In this month's newsletter, discover how a strategic product roadmap can help you translate your innovation strategy into a series of major product development initiatives:

1. FEATURE ARTICLE: Roadmapping for Product Innovation Transformation
2. The Innovation Challenge
3. Two Ways to Measurably Improve Product Innovation Performance

Roadmapping for Product Innovation Transformation by Robert G. Cooper and Scott J. Edgett In the context of product innovation, roadmapping defines the plan for the evolution of your products; it links your innovation strategy to your plans for new products and to the technologies needed to develop them; it helps identify, select, sequence and prioritize a set of major product development initiatives that meet the business's goals. In this month's feature article, Cooper and Edgett highlight an approach to develop a Strategic Product Roadmap that will help you determine how your business will achieve its new product objectives.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Master a Winning Product Innovation Strategy February 21-22 • Miami, FL Winning at New Products: Proven Roadmap for Success April 17-18 • Alexandria, VA Successfully Implementing and Sustaining Your Idea-to-Launch Innovation Process May 15-16 • Philadelphia, PA

The Innovation Challenge

Firms that succeed at innovation recognize that it is all about their people when it comes to developing winning new products. Successfully executing to win at innovation requires that at all levels, the workforce has the knowledge (to address the "what's" and "why's" of innovation), the skill (the critical "how to do it" piece), and the desire (the "want" or "choose to" element) — at all levels.

As this simple model demonstrates, execution comes at the intersection of these three elements. If one element is missing or deficient, the end result can be very problematic.

Develop your team and provide them with the skills needed to perform, but force them to use a process that is clunky, bureaucratic, or just poorly designed, and in time you will experience workforce indifference. Miss one of the other elements and either anxiety or hesitancy will best describe the most likely outcome. But when you put all three together, you will witness innovation execution magic!

In 2012, plan to join the growing list of North American companies who are recognizing that to win at innovation, the people who will make it happen need the Knowledge, Skill, and Desire to make it happen.

1. Start by discovering the latest metrics that top performing companies are using to measure their product innovation performance. With Dr. Edgett's latest research report, New Product Development: Process Benchmarks and Performance Metrics, measure your company's innovation performance and compare against best, average, and worst performing companies. This report also illustrates the methods and approaches of top performing companies, with 5 in-depth case examples thoroughly describing key aspects of their innovation programs.
   
   
   
   
2. Complete a Stage-Gate Benchmarker™ – a quick, objective, and credible evaluation of the effectiveness of your product innovation practices and processes. With the world's largest database, containing 3,500+ research case studies on successful and unsuccessful new product projects, assess your organization against innovation best practices and proven drivers of success. Complete your Benchmarker™ evaluation today, and download your report and results instantly!