Introduction

The primary result of the Idea Generation Phase is an “approved” list of acceptable candidates indicating their fit into the organization's criteria and their potential to succeed in the business environment. Idea generation produces ideas that usually lack full definition. This seeming weakness is actually one of the strengths of the new-product development (NPD) process. It is simple and cost-effective to produce a myriad of ideas during the Idea Generation Phase. The scope is limited and the critical objective is to select potential candidates for further analyses and development. In most cases, it is easy for an organization to discern which ideas should move forward.

The Concept Development and Selection Phase expands the rudimentary perspectives of the Idea Generation Phase into comprehensive new-product candidates based on sufficient analyses that the product, market, marketing, production, and financial dimensions can be defined and articulated. The primary objectives are to assess the potential of each of the candidates and to determine which ones should be developed into new products. Concept development and selection involves the transformation of new-product ideas into fully articulated concepts that can be ranked, screened, and selected for succeeding phases. It converts the basic elements of the new-product ideas into a comprehensive understanding of the business opportunities based on an assessment of the internal and external dimensions.

The selection activities include the screening of the concepts using selected metrics, and evaluating the implications on the internal and external dimensions of enterprise-management model (EMM).