This course will be delivered LIVE, virtually.

MODULES

Four, 3-hour modules. Each module includes a 75-90 minute presentation with interactive Q&A built in; a 30 minute team exercise; and an in-depth Q&A consultative session focused on the key themes arising from the team exercise.

OVERVIEW

This four, 3 hour online seminar focuses on the big problem that companies face today in new-products – too many development projects underway and pipeline gridlock, which project to do, and when to walk away. Coming out of the Pandemic, everyone  wants to do more, but there’s a limit to multi-tasking and doing things faster. Find out how to make the right R&D & New-Product investment decisions, and to focus on fewer but better projects – how to identify the best development projects to do; how to force-rank and prioritize your development projects; how to kill the weaker ones; how to track projects in real time to spot problems early; and resourcing your development projects properly. And It all begins with your Product Innovation Strategy.

RECOMMENDED FOR:

• Executives and Managers in Marketing & Business Development, R&D, Engineering & Design, New-Product or Product Innovation Management

FORMAT:

Equivalent to a full 2-day seminar: Combines practical approaches, examples & illustrations from the seminar leader’s work with and research on some of the world’s best companies. This seminar promotes free-flowing, interactive discussions among the typical high-quality network of delegates.

OBJECTIVES:

• How to make the right R&D and New-Product investment decisions
• How to focus your new-product efforts – to do fewer projects but better projects.
• Dealing with an overloaded development pipeline, with too many projects underway.
• How to select the best projects for investment with uncertain & changing information.
• How to build in tougher Go/Kill decisions – “gates with teeth”.
• Best ways to prioritize and force-rank projects in your development portfolio.
• Resourcing your development projects properly… so they get done on time.
• Using good metrics for tracking projects in real time – spotting projects in trouble.
• Creating an  Innovation Strategy for your business – goals, objectives, strategic arenas, and your product roadmap.

CONTENT:

Module 1: Your Business’s Innovation Strategy

It all begins with your business’s Product Innovation Strategy… this gives you clear goals and objectives, and also direction. A robust, well-communicated innovation strategy is key to developing a product roadmap and to selecting your important development projects for investment. Topics include:

• What is an Innovation Strategy – what do good strategies look like? Their components?
• Defining your product innovation goals and objectives – with examples
• Figuring out where best to focus – what markets, product types, and strategic arenas?
• Strategy become real when you start spending money… so coming up next…
• Translating your Innovation Strategy into action: your Product Roadmap.

Module 2: Picking the Best Projects, and When to Say No

Prioritizing projects in your development portfolio and achieving focus – doing fewer but better projects – are both challenging tasks. So what are the best approaches to maximize your R&D productivity – get the most bang for buck — that really work? Topics include:

• Gates and Portfolio Reviews – what they are & when they should happen?
• How best to force-rank & prioritize your development projects
• Tracking your projects in real time: the Productivity Index & Red Flags
• Maximizing the value of your development portfolio for a given resource level
• Effective resource allocation to projects – mapping resource supply versus demand
• The right financial tools for assessing the attractiveness of projects… and their fail points
• Improving data integrity.

Module 3: Gates with Teeth and Resource Allocation

Picking the best development projects for investment is difficult. Often the information – expected sales, costs, and development time – are uncertain or changing. And no one wants to kill a project once it is underway! But there are better ways, and that’s what Module 3 is about:

• Picking the best development projects for investment… proven ways to get this right
• Evaluation methods when the information is uncertain or changing
• Qualitative methods for rating projects – these often work better than traditional financial tools
• Running a gate meeting that works — “with teeth”, really make Go/Kill decisions
• How to say no to weaker projects, when to say no, and solving the morale dilemma of a disappointed project team.

Module 4: Your Development Portfolio – the Big Picture

This final module pulls it all together, ingrates what we have learned in Modules 1-3, and shows how your Portfolio Management System could and should work. Time is available for delegates to map out a “next steps” and “key actions” plan to implement what has been learned at the seminar. Topics are:

• Strategic Buckets – getting the right mix & balance of projects (from small ‘tweaks’ to major innovations)
• Metrics to gauge the health & well-being of your development portfolio
• Running an effective Portfolio Review
• How the tools in Modules 1-3 fit into your Portfolio Review, with illustrations
• Next steps – moving forward.

PRICING:

• Individual Course Registration Member Rate:  $1,950.00
• Individual Course Registration Non-Member Rate:  $2,450.00

INSTRUCTOR: