6.05 - Making the Change

Key Issues

New Product Introduction (NPI) change programmes are normally the most difficult to manage. They are probably the most rewarding.

A new product introduction (NPI) change programme is a business wide activity that normally results in radically different ways of working. Due to the magnitude of the project such a change programme is highly complex and there are many potential pitfalls to avoid.

New Product Introduction change programmes can be approached as:-

• Product focused
• Process focused
• Product and process focused

In a process focused programme the objective is to re-engineer and optimise the design process itself. The new design process is then used for all new product developments. In a product focused programme the objective is to radically improve the performance of one business critical project by applying best practice tools and techniques. Many of these practices are then used in subsequent projects. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages:-

Approach	Strengths	Weaknesses
	Provides demonstrator Promotes Change Defines Process for Strangers Training of Trainers	Time to capture all projects is increased
	Structure implemented early Runners & repeaters accommodated Products run through an optimised process	Training in techniques comes later No quick results seen
	Quick results Provides demonstrator Runners & Repeaters accommodated Promotes change Training of trainers	Large resource and time needed
	Quick successive improvements Process defined for strangers A number of customers / markets accommodated	Runners & Repeaters not accommodated Rest of Organisation left unchanged No permanent process improvement

Re-Engineering Product Introduction – Process Focused

Product Focused Improvement