COMM 482 - New Product Development
Organizations have become increasingly dependent on new product development as a source of innovation and profitability. This course is intended for those interested in learning how new products and services are developed and the factors that influence success and failure at each stage of development. In addition to those pursuing a career in marketing, this course may be of interest to those pursuing careers in R&D, project management, engineering, or industrial design.
The course uses cases and a project to teach students the processes, tools, and best practices used in developing new products and services. Topics include reasons for new product failure, new product adoption, the use of stage gates and project management tools, idea generation, design trade-off decisions, concept testing, and forecasting. The goal of the course is to develop the conceptual, analytical, and decision-making skills expected of managers working in new product development.
Learning objectives
The course has been developed with the input of NPD teams to achieve three objectives:
- Expose students to the situations and challenges frequently encountered by NPD managers.
- Teach students the concepts, tools and best practices used in the industry.
- Develop students' conceptual, analytical, and decision-making skills.
In summary, the course is intended to be practical and is focused on developing students' abilities as managers and decision makers.