For the past three decades manufacturing firms have embraced supply chain management as the backbone of a scale-driven, competitive, and increasingly global economy. The value of a streamlined process was first demonstrated when Sakichi Toyoda implemented the Toyota Production System (TPS) in the... Read More

Lately, it seems like most innovation writers scorn sustaining innovation, those incremental product changes that enable marketers to flag their products as New and Improved! Apple is everyone's poster child for its mastery of disruptive innovation and its ability to repeatedly invent new markets.... Read More

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Since the very beginning in the 1980s, Stage-Gate has evolved many times. At the beginning, Stage-Gate was a process to ensure project teams did their projects right. One important finding from the early days has been the significant emphasis on the early or “homework” stages. Over time, the gating... Read More

I have heard some great stories over the last few years about how companies have leveraged top-down resource planning and “what if” portfolio optimization techniques to quickly and more confidently make decisions that deliver better product, portfolio and shareholder value. In the past, companies... Read More

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It's fair weather season once again in Minnesota. In preparation for the auto racing season, I was writing my to-do list of activities needed to perform on my Mazda Miata in preparation for the autocross racing events. I've got wheels and tires, suspension parts, radio, timing electronics, trailer... Read More

During the webinar The Five Most Important Drivers of Success in Product Innovation – That Most People Get Wrong! with Dr. Bob Cooper, he fielded a number of audience questions. Bob is also the founder of the Stage-Gate® system, the widely used innovation and new product development process and... Read More

For more than 40 years, AUTM has provided essential education for technology transfer professionals around the world. The annual AUTM event continues to serve as the single most important meeting place for industry leaders, investors, and academic research professionals. Read More

I've seen many leaderboards used in idea management systems through the years that promote things like the top idea contributor or who has the best reputation and the like, all with the hope of driving or encouraging user participation. I won't say that these tools can't deliver value, but when... Read More