Företag utvecklar nya produkter för att öka intäkterna och fortsätta vara konkurrenskraftiga. Produktutveckling är ett område det forskats mycket inom och forskningen fokuserar ofta på innovativa produkter. Det ursprungliga problemet för denna uppsats var att göra en undersökning inför utvecklingen av en produkt med låg grad av teknisk innovation. Den tidigare forskningens höga fokus på innovation kombinerat med att uppdragsgivaren inte har några processer för produktutveckling gjorde att uppsatsens omfattning utökades. Denna uppsats presenterar en modell för utveckling av produkter med låg innovation samt en applicering av modellen. Modellen utvecklades genom att studera tidigare litteratur om produktutveckling, främst kring Stage-Gate modeller, och även om kriterier och best-practice inom produktutveckling. Litteraturstudien kombinerades med resultat från intervjuer och resulterade i en modell för utveckling av låginnovativa produkter. Modellen är delad i två delar, den första fokuserar på analys av produktförslaget och den andra fokuserar på att utveckla produkten. Jämfört med tidigare modeller har omfattningen för de olika stegen och gaterna blivit mer fokuserad och tydlig. Den första delen av modellen testades genom att applicera den på det ursprungliga produktförslaget. Testet visade att modellen är passande för den typen av produkter och att de föreslagna generella kriterierna var rimliga. För den specifika produkten visade modellen att produkten var strategiskt passande för företaget och att den är tekniskt genomförbar. De finansiella beräkningarna visade att produkten möjligen inte är tillräckligt attraktiv finansiellt. Några av uppsatsens huvudsakliga slutsatser rör skillnader beroende på hur innovativ produkten är. Processens start skiljer sig signifikant, för innovativa produkter börjar den med en idé och för denna forsknings miljö med ett specifikt förslag. Fokus i finansiella frågor skiljer sig också. Överlag kunde slutsatsen att produktutveckling med en Stage-Gate-metod passar för produkter med låg grad av teknisk innovation dras men det krävs förändringar från tidigare forskning / To increase revenues and continue to stay competitive companies develop new products. Newproduct development is a widely researched field and the focus of the research is often on highly innovative products. The original problem for this thesis was to perform research for the development of a product with a low level of technological innovation. The high focus on innovation in previous research combined with the lack of product development processes in the case company led to a new more extensive scope of this thesis than the original problem. This thesis presents a model for development of products with low level of innovation that has been developed and tested.The model was developed by reviewing previous literature on new product development in general and Stage-Gate models for product development in particular. Literature about criteria and best practices in product development was also studied. The literature review was combined with findings from early interviews and resulted in a development model for low innovative products. The model is divided in two parts, the first focused on analysis of the product suggestion and the second focused on developing the actual product. Compared to previous models, the scope of the stages and gates has been more focused and clear.The first part of the model was tested by applying it to the initial case. The test showed that the model is suitable for a product of that type and that the general criteria proposed was reasonable. For the specific case, the model showed that the product was a strategic fit for the company and that it is technically feasible. The financial calculations showed that the product might not financially attractive enough.Some of the main conclusions of the research are regarding differences depending on how innovative the product is. The starting point differs significantly, with an idea for innovative products and a specific suggestion in the setting of this research. The financial focus also differs. Overall it could be concluded that development with a Stage-Gate approach is suitable for products with low level of technological innovation with some changes from previous literature.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of self-efficacy, process feedback and task complexity on decisions by managers to continue or discontinue a new product after receiving negative performance feedback. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses a classroom experiment design and uses logistic regression and a chi-square test to analyze the data. Findings: The findings of this paper show that self-efficacy, process feedback and task complexity have not only main effects but also interactive effects on managers’ go or no-go decisions; further, the main effects are mediated by interactions. The effect of self-efficacy is moderated by process feedback and task complexity. Process feedback and task complexity also have an interactive effect on decisions about new products by decision-makers. Research limitations/implications: This paper extends the theory of escalation of commitment (EOC) by showing that self-efficacy, process feedback and task complexity can influence decision-makers’ go or no-go decisions after they have received negative performance feedback. Practical implications: This paper provides useful guidelines for managers on how to reduce the likelihood of EOC. Originality/value: The originality and value of this paper lie in its being the first to examine the effects of process feedback and task complexity on the EOC.

L’objectif des travaux relatés dans ce manuscrit est de proposer une méthodologie qui garantit une réduction du nombre de critères de sélection de partenaires à utiliser (donc de ressources à consommer), tout en permettant de choisir les critères les plus représentatifs pour l’utilisateur. L’ensemble des critères ainsi choisi par l’utilisateur à travers un paramètre de contrôle, n’influence pas le classement des partenaires potentiels ou s’il l’influence, celle-ci est maîtrisée et connue par l’utilisateur. La méthodologie s’appuie sur une structuration de critères faisant appel à la notion de distance causale ou sémantique. Pour ce faire, les algorithmes de « Dijkstra » et de Classification Ascendante Hiérarchique (CAH) ont été utilisés de manière successive. Cette démarche de structuration est appliquée à un ensemble de 101 critères de sélection. Les résultats sont interprétés afin d’en démontrer la portée dans le processus de recherche de partenaires / The objective of the research performed here is to propose a methodology that guarantees a reduction in the number of criteria for selecting partners to use (i.e. reduction of resource consumption) while allowing to choose the most representative criteria for users. The set of criteria chosen in this way does not influence the ranking of potential partners at all, or the influence is mastered and known by the user who has to interact with the algorithm. The methodology looks structuring criteria using the causal or semantic distance. To achieve this, the algorithms of "Dijkstra" and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) have been used in sequence. This structuring is applied to a set of 101 criteria. The results are interpreted to demonstrate how the selection process can be optimized for a given usage scenario

This study aimed to answer the question whether time to market and competition pressure are important issues for new companies with a software products and whether they affect the development process and decision-making regarding releasing or the product. The study is based on the literature data and interviews with six technology startup companies. It investigated how the concept of minimum viable product is used by the companies for testing the product-market fit and how they apply principles of user-centred design for providing a good user experience of their products. I found that innovative products helped the companies escape direct competition. The development cycle was mostly defined by the industry standards and concrete customer needs rather than the competition pressure. User-centred design practices are widely implemented by the startups, but they are not always complete. In today's software market, the experience that the customers are provided with new products seems to be more important for the startups than formalisation of the development process and the product's time to market. / Den här studien sökte besvara frågan huruvida tid till marknadsintroduktion och tryck från konkurrenter är viktiga faktorer för nya uppstartbolag inom mjukvaruutveckling och huruvida dessa faktorer påverkar utvecklingsprocessen och beslut rörande produktlansering. Studien baserar sig på en litteraturgranskning och intervjuer med sex teknologiuppstartbolag. Studien undersökte hur konceptet av minsta bärkraftiga produkt används av uppstartbolagen för att testa hur bra produkten passar marknaden och hur bolagen använder principer från användarcentrerad design för att ge en god användarupplevelse i sina produkter. Jag fann att innovatina produkter hjälpte bolagen undvika direkt konkurrens. Utvecklingscykeln bestämdes framför allt av industristandarder och konkreta behov från kunderna i stället för av trycket från konkurrenter. Användarcentrerad designpraxis är vida erkänd hos uppstartbolagen, men tillämpningen är inte alltid komplett. I dagens mjukvarumarknad verkar kunders användarupplevelse i nya produkter vara viktigare för uppstartbolagen än att formalisera utvecklingsprocessen och produktens tid till marknadsintroduktion.

Testing is a crucial process for organizations to identify any defects, ensure high-quality standards, enhance customer experience, mitigate risks, and comply with regulations. With proactive identification and resolution of problems, efficient testing saves time, money, and effort, ultimately contributing to the organization's overall success. The ABB Robotics Quality Management team for New Product Development projects identified that the current testing is process-oriented which results in overlapping test activities, delays, and increased costs. The lack of a holistic approach was identified as the main problem for the testing processes. Testing for New Product Development in the robotics industry is a time-consuming and costly activity. To deliver high-quality and reliable robot solutions, it is essential to test the right items at the right stage of development. The purpose of this research is to build a Test Strategy for New Product Development projects at ABB Robotics. The major objectives for the generated test strategy include identification of the right test methodologies, early identification of bugs and failures, achieving sufficient test coverage through component, module, integration, and system levels of testing, testing at the right level and stage, early verification of all requirements, better product quality, accelerated time to market, and superior customer experience. This research will focus on the mentioned aspects and won't address certain areas such as how suppliers conduct their testing, how test data is transferred from suppliers to ABB Robotics, processes after new product development projects are completed, and the testing processes in customer service. The research methodology involves a thorough literature review, an analysis of internal documents, international standards, and interviews within ABB Robotics, as well as external interviews and benchmarking with three well-known companies in the industry. With the support of the findings, recognized patterns, and analysis, a test strategy with its three major key strategic themes aligned with ABB Robotics' research objectives was generated with an implementation plan.

No description available.

由於大環境的改變，公司間的競爭越來越激烈；顧客對新產品的需求也因為新技術的出現日益增加。為了因應全球化競爭及產品生命週期縮短的大環境，迅速及優異的新產品發展成為公司重要的競爭優勢。為了強化公司的競爭優勢，新產品發展已成為一重要議題。本論文著重於研究改善新產品發展的過程，探討影響新產品發展的關鍵因素，尤其是生產與研發間的關係。 本論文分為五個部分，第一章探討新產品發展的概念及基礎理論，說明新產品發展從單一功能政策進化為今日的跨功能性政策的一環。第二章對影響新產品發展的關鍵因素做詳盡介紹，說明跨功能性的整合將會是新產品發展成功的關鍵方法。第三章仔細討論研發與製造間的關係，並將兩者的角色由傳統的分別為單一部門功能的觀點打破，且將產品的設計與製程均視為新產品發展的重要功能，試圖詮釋將單一個人╱部門的知識與成功的新產品發展連結的可能性。第四章將探討知識傳遞的限制、知識管理及組織學習的基本理論。第五章將介紹重要的管理上、組織上及技術上的支援工具，並希望藉由這樣的分析能夠瞭解新產品開發過程中各關鍵因素間的關係。第六章將介紹實務上所使用的新產品開發觀念，這部分的資料是由個案訪問而來，選了三家不同產業具國際營運的公司為例，對實務做驗證。最後，提出一新產品開發的「最佳實務」，包括了重新定義新產品開發過程中的功能，並提出一良好管理新產品開發的建議。 / Nowadays the competitions among companies become more and more fierce due to the dramatic change of competitive environment. The demands of new products are accelerated by the emerging new technologies. The rapid and excellent new product development (NPD) has become a great strategic advantage to be accommodated to the global competition with shorter product life cycle. In order to enhance the competitive advantage, improving NPD has become a vital issue for companies. This thesis focuses on improving the NPD process. Factors influencing the NPD process are discussed in detail, especially the interface between R&D and production. The thesis is divided into five parts, starting with a general view on NPD in the first chapter. There it will be shown, how NPD has changed over the last decades from a traditional approach of functional-development to a cross-functional process today. Factors influencing this effective collaboration are presented in chapter two. In chapter three, the interface between R&D and production is directly scanned. It will be distinguished between the individual knowledge bases of the different departments. Process and product knowledge can be identified as the parts to be matched and will be illustrated. Consequently, the possibilities of linking those knowledge bases during NPD are shown. Chapter four will focus on the limitations of knowledge transfer and the fundamentals of knowledge management and organizational learning will be presented. In chapter five, supportive organizational, managerial and technological tools will be analyzed. The multiple views on NPD assure that all factors influencing the process are analyzed and proven according to their leverage on the process. In chapter six, currently used NPD concepts are outlined. The information presented was gathered through interviews carried out at globally operating companies who have technological centers and production sites in Sweden. To avoid focusing on NPD practices in an industry, the companies were chosen according to their product lines and customer segments. The final part will present best practices in NPD. This includes reconsidering all the discussed aspects and presenting a recommendation about how to organize NPD superiorly.

對製藥產業而言，不斷推出創新產品是其價值創造的最大動力。另一方面，市場之競爭與價格限制之壓力使所有的製藥業者莫不將提高研發的績效視為企業維持高成長的關鍵途徑。因而製藥企業一直面臨的巨大壓力便是要能快速、確實推出安全有效的新藥上市。隨著競爭模式的轉移，無形資產及知識創造之價值將是決勝的關鍵。受限於本土藥品市場規模的限制與有限的研發能量，本土製藥企業之新藥研發大多以發展階段的新藥開發為主而非風險大、時程長的新藥研究。於是瞭解智慧資本的創造、加值、運用與管理對製藥產業新產品開發績效之影響也將更為關鍵。本研究先就智慧資本之文獻與各種衡量模式進行歸納，並引用Skandia智慧資本導航者之架構，分別以人力資本、流程資本、創新資本與關係資本四個構面評量企業之創新智慧資本之內涵與建置，並試圖瞭解本土製藥產業創新智慧資本對新產品開發績效之影響，期能對我國產製藥產業智慧資本之管理方向提出建議，以提供業界進行創新智慧資本管理與發展之參考。 / The lifeblood of the pharmaceutical industry is its ability to produce innovative products. Additionally, both the heavy competition in the market and the trend of cutting price by the health insurance payers also force the industry turns their focus on increasing the performance of R&D to maintain the high growth rate. Therefore, how to launch a safe and effective new drug in a shortest time is a great challenge to the industry. Along with the changing of the core competitive advantages, the value of the intangible assets and knowledge creation become the key success factors. Linking intellectual capital management with R&D activities in pharmaceutical companies would be a critical factor in enhancing R&D performance. For a local pharmaceutical, limited by the market size and the R&D ability, the R&D activities would be more on the development phase than research phase. The relationship between intellectual capital with new product development would be more critical especially in this knowledge-base pharmaceutical industry. By literature review and adopting the intellectual capital assessment model of the Skandia Nevigator, the study divides the intellectual capital into human capital, processes capital, innovation capital and relationship capital and try to find the elements of innovative intellectual capital related to new drug development in a local pharmaceutical company. It also tries to find out how a local pharmaceutical company creates and manages its innovative intellectual capital. The research results show the current situation about intellectual capital of the case and will be provide a reference for the industry and further research.

隨著台灣資訊科技系統大廠往自有品牌方向發展，接受委託代工製造業務之營運比重減少，自有品牌產品業務比重逐漸增加，然而發展自有品牌與替他人代工製造服務的新產品開發模式有所差異，自有品牌產品的產品規格與概念多半需由廠商自行定義，若只是參考他人之產品規格發展新產品，則生產出來的產品無特殊性，消費者的品牌印象與品牌認同也不強，並不符合發展自有品牌的目標；而若觀察全球資訊科技的品牌大廠，SONY與Apple皆有其成名代表作，代表作品皆為自行定義產品規格與概念的創新產品，而如何發想創新產品的概念遂成為本研究的研究目的。 近年來台灣電腦公司華碩，與日本遊戲機公司任天堂相繼在2006年及2007年推出足以對公司品牌印象貢獻良多的代表產品，遂成為本研究的研究對象，藉由對兩家公司的質性個案研究，蒐集與整理次級資料，並佐以公司訪談彌補次級資料不足的部分，嘗試找出這兩家雖屬不同產業的公司，在什麼市場環境背景下，新產品開法團隊如何發想新產品概念。而於研究結果發現，個案公司發起新產品開發專案皆有改變市場競爭狀況的動機，並期望用新產品創造新的市場，藉由在先進入新市場獲得優勢而爭強自己的市場競爭力；且當時市場上既有產品的某項屬性有性能過度提供的情形，因此個案公司跳脫產業對該產品屬性原有的技術路徑規畫，及性能與功能的追求，以使用者為中心，參考市場上既有產品的產品屬性及市場反應，與產品開發者獲取的使用者資訊發想產品概念。雖初期沒有外部使用者介入，但由於產品開發者同時具有使用者的身分，加上產品開發者平時對於使用者生活型態與行為多有觀察，或是在新產品開發後期，將測試原型提供給一般使用者試用，從此兩方面陸續取得使用者資訊；另外，個案公司若沒有強烈「與別人不同」的企業文化，獨立於原有組織主流運作方式與文化，且由跨部門成員組成的新產品開發團隊，將有助於產品創新。 / As Taiwan's information technology systems manufacturers to develop its own brand business, and the proportion of the OEM & ODM business gradually decreased as the proportion of own-brand business increased, but the way to develop new products in own-brand business is quite different from the way in OEM business, a innovative own-brand manufacturers usually generate the new product concepts or specifications by itself to make differentiation from other competitors. If someone just follow the concepts or specifications written on the orders by clients or imitating what others have done before, the new products are non- uniqueness to consumers, and firms can’t build strong consumer brand image and brand identity, does not comply with the objectives of the development of own-brand. Taking a look at global brand IT firms like SONY and Apple, we can find that they have their representative products, and the concepts and specifications of products are generated and defined by firms their self. Thus, how to make concepts of innovative products becomes the purpose of this study. In recent years, Taiwan's computer company ASUS launched its new product in 2007,and the Japanese gamesole company Nintendo launched its new product in 2006, both products were successful and made a great impact on the market, contributed so much to their brand image, and became each firm’s representative product. So these two products are qualified to be the cases of this study. For these two cases, the use of qualitative case study approach, through the collection of secondary data and interviews with company information to make up for lack of secondary data, trying to find out the new product development team of these two companies how to generate concepts of new product and the relation between new product development project and market environment at that time. The result of this study indicate that two companies both have motivations to change their market competition, want to create new markets then enter new markets through earlier access to get advantage and enforce market competitiveness. Some dimension of products already on the market in technology performance oversupply situation at that time, so the case companies are user-centered rather than following the industry usual technology planning path of pursuing performance and function, taking the consumer responses and concepts of products already on market as reference and the user information obtained by new product developer to generate product concepts. Although there is no user involved in the beginning of new product development, developer also can get user information because they also represent a kind of user, observe user daily lifestyle and even hold a user test with prototype in the later of new product development. Furthermore, the study results also indicate that if there is no strong corporate culture like “like no others”, a new product development team which is independent of the mainstream mode of operation of the existing organization and culture, and with cross-department members will contribute to product innovation.

Virtual teams become more and more courant in today's organisations for New Product Development (NPD) of a new product, service, system or organisational process. As potential partners of those projects are spread out over countries, organisations need access to a dynamic communication to increase de-centralisation and globalisation of work processes. Many organisations have responded to this dynamic environment by introducing virtual teams. These virtual teams have specific characteristics including distance of geography or time and cultural or organisational differences. In this PhD thesis we provide a preliminary design of a tool of support to build virtual teams, named Virtual Team Building Support System (VTB Support System). The VTB Support System functions as tool of analysis, communication and planning for virtual team building in the domain of NPD. This tool is a support that facilitates the constitution of a virtual team not only in organisations but also in projects without a real organisational structure. The VTB Support System identifies requirements and provides recommendations and adaptable technical solutions that permit to build a virtual team. In a virtual environment, project members can change frequently, which necessitates to identify the requirements of a VTB Support System to build those virtual teams. The process of virtual team building is not just limited to team development under the aspect of human resources or human interactions but takes also the organisation of working processes into account. The recommendations for virtual team building take into consideration three domains that are precisely presented in this work as Virtual Project Management (VPM), Competence Management (CM) and Virtual Team Interaction (VTI). In order to provide the VTB Support System, we choose the holistic approach of the functional analysis. This allows us to identify all the functions of the VTB Support System that describe the requirements of such a system. Then, we use the tool of Quality Function Deployment (QFD), especially the "house of quality", to deduce substantiated recommendations of the most important functions that are detected by the functional analysis. The house of quality allows representing the recommendations or technical solutions and the functions (issues of a functional analysis) in a matrix and to evaluate if a recommendation or a technical solution satisfies the demand of one or multiple functions. The VTB Support System is applied in three different cases, which underlines the generic aspect of the model.