I recently attended InnoCos, an event focused on innovation in cosmetics and personal care, where a number of professionals from across the industry spoke about their product development and marketing innovation initiatives. Speakers varied significantly in company size and product portfolio, which... Read More

Strategic planning was once the province of elite groups meeting annually to create budgets and forecasts which were often locked away in secret. Consequently, there was little liaison between the marketing teams and product and technology managers. They worked in silos with little understanding of... Read More

In my last post, I discussed the history of PDM and PLM up to the present. In this post, I discuss the great opportunities that await most large organizations that chose to take up the business value optimization challenge. Read More

In my first post, I introduced the idea of BIGs or Breakthrough Innovation Groups. They are defined as having three specific characteristics: Read More

In the early days of Product Data Management (PDM) systems through today's Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, I have had the opportunity to participate in the evolution of improvement, realized business value and subsequent widespread PLM adoption among product development organizations.... Read More

A recent Forrester Research survey shows that only 11% of marketers have budgets specifically designated with allocations for marketing innovation. The research also found that the majority of companies, almost half of which have over $1 billion in annual revenues, are still in the early stages of... Read More

When it comes to innovation and product development, the need for regulation comes from many sources. Public safety, environmental, and intellectual property issues all need to be addressed and handled in a fair manner throughout defined markets like NAFTA and the EU. Furthermore, the requirements... Read More

Organizations are proud of their accomplishments. However, even the Apples and Coca-Colas of the world fail (think Newton and New Coke). According to The Product Development Institute, out of one hundred ideas there are about seven concepts generated. Those seven concepts, in turn, become perhaps... Read More

Imagine running a very successful idea campaign, which had 80% participation and generated 1,368 ideas – WOW! Your initial response would probably be euphoria, but that would quickly be replaced by the daunting task of reviewing the massive amount of ideas. If you follow some standard review best... Read More

As the economy stumbles its way into recovery, anecdotal evidence suggests the ‘ideation' market has found its voice already, with discrete idea management software firms reporting increased activity if not profitability. Read More