Lean Product Development Process
The Lean Product Development Process Stages
Return on Investment Analysis
Marketing Specification
Concept Design
Design Product or Service
Pilot Manufacturing Run (if applicable)
Field Test
Launch Marketing Plan
Review Product Profitability versus Plan
Stage-Gates
More important than each individual stage is the concept of
the "stage-gate". A stage-gate is a
place in the process that, after everyone signs-off, they cannot go
backwards.
Initially, stage-gates can seem to slow down the
process. Until the department or team
downstream of a stage-gate accepts the input to their stage of the process the
effort cannot go forward. However, this
will actually make the process faster, and much more effective, because it
creates accountability and eliminates the possibility of getting a product that
is too expensive, slow, large, etc. from getting to the market. Products & Services are designed to sell
profitably and launch when scheduled.
The other importance of the stage-gate process is that as
product development progresses, it gets more expensive. Final design requires more time and resources
than concept design. The launch of the
product or service is most expensive of all stages, as the company will be
spending money to market the product or service and will most likely begin
marketing expenditures.
