New Product Development For Dummies [Paperback]

Ph.D, CEO Robin Karol (Author), Co-Director Beebe Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2007

The global consumer product market is exploding. In 2006 alone, 150,000 new products were brought to market. Now for the bad news: of those, fewer than 5% were hits, and fewer than 15% will even exist five years from now.

Written for small business owners and entrepreneurs looking for an inside track on new product development, New Product Development for Dummies offers you a unique opportunity to learn from two consummate insiders the secrets of successfully developing, marketing and making a bundle from a new product or service. You learn proven techniques for sizing up market potential and divining customer needs. You get tested-in-the-trenches strategies for launching a new product or service. And you get a frank, in-depth appraisal of the most challenging issues facing new product developers today, including the need to collaborate with global partners, optimizing technology development for a 21^st century marketplace, getting start-up capital in an increasingly competitive environment, and much more. Key topics covered include:

• Developing a winning NPD strategy
• Generating bold new ideas for products and services
• Understanding what your customers really want
• Keeping projects on track, on budget, and on-time
• Building effective cross-functional teams
• Planning and executing a blockbuster launch
• Collaborating with global partners
• Maximizing your chances for success

No matter what size or type of business you’re in, this book provides you with an unbeatable competitive advantage in the booming global marketplace for new products and services.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Anticipate the needs of your customers and launch your new product or service successfully

Know the insider secrets, get your products to market, and make money!

Looking to improve your product development process? This practical, behind-the-scenes guide provides the edge you need to develop and launch new products or services. No matter your size or type of business, you get tips for generating winning ideas, satisfying your customers, planning a blockbuster launch, and increasing your chances of market success.

• Develop your NPD strategy

• Generate ideas forproducts and services

• Understand what your customers really want

• Keep projects on track

• Have effective cross-functional teams

• Collaborate with global partners

About the Author

Robin Karol is CEO of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), a professional society that creates and nurtures a global community in which people and businesses learn to grow and prosper through innovation and the introduction of new products. Robin is an adjunct full professor at the University of Delaware Lerner School of Business Administration, where she teaches courses on the Management of Creativity and Innovation. Robin worked at DuPont for 23 years in various aspects of innovation and new product development, achieving the role of Director of Innovation Processes. A certified new product development professional (NPDP), she received her PhD in Biochemistry from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She has numerous publications and has presented at many conferences and workshops. The Industrial Research Institute (IRI) presented Robin with its Maurice Holland Award for the best paper in its journal Research-Technology Management in 2003.

Beebe Nelson is Co-Director of the International Association for Product Development (IAPD), a consortium of leading product developers who come together to improve their ability to execute new product development. She has organized, chaired, presented at, and facilitated conferences and workshops in product development, and has contributed chapters and articles in a number of venues. From 1998 to 2003, she was Book Review Editor of the Journal of Product Innovation Management, a publication of the PDMA. Beebe is a certified new product development professional (NPDP) and holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Beebe has taught Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and most recently in the College of Management at UMass-Lowell. She chairs the Advisory Council of Partners in Ending Hunger, a not-for-profit organization located in Maine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (May 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470117702
• ISBN-13: 978-0470117705
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #253,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for product development and marketing professionals, June 28, 2007

By 

S. LaLiberte (New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Product Development For Dummies (Paperback)

As a former student of Beebe's, I can offer a first-hand account of her practical and useful suggestions. I have used her methodologies and seen the positive results in my own position. Whether you are new to the game or a seasoned professional, the logical organization of this book offers an easy-to-follow "how-to" of new product development and incorporates the latest thinking and methodologies for easy implementation. Students will benefit from the real-life examples, and experienced practitioners will be shown problem solving in a new light, finding that there are almost always alternate ways of viewing the same challenge with drastically different results. Regardless of your experience level, industry, or base knowledge of product development, New Product Development For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))is a must-have for your business learning library, and should be revisited often for fresh ideas. Happy reading!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for an overview of the field, August 25, 2010

By 

Carlos Barragan Orbe (DF, Mexico) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: New Product Development For Dummies (Paperback)

If you're looking for an overview of the New Product Development field with tips to get you started, this is a great resource.

It's also written in an entertaining manner, so you can read quickly through it and you'll get loads of information. Great bang for your buck.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great primer, August 27, 2011

By 

Eric Muller "emull" (Menifee, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: New Product Development For Dummies (Paperback)

I am looking at changing my career and wanted to know more about new product delevopment as a possible growth potential. The first chapter alone had anough meat to not only understand where this type of career would be going but develop a fairly decent talk track for an interview. I like the book and it will meet my goals.