New Product Processes

Level 1

No NPD process exists.
There is a flurry of NPD activity any discipline surrounding the management of NPD development activities.
Criteria for evaluating projects are not defined.
There is no NPD process owner or NPD process champion.

Informal, decentralized NPD process exists where different groups use their own tailored process.
Limited documentation exists on the NPD process.
The process can be readily circumvented by anyone.
A few standard criteria are used for evaluation of NPD project activity.
Idea generation is structured and formal.
Different processes exists for ideas coming from internal and external resources.
Minimal testing is performed.
Product champions are critical to NPD success.

One formal stage-gate type process is employed for the entire organization.
The NPD process is quite visible and well-documented.
Personnel are very disciplined in using the process to develop all new offerings.
Go/No-Go criteria are clear and pre-defined for each review gate.
The NPD process is flexible and adaptable to meet the needs, size, and risk of individual projects.
There is an intranet for NPD process documentation.