Systems thinking is useful in describing product development. In systems thinking there are inputs, processes to transform the inputs and outputs. The analogous items in product development are organizational assets, the new product process and the desired results. Let’s look at assets and results.

The 3-teired organizational asset model used by Product Development Innovation looks at Foundation, Planning and Execution elements within NPD. The Foundation elements are Leadership, Resources and Tools. The Planning elements are Customers, Technology, Architecture and Product Application. Finally the Execution elements are product Performance and Cost along with project Schedule and Budget. These are the assets the firm can deploy to develop new products.

The outputs of the process are the right Products, on the Timetable the firm needs with Consistent project execution. The use of Timetable rather than schedule is intentional; a timetable communicates multiple schedules and is a fixed document, changed only occasionally. It is a better model for product development.

A key to success in product development is understanding the links between assets and results, (inputs and outputs), in the process. A core competency of Product Development Innovation is identifying these links. We start by understanding current results based on current asset deployment. Then we look at why your products are successful. With this knowledge we can enhance the process to insure that assets are being used at peak efficiency to achieve the desired results.