New Product Development Process Stage 1 (Idea Generation)

Every new product and every new product development process starts with the idea generation. Idea generation is a process in which creative thinking is used to produce large amount of ideas for new products. It is very important that all ideas no matter how ludicrous or extreme may sound, to be gathered. The idea generation process should be on - going, have a specific purpose, involve the whole of the company including its clientele, use a variety of methods, have one person in charge and not evaluate the gathered ideas. During the idea generation - gathering process one should not criticize the ideas of others, should be freewheeling and generate as many ideas as possible. The management of ideas is also very important at this stage due to the large number of ideas to be selected and their diversity.

Step 1: Setting the brainstorming team

Management to brainstorming team: Set the brainstorming team from all departments; include also experts from the market and the technological field. Define the person that should play the role of brainstorming motivator, and the person that should keep track of brainstorming results. Provide directions of what is expected to do. (Table 1-1)

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Brainstorming session team definition

Step 2. Setting the brainstorming process

Management to brainstorming team: Define the strategic orientation of the new product, mobile add-on technologies targeted to mobile phone manufacturers, using branding methods (such as bluethooth®.), including the initial competitive intelligence analysis (CPI)

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Setting the brainstorming process

Step3: Contacting initial individual brainstorming

Brainstorming motivator to brainstorming team. Send an Osborne’s checklist to each brainstorming team member. Contact individual brainstorming.

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Contacting initial individual brainstorming

Step 4. Concluding individual brainstorming results

Brainstorming team to brainstorming motivator Each member sends back individual brainstorming results (table 1-3) to brainstorming motivator.

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Contacting initial individual brainstorming

Step 5. Conclude individual brainstorming

Brainstorming motivator to brainstorming team. Combine individual brainstorming results, send them back to brainstorming members and define the date for the group brainstorming session

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Concluding initial individual brainstorming results

Step 6. Contacting group brainstorming

Brainstorming motivator to brainstorming team. Contact a group brainstorming filling out the table 1-5.

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Group brainstorming session

Step 7. Concluding brainstorming preliminary results

Brainstorming motivator to management Send the results of initial ideas to management for approval

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Concluding brainstorming session

Step 8. Assessing brainstorming preliminary results

Management to Brainstorming motivator Management could discard, include new ideas, or provide comments for improvements of ideas. Managements send the results of the initial assessment to brainstorming motivator. Repeat steps 5-7 until the management sends the final approval of the preliminary ideas list.

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Concluding brainstorming session

Step 9. Refining brainstorming preliminary results

Brainstorming coordinator to brainstorming team. Brainstorming motivator sets a morphological chart analysis session to refine initial ideas including idea characteristics

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Refining ideas

Step 10. Send ideas to management for approving step forward to next stage of NPD

Brainstorming coordinator to management Brainstorming coordinator sets the final list of ideas with their characteristic functions and options to management. The management approves to move to next session, kills the process or holds it.

Average Completion Time: 10% of the total process time

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  1. Approving final brainstorming results (Table 9)
  2. Approving final brainstorming results (Table 10)

Results

Based on what said above the problem of this level is to generate as many ideas as possible and manage them in such a way that it will be possible and easy for screening them later on.

What next?

Screen the list of ideas against market, technology to select the best possible idea for new product development.