PDMA Body of Knowledge (BOK) — A Guidebook to Training and Certification Content Overview

Strategy

TheStrategy chapter covers various types of strategy, from corporate through business and functional strategies. An emphasis is placed on the innovation strategy, particularly as it sets out the framework, and provides direction, for product development. The benefits and limitations of specific innovation strategic frameworks are discussed. The role of supporting strategies from technology, marketing, platforms, intellectual property, and capability are presented, both as being directed by higher level business strategy and in their mutual contribution to the overall business strategy.

Portfolio Management

ThePortfolio Managementchapter relates strategy to project selection. A product portfolio is defined as the set of current and potential new products that can form the basis for a program of product development, including product improvement, cost reductions, line extension and new company products. Methods for project selection are presented, both as a means of assessing project potential and of achieving strategic alignment with regards individual project prioritization and balance across specific categories of product development. Portfolio management is presented as a cross-functional activity that encompasses the development of new products through to launch, and the on-going review of existing products to ensure optimal alignment with strategy and resource availability.

New Products Process

Rapid changes in technology, communication, and market demands have placed considerable pressure on companies to become more effective and efficient in their product development. Greater understanding of the success factors for new product development has resulted in the application of a range of new product processes to specific contexts. TheNew Products Processchapter outlines many of these processes including Stage-Gate®, Concurrent Engineering, Integrated Product Development, Lean and Agile. The benefits and limitations of each process are discussed and specific contexts for application are recommended. Although not specifically included in this chapter, reference is made to the tools and metrics that are required to underpin a successful new products process.

Culture, Organizations, and Teams

It is widely recognized that new product development cannot be successful through good processes alone. Success is dependent on people, on the culture of the company and the environment that is created to foster innovation. TheCulture, Organizations, and Teams chapter outlines the characteristics of an innovative culture. It also focuses on the requirements for a high performing team and for team structures to support cross-functional teams in an innovative environment and in different project contexts. Management roles and responsibilities at various levels and within different stages of product development are also discussed.

Tools and Metrics

A wide range of tools is required at all levels of product development – strategy formation, portfolio management, new product process, design, life cycle management, etc. Some of these tools are applicable across a range of industries and products, while others are more specific in their application. TheTools and Metricschapter focuses on descriptions of a set of generic tools including ideation, financial analysis, quality function deployment, TRIZ, Six Sigma, project management, and risk management. The discussion of the various tools is intended to provide their potential application and value to product development and product management. It is not possible to provide detailed explanations on how to apply the various tools, and direction is provided to further reference sources for those who are seeking a more in-depth understanding. Performance metrics are also discussed in this chapter with a strong emphasis on the application of metrics for learning and continuous improvement.

Market Research

Market research is required to provide market-related information and data to underpin decision-making in all aspects of strategy development, portfolio management, the new products process and life cycle management. Certain market research techniques are more appropriate for specific purposes, for example, exploratory customer needs analysis, product concept testing and product sales potential. The application of market research extends across the full cycle of product development, from initial idea generation to final product launch and post-launch reviews. TheMarket Researchchapter covers a range of market research tools including secondary research, qualitative vs. quantitative, focus groups, customer site visits, ethnography, consumer panels, social media, big data, crowdsourcing, alpha and Beta testing, and market testing. The benefits and limitations of each tool are discussed together with their potential application at various stages of the new product process. Specific emphasis is placed on the accuracy and reliability of the various tools, and in turn, their value in decision making at various stages of product development.

Life Cycle Management

TheLife Cycle Managementchapter is divided into two parts. The first part addresses the product life cycle. It outlines the stages of the product life cycle – introduction, growth, maturity and decline, and discusses product management and product development strategies for each stage. Significant emphasis is placed on a discussion of the introduction stage of the life cycle, with reference to case study examples. The second part of the chapter is devoted to sustainability with specific emphasis on sustainable innovation as it is applied to both the innovation strategy and to product design.

NPDP Practice Questions

__________ is the strategy defined by Miles and Snow for those companies that rapidly follow Prospector companies.

Responder

Defender

Analyzer

Reactor

What quantitative market research tool should be used to identify a gap in the products offered to a market?

Secondary research

Lead users

Any appropriate multivariate technique

On-line forums

Which pair of variables is NOT common in visual bubble chart displays of the balance of a portfolio?

Risk versus reward

Net present value versus return on investment

Cost versus benefit

Ease versus attractiveness

Gates are defined as decision points based on deliverables, criteria, and outputs. Outputs include __________.

Financial statements

Yes or no decisions

The highs and lows of impact and probability

Go, kill, hold, recycle decisions

Which of the following is the product life cycle stage when the company must make tough decisions about what to do with the product as sales decrease?

Introduction

Growth

Maturity

Decline

One of the most commonly referred to success factors, relating to team formation, for product development projects is __________.

Cross-functional representation

Lots of creative team members

A strong project leader

Team members who enjoy each other’s’ company

When developing metrics for a company, which of the following is a consideration in this process?

The scope of the measurement (e.g. business unit-wide, project-wide)

The time-frame of the measurement (e.g. past results, current performance)

The audience for the measurement (e.g. executives, middle managers)

All of the above

Who should be involved in the application of scoring new product opportunities?

A cross-functional team

Only the marketing manager

Only the new product manager

Only the Chief Executive

A company has decided on a name for its new product. The company has done an extensive search and has established that no other company or product is using this name. What form of Intellectual Property right should that company apply for to register the name?

Patent

Trademark

Copyright

Trade secret

Who is responsible for the strategic results of a new product development process in an organization?

Stage-Gate manager

Chief executive

Process owner

Scrum manager

Key elements of Agile new product process includes the scrum, the scrum master, the scrum team, the sprint, the product backlog, and the __________.

Stakeholders

Project manager

Product owner

Product champion

In sustainable development to abbreviation D4E stands for __________.

Design for Extinction

Development for the Environment

Design for Evolution

Design for the Environment

SWOT analysis can be used for ideation. What does SWOT address?

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

Strategy, willingness, organization, and teamwork

Strategy, weakness, organization, and threat

Strengths, willingness, opportunities, and teamwork

Secondary research should be conducted __________.

Mainly during the late stages of a project

When ethnographic research cannot be conducted

Before primary research

After primary research

In considering your portfolio in terms of market risk and technology risk, which combination is usually most desirable?

Low market risk, low technology risk

Low market risk, high technology risk

High market risk, low technology risk

High market risk, high technology risk

Most product development activity is focused on__________.

New brands

Line extensions

Derivatives and product improvement

New to world products

A unit of work small enough to be completed by the team in one sprint iteration is called?

Product backlog item

Scrum

Concept evaluation

TPS

The primary benefit of a Focus Group in marketing research is __________.

The ability to develop broad insights

Low cost

Ease of execution

Deep insights

Elements of cost include all of the following except __________.

Fixed costs

Variable costs

Capital costs

Recurring costs

A value proposition should focus on __________, not __________.

Features, benefits

Benefits, costs

Revenue, costs

Benefits, features

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