NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CYCLE TIME - THE INFLUENCE OF PROJECT AND PROCESS FACTORS IN SMALL MANUFACTURING COMPANIES

Rapidly changing technologies and changing customer requirements are p roducing shorter product life cycles, which in turn compel organizatio ns to shorten product development cycle times. Several researchers hav e considered environmental influences on cycle times. This article ext ends their work by examining the influence of outcome-based performanc e assessment and nontechnical outside assistance on new product develo pment cycle time. Literatures relating to product development cycle ti mes are reviewed, and a model identifying the factors influencing cycl e time is presented and rested. Results from a study of 188 new produc t development projects indicate that use of nontechnical outside assis tance lengthens product development cycle time, whereas output control can shorten or lengthen product development cycle time dependent upon the market's growth rate and product's innovativeness.