ASSESSING NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE - ESTABLISHING CRUCIAL NORMS

In 1968 and 1982 cross-sectional studies of the conduct and performanc e of new product development were reported, the wide-ranging results o f which have been widely reproduced and cited as norms for product dev elopment. Since the more recent study, many changes in the practice an d environment of product development have occurred. Albert Page descri bes the findings of a new cross-sectional study, sponsored by PDMA, wh ich reports on the current status of new product development and updat es those commonly referred to norms. On the one hand, this article rep orts that the state of practice, covering both structure and process, has improved, although there is still substantial room for further imp rovement. On the other hand, the results for five different measures o f firm and program performance indicate these practice improvements ha ve not resulted in notable improvements in the overall performance of the new product development activity within the responding companies.