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Curtis Webb

This course will teach you to create, manage, and enhance new product development processes within your organization.

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This course will teach you to create, manage, and enhance new product development processes within your organization.

Once an organization has finalized its strategy and vision, implemented a sales function, and has a thorough understanding of the product’s finance, a new product development (NPD) process can be used to refine or create new products and services. Most practitioners find themselves as a participant or leader in their organization’s NPD process by accident without any formal training. In this course, Managing New Product Development, you’ll learn the steps product managers and other stakeholders use to take an idea from conception to product launch. First, you’ll explore the phases, stages, and gates of common NPD processes. Next, you’ll discover items typically in and out of scope of an NPD process as well as operational management considerations. Finally, you’ll learn how to produce and present a new product presentation for approval. When you’re finished with this course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge needed to manage new product development.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Course Overview
Defining the New Product Development Process
Examining NPD Phases, Stages, and Gates
Producing a New Product Proposal Presentation
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Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Examines phases, stages, and gates of common NPD processes, which is standard in industry
Taught by Curtis Webb, who are recognized for their work in new product development
Develops skills in NPD, which are core for product management
Produces a new product proposal presentation, which is used by practitioners in their daily work

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Managing New Product Development with these activities:
Shadow or interview a product manager
Gaining real-world insights from a product manager can provide valuable hands-on experience and help you understand the practical aspects of new product development.
Show steps
  • Reach out to professionals in your network or seek opportunities to connect with product managers.
  • Request to shadow or interview a product manager to learn about their role and responsibilities.
  • Prepare questions and actively engage in the shadowing or interview to gather insights.
Review the concept of product strategy
Reviewing product strategy will help build a strong foundation for understanding the context of new product development.
Browse courses on Product strategy
Show steps
  • Consult study materials to review the key concepts of product strategy.
  • Look for online resources, such as articles and videos, to further enhance your understanding.
Participate in a discussion forum on new product development
Engaging in discussions with peers can provide diverse perspectives, stimulate critical thinking, and reinforce learning.
Show steps
  • Join or create a discussion forum dedicated to new product development.
  • Participate in ongoing discussions, ask questions, and share your insights.
  • Collaborate with peers on brainstorming or problem-solving activities.
Six other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all nine activities
Read "Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Technology Products to Mainstream Customers"
This book provides valuable insights into the challenges and strategies involved in transitioning a product from early adopters to mainstream customers.
Show steps
  • Read and digest the main arguments and concepts presented in the book.
  • Take notes and highlight key passages for future reference.
  • Consider how the concepts in the book apply to the context of your organization's new product development process.
Explore case studies of successful new product launches
Studying successful examples can provide practical insights into the effective implementation of new product development processes.
Show steps
  • Search for case studies of companies that have successfully launched new products.
  • Identify the key factors that contributed to their success.
  • Consider how these factors can be applied to your own organization's context.
Offer assistance to a startup or small business developing a new product
Volunteering allows you to apply your knowledge and skills in a practical setting while contributing to the success of a new product.
Show steps
  • Identify startups or small businesses that are actively developing new products.
  • Reach out to the companies and offer your assistance in areas where you have relevant skills.
  • Work with the team to contribute to the development and launch of the product.
Conduct a SWOT analysis for a potential new product
SWOT analysis is a valuable tool for identifying and understanding the internal and external factors that can impact the success of a new product.
Show steps
  • Gather information about the proposed product, its market, and its potential competitors.
  • Identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with the product.
  • Develop strategies to leverage strengths, mitigate weaknesses, capitalize on opportunities, and address threats.
Develop a blog post or article on a topic related to new product development
Creating content helps you synthesize and articulate your understanding of new product development concepts.
Show steps
  • Identify a specific topic within the realm of new product development.
  • Research and gather information from credible sources to build your knowledge.
  • Organize your thoughts and write a well-structured blog post or article that shares your insights and perspectives.
Develop a prototype of a new product feature
Creating a prototype can help visualize and test the functionality and usability of a new product before committing to full-scale development.
Show steps
  • Brainstorm and sketch out ideas for potential features.
  • Select a feature to prototype and create a wireframe or mock-up.
  • Implement the prototype using appropriate tools and technologies.
  • Test the prototype and gather feedback from users.

Career center

Learners who complete Managing New Product Development will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Research and Development Manager
If you are interested in leading a team of researchers and developers tasked with bringing new products and services to market, consider taking this course. It will help you to understand the principles and practices involved in managing new product development.
Quality Assurance Engineer
Quality Assurance Engineers may find this course helpful as it covers the key stages of a new product development process, including quality control and testing.
Product Marketing Manager
Product Marketing Managers are responsible for developing and executing marketing plans for a product. By taking this course, you will gain insights into the process of managing a new product launch, which is a key skill for this role.
Process Engineer
If you are interested in developing and improving industrial processes, taking this course could help you to build a solid foundation in the principles and practices involved in managing new product development.
Manufacturing Engineer
As a professional who oversees the production or manufacturing process for a product, taking this course could be useful in that it teaches you about the key stages of a new product development process.
Operations Manager
If you're interested in a career as an Operations Manager, one who is responsible for overseeing the operations of a business or organization, this course may be useful to you.
Industrial Engineer
This course can be helpful to Industrial Engineers, who aim to improve the efficiency of production systems, as it provides insights into the process of designing and developing new products.
Project Manager
Project Managers seeking to gain a broad understanding of the new product development process may take this course, which covers the key phases and stages involved in this process.
Technical Writer
For Technical Writers who wish to create user guides, manuals, and other documentation for new products, this course may be useful as it provides insights into the process of managing a new product launch.
Sales Manager
Sales Managers seeking to gain an understanding of the full process of managing new product development may take this course to explore the key stages and practices involved.
Business Analyst
Business Analysts who wish to develop an understanding of the full process of managing new product development may take this course to explore the key stages and practices involved.
Strategy Consultant
This course may be useful to those who wish to enter the Strategy Consulting field. It provides insights into the process of creating and executing a new product development plan, which is a key skill for Strategy Consultants.
Product Design Engineer
For those interested in engineering new products, taking this course could help you to understand more about the process of converting an idea into a tangible product.
Marketing Manager
If you wish to become a Marketing Manager, take this course, which can help you to build a solid foundation in the principles and practices involved in developing and managing a new product launch.
Product Manager
Product Managers are in charge of the lifecycle of a product, and this course may be useful to you because it introduces the stages and gates of a product development process, which is a key skill for any Product Manager.

Reading list

We've selected 17 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Managing New Product Development.
Classic in the field of new product development and provides a comprehensive overview of the process. It is particularly useful for understanding the different phases of NPD and the key factors that contribute to success.
Provides a practical guide to value proposition design, a process for developing products and services that meet the needs of customers. It would be useful reading for students who want to learn more about how to create products that are both desirable and viable.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the principles of design. It would be useful reading for students who want to learn more about how to design products that are both functional and user-friendly.
Must-read for anyone involved in new product development. It provides insights into why even the most successful companies can fail to innovate and how to avoid the same fate.
Provides a practical guide to the Lean Product Process, a process for developing and launching new products quickly and efficiently. It would be useful reading for students who want to learn more about how to use Lean principles to improve their product development process.
Provides a comprehensive guide to the new product development process. It would be useful as a reference for students who want to learn more about the details of each stage of the process.
Provides a comprehensive overview of new product development, covering topics from idea generation to product launch. It would be useful as a general reference for students taking this course.
Introduces the Lean Startup methodology, which process for developing and launching new products quickly and efficiently. It would be useful reading for students who want to learn more about agile development.
Provides a practical guide to acquiring customers for new products. It would be useful reading for students who want to learn more about marketing and sales.
Explores the challenges that large companies face when trying to innovate. It would be useful reading for students who want to understand the broader context of new product development.
Provides a clear and concise framework for developing and evaluating good strategy. It is particularly useful for understanding the role of strategy in new product development.
Provides a framework for marketing and selling new products to mainstream customers. It would be useful reading for students who want to learn more about the commercialization process.
Classic in the field of software engineering and provides insights into the challenges of managing software development projects.

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