzy front-end of new product development because a large number of product ideas need to be screened to identify the few that should be developed further. This process is currently poorly supported through decision tools and mainly occurs on the basis of managerial “gut-feel”. This study explores managerial “gut-feel” by investigating the performance of simple project screening heuristics: two so-called Fast and Frugal (F&F) heuristics, Take-the-Best and Tallying, and three logistic regression models with 3, 5, and 7 decision variables are used to screen a simulated dataset of 52 projects. Each model's ability to recognize successful projects and correctly reject poor projects is compared against the predictions of the other decision models. The results how that the logistic regression models outperform the F&F models in overall prediction quality and in the ability to predict project failure. However, the Tallying model has an overall performance that is close to the logistic regression and both F&F models are better at predicting success than the logistic regression model. Furthermore, the regression model that only takes 3 decision variables into consideration performs better than the regression models with 5 and all 7 decision variables. This indicates that a simple “less is more” decision approach, which is the basis of managerial “gut-feel”, can be a successful strategy for front-end screening. Close

• 9. [Article] New Technology Introduction Process: RFID for groceries

  The high level process consists of three major funnels and two key parts. The first funnel is “Discovery” in which the new strategic goals are communicated company wide at an all hands meeting. In this ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: New Technology Introduction Process: RFID for groceries Author: Artiga, Roberto, Intarode, Nuttavut, Lotfi, Theodore Nyma, Praechareonwatana, Nuttavut, Osman, Osman, Sell, Vera Year: 2010 The high level process consists of three major funnels and two key parts. The first funnel is “Discovery” in which the new strategic goals are communicated company wide at an all hands meeting. In this stage, the company starts identifying major opportunities available in the market, having as its outcome a prioritized project list. As an example, in the grocery market, different opportunities had been observed and RFID was selected as a potential opportunity in the prioritized projec list to use as a substitute for the traditional bar code. Based on our estimate it can create an emerging market worth 6 billion USD in 5 years. The second funnel is “Technology.” It starts with identification of core competencies needed to transfer technology from laboratory to factory and will end with a technology transfer plan which contains how to close the gap between what is required and what Paru currently has in-house. The third funnel is “New Product Implementation.” It is a hybrid process which will go for simultaneous product and process concept development. These processes are carried out with proactive integration and collaboration so by the time the engineering release is approved, everything is in place to go into large-volume manufacturing without any further delays. Paru will go through the above mentioned steps to produce and sell RFID tags. After the three major funnels, the next stage of the process is volume production. This stage does not only includes manufacturing but also all the activities for continuous improvement that result to solve problems identify during volume production as well as those activities to optimize costs, quality, and yield until a second generation product is released or a product goes into obsolescence. The following sections describe the details of each part of the development process; all diagrams are included in the appendix of this report. Title: New Technology Introduction Process: RFID for groceries Author: Artiga, Roberto, Intarode, Nuttavut, Lotfi, Theodore Nyma, Praechareonwatana, Nuttavut, Osman, Osman, Sell, Vera Year: 2010 The high level process consists of three major funnels and two key parts. The first funnel is “Discovery” in which the new strategic goals are communicated company wide at an all hands meeting. In this stage, the company starts identifying major opportunities available in the market, having as its outcome a prioritized project list. As an example, in the grocery market, different opportunities had been observed and RFID was selected as a potential opportunity in the prioritized projec list to use as a substitute for the traditional bar code. Based on our estimate it can create an emerging market worth 6 billion USD in 5 years. The second funnel is “Technology.” It starts with identification of core competencies needed to transfer technology from laboratory to factory and will end with a technology transfer plan which contains how to close the gap between what is required and what Paru currently has in-house. The third funnel is “New Product Implementation.” It is a hybrid process which will go for simultaneous product and process concept development. These processes are carried out with proactive integration and collaboration so by the time the engineering release is approved, everything is in place to go into large-volume manufacturing without any further delays. Paru will go through the above mentioned steps to produce and sell RFID tags. After the three major funnels, the next stage of the process is volume production. This stage does not only includes manufacturing but also all the activities for continuous improvement that result to solve problems identify during volume production as well as those activities to optimize costs, quality, and yield until a second generation product is released or a product goes into obsolescence. The following sections describe the details of each part of the development process; all diagrams are included in the appendix of this report. Close

• 10. [Article] Vizio Inc. Product Development Process

  Vizio Inc., which started with only 3 people in 2002, has become the number one shipper of LCD HDTVs to the U.S. consumer electronics market of 2009. They have achieved their fast growth by concentrating ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Vizio Inc. Product Development Process Author: Lim, Donggyu, Krampits, Mark, Letts, Matthew, Katarya, Nitin, Shott, Tom Year: 2010 Vizio Inc., which started with only 3 people in 2002, has become the number one shipper of LCD HDTVs to the U.S. consumer electronics market of 2009. They have achieved their fast growth by concentrating on their target segment and market. The founder started in the TV sale business and thought that he could sell to a niche market in the consumer electronic market, especially LCD TV. Therefore, he began to make an inexpensive, but high quality LCD TVs. Another key to his success is that he formed strong relationships with overseas TV manufacturers. While his competitors are selling the same products worldwide, Vizio focuses on the U.S. market. Vizio has developed a solid sales network and has established brand power. It has over 170 employees and over $4 billion in sales in 2009. Vizio is going to introduce a new technology, 3D TV, into their product line. It has been decided that a new process, a Phase Gate Product Life cycle will be followed for this new technology and others that will be produced in the future. Title: Vizio Inc. Product Development Process Author: Lim, Donggyu, Krampits, Mark, Letts, Matthew, Katarya, Nitin, Shott, Tom Year: 2010 Vizio Inc., which started with only 3 people in 2002, has become the number one shipper of LCD HDTVs to the U.S. consumer electronics market of 2009. They have achieved their fast growth by concentrating on their target segment and market. The founder started in the TV sale business and thought that he could sell to a niche market in the consumer electronic market, especially LCD TV. Therefore, he began to make an inexpensive, but high quality LCD TVs. Another key to his success is that he formed strong relationships with overseas TV manufacturers. While his competitors are selling the same products worldwide, Vizio focuses on the U.S. market. Vizio has developed a solid sales network and has established brand power. It has over 170 employees and over $4 billion in sales in 2009. Vizio is going to introduce a new technology, 3D TV, into their product line. It has been decided that a new process, a Phase Gate Product Life cycle will be followed for this new technology and others that will be produced in the future. Close