Organizing Product Development

This unit teaches students how to structure and manage the upstream stages of new product development, including customer visits, creative sessions, concept refinement, and early prototyping. Students will learn to balance portfolios, select partners, build launch and profit models, and use digital tools and cross‑functional teams to measure and improve NPD processes.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze customer visit findings and lead creative sessions to generate and refine product concepts using Quality Function Deployment and prototype feedback
• Apply tools to inventory technologies, assess partnership options, and define international collaboration strategies that align with product goals
• Demonstrate the ability to construct and evaluate an NPD portfolio, create a launch plan and profit model, and apply review rules to prioritize projects
• Evaluate cross‑functional team roles, digital collaboration methods, and process health metrics to convert weak concepts into strategic assets