There is general agreement that some of the key principles of lean manufacturing make enormous sense within the NPD context.  However, despite some similarities, the differences between manufacturing and NPD are substantial, and these differences have a profound effect on how lean principles should be applied in product development. This report highlights those differences and delivers a clear course of actions for successful implementation.

 

Studies show that for the majority of companies, NPD productivity is in decline. The most common reason for this is that companies are still failing to get to grips with the basics of new product development...

It is market uncertainty which makes successful product development so difficult, not technical challenges. While the laws that govern what is physically possible do not change very often, customers are continually evolving, which makes them much harder to pin down with accuracy!