Product Leadership: Creating And Launching Superior New Products [Paperback]

Robert G. Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 1999

Product innovation is a high-risk war, the battles being fought both behind a company’s doors and against the competition. But with all the effort companies exert to become product leaders, over a third of their new products still fail at launch, and many more never gain a profitable return. So what is it that product leaders like 3M, Merck, and Procter & Gamble know that allows them to continually lead the way with exceptional new products? In Product Leadership, Robert Cooper reveals the winners’ secrets, and offers managers an invaluable resource to help implement and oversee systematic high-quality new product processes; develop new product strategies; manage product portfolios; determine which products to kill and which to back with resources; and foster ingenuity to outperform the competition. Showcasing examples from the winners, Cooper demonstrates that it takes a commitment from all managers, including marketing, finance, R&D, and HR to triumph over the competition and become a leader in the new products war.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Cooper brings a systematic approach to the strategy and tactics of product development. His central metaphor is war: `As the [21st] century begins, this new products war looms as the most important and critical war the companies of the world have ever fought. The message to senior people is this: innovate or die!' What Cooper introduces to the equation is discipline. Discipline is setting strategic direction, in committing resources to those projects that support it and in defining and managing the product development process. …Cooper's lists of action items and critical success factors are useful and informative.…[A]s a textbook for preparing for product development war, it's worth having on the bookshelf." -- Electronic Business

About the Author

Robert G. Cooper is a professor of marketing at McMaster University. Founder of the widely employed StageGate product development process, he lives in Oakville, Ontario. Scott J. Edgett is associate professor of marketing at McMaster University and director of the Product Development Institute. He lives in Ancaster, Ontario. Elko J. Kleinschmidt is professor of marketing and international business and director of the engineering and management program at McMaster University. He lives in Ancaster, Ontario.

Product Details

• Paperback: 314 pages
• Publisher: Perseus Books (August 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738201561
• ISBN-13: 978-0738201566
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,106,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A detailed but highly customizable process for new products, March 8, 1999

By 

Dr. Elizabeth Patton ([e-mail]) (Rochester, N.Y.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Product Leadership: Creating And Launching Superior New Products (Hardcover)

The value of this book lies in two major aspects. Cooper is a world expert at the product development process, and focuses on the elements needed to make that process successful (rather than just explicating the steps). He does this by pointing our the critical sucess factors. Six of these focus on the process elements that are necessary, and seven more focus on critical elements for execution. However, just as important, Cooper makes use of his vast background in consulting and his knowledge of the workings of many companies, and fills the book with commentary on the usage and limitations of the process, using examples from real companies, and "Key Points for Management. He is one of the few consultants who has developed a process who also teaches the reader how to make it valuable to his own needs.

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Adopting actions listed in this book would be a nightmare, May 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Product Leadership: Creating And Launching Superior New Products (Paperback)

I purchased this book primarily on the positive ratings. Anyone who has spent time actually developing new products would see that this book is a recipe for gridlock, stonewalling and endless corporate posturing in any American company. The author's assertion on the widespread adoption of his Star Gate process is also dubious. It appears this book was written by consultants for other consultants. Product, marketing and brand managers should avoid.

If you want a book on how to develop products I would suggest the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. While not specific to product development, it gives you the background and tools for more effectively manage big projects (e.g. product development).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I thought it would be, June 1, 2004

By 

Christopher Kelly "[e-mail]" (Chapel Hill, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Product Leadership: Creating And Launching Superior New Products (Paperback)

This is a good book about developing a new product Process. I recommend it for anyone working to develop a product development Process. It has less to offer directly to product managers, entrepreneurs or anyone on the front lines of launching new products.

The subtitle of this book is a misnomer. There are few specifics regarding "Creating and Launching Superior New Products". As that's why I purchased the book, the first 100+ pages were..... disappointing. A more apt subtitle/marketing proposition would be "Developing and Managing New Product Development Efforts"

That said, "Product Leadership" will be a very useful resource to me for several reasons:
1) Comprehensive checklists of what to consider when working with new products
2) A clear framework for Managing New Product Development (Stage-Gate).
3) A terrific introduction to product portfolio management

Pros
- Clear, consise, well-written by an expert and well-edited
- Breezy helpful checklists easy to revisit as needed
- Clear, simple frameworks help focus on the big picture for the company.

Cons
- Few case studies or anecdotes
- Not much here about how to actually create and launch the new products