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GGI RapidNews R&D Product Development eZine: Volume 7, Issue 5- July 5, 2006
GGI RapidNews is published approximately once a month.

In This Issue

MANAGEMENT PRODUCTIVITY - Innovative Solutions to Supply Chain Problems garner authors an R. Gene Richter Award

UPCOMING PUBLIC SEMINAR - Sept06 R&D-Product Development Metrics Summit - Early Bird Rates Until July 31

BOOK REVIEW- Brand Sense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound

UPCOMING PUBLIC SEMINAR - Dec06 R&D-Product Development Innovation Summit

CONFERENCES OF INTEREST- MRT 11th Metrics Conference & PureInsight Innovation Seminar

THE WISDOM iSTORE FEATURED PRODUCT - Primary Research On NPD Capacity

THE WISDOM iSTORE NEW LISTINGS - No New Listings This Month

BIENNIAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT SURVEY - 2004, 2002, 2000, 1998 Results

GATEWAYS TO KNOWLEDGE - A Monthly Feature

CALENDAR OF INDUSTRY EVENTS - A Monthly Feature

TELEVISION EVENTS - Alexander Haig's World Business Review

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MANAGEMENT PRODUCTIVITY

Innovative Solutions to Supply Chain Problems garner authors an R. Gene Richter Award

Excerpt from ISM 2006 Award Winners Brochure: May 8, 2006 http://www.ism.ws

May 8, 2006: Six companies have received the first ever R. Gene Richter Award for Leadership and Innovation in Supply Management from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The award was created to honor the professional contributions of R. Gene Richter, a pioneer in the field.

The ISM is the oldest and largest supply management institute in the world. Its mission is to lead the discipline through education, research, standards of excellence, influence building, and information dissemination. Its membership base includes more than 40,000 professionals in 75 countries.

Judges used three key factors to select winners in four different categories. First, projects had to address complex challenges for which solutions would have organizational and/or supply chain impact. Second, contenders had to develop truly innovative solutions rather than simply an improvement over existing practices. Finally, entries had to be backed by rigorous data on actual performance.

Competition Results:
* Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters Procurement Department is a winner in the Richter Award Process Category. The Procurement Department decided to partner with the company's Law Department to develop and implement a new legal sourcing strategy. This action saved the company $8.7 million in its first year. Johnson & Johnson is the world's most comprehensive manufacturer of healthcare products.

* Also winning in the Process Category is KLA-Tencor, a leading supplier of process control and yield management solutions for the semiconductor industry. The organization introduced processes that changed the way its supply management operates, transforming the supply management department from a support function to a strategic organization. Results included product cost reductions of more than five to ten times those achieved in the past.

* Fluor Hanford, a prime contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy, has received the Richter Award in the Technology Category. It developed a Web-based search application that gave end users a simple and efficient tool for obtaining materials. The company's new "sourcing wizard" has increased the use of existing material in inventory, and saved the organization roughly $300,000 in the past 12 months.

* Rockwell Collins has also received the Richter Award in the Technology Category. A leader in the design, production and support of communication and aviation electronics, Rockwell Collins developed a new Web-based tool for suppliers called the electronic request for quote and automated purchase orders (eRFQ/APO). Since the release of this application, the volume of transactions that occur without the touch of a human hand has climbed from 46 percent to 70 percent.

* BP p.l.c. is the Richter Award winner in the People Category. BP is one of the world's largest energy companies. In a period following a series of mergers, BP decided to develop the skill sets of key members of its procurement community. It did so through expert on-the-job coaching that addressed the most common skills gaps. The modules covered topics including living strategy and program management, communication and engagement, and internal performance management. Since the program began, nearly 50 percent of responses indicate a perceived improvement in the skills area.

* DaimlerChrysler is the 2006 Richter Award winner in the Organization/Structure Category. The international procurement services (IPS) department of this automobile manufacturer was on a mission to become recognized as a best-in-class organization for procurement of non-production material and services. It accomplished this by transforming its decentralized structure into one consolidated organization. From its start in 1999 to the end of 2005, the program achieved an 80 percent increase in purchasing results vis-a-vis spot buys and a 77 percent to 80 percent increase in internal customer satisfaction.

To apply for the 2007 Richter Leadership and Innovation Award, log on to the ISM Richter Awards Application Site.



UPCOMING PUBLIC SEMINAR - METRICS SUMMIT Sept06

We are delighted to be offering our Metrics Summit again in September 2006. Many prior Metrics Summit participants were kind enough to share their written comments about the Metrics Summit so that future participants could get a better idea of what to expect. Testimonials.

Early Bird rates will be effective through July 31 at EOB Pacific Time. Discounts are available for individuals and company teams of three or more.

GGI's Product Development Metrics Summit will be held September 19-21, 2006 in metro Boston. Please join us for a series of 3 seminars, focused on 3 major areas of importance to R&D executives and managers.

The first seminar (Measuring Product Development II (MPDII) - March 14) addresses the subjects of setting hurdle rates, assessing risk and complexity, tradeoff analysis, measuring capacity, and assessing overall financial performance. Click to view the MPDII abstract or to download the table of contents.

The second seminar (Proactive and Predictive R&D Metrics (PPRD) - March 15 AM) focuses on three different stages of developing early, predictive metrics that will enable managers to foresee issues on the horizon or to know that success is in front of them. Click to view the PPRD abstract or to download the table of contents.

The third seminar, a capstone, (Product Development Metrics Portfolios (PDMP) - March 15 PM and March 16) covers the areas of metrics for R&D and product development that are not discussed in the prior two seminar days and then shifts focus. Company teams gather and working groups form around Innovator, Innovator/Extender, Balanced, and Extender R&D strategies for the purpose of developing a set of measures for the R&D organization as a whole, including the few measures that should be used by the corporation to measure R&D productivity, output, and overall performance results. Click to view the PDMP abstract or to download the table of contents.

All three seminars are geared to executives and top-level professionals that manage entire organizations, departments, and budgets; and senior program management executives.

Registration is easy. If you are registering a team, you can register any number of people in one transaction. Our site provides for the contact information for one person though and we will contact you to get the contact information for the remaining registrants. If you are already registered, leisure time activities may be useful for planning transportation, meals, and personal time outside the Summit.

For more information please download a brochure.


BOOK REVIEW

Brand Sense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound,, by Martin Lindstrom. Free Press. February 1, 2005. Copyright 2005 by Martin Lindstrom, ISBN 0743267842, 256 pages.

Branding has always been about establishing an emotional tie between the consumer and a product. But creating a product which appeals to each of the five senses has been a greatly under-used strategy until now, says Martin Lindstorm.

Something as simple as the "feel" of a product can give it a key advantage. For example, Texas Instruments developed an exclusive "touch" for the keys of its calculator. As a result, the TI calculator feels different from all other machines. And although many users do realize it, other calculators just feel "wrong."

To capitalize on the sensory potential of existing products, Lindstrom recommends:

* Conducting a sensory audit. Evaluate your brand from a sensory point of view. For example, could a blindfolded consumer identify your product just from touch?

* Exploring brand staging. Look for innovative approaches used at other companies. For example, a furniture retailer like Ikea could adopt a Disney model to build the sensory appeal of its brand.

* Create brand signature. Craft the sensory component to contribute to the complete sensory experience of the message. Thus the smell of a product in the store should be consistent with the smell when the box is opened.

Taking sensory branding one step further, Lindstrom recommends studying the characteristic of religious sensory experiences. Brand builders can learn from the way that religions use myth, symbol, and metaphor to create an emotional bond that transcends rational analysis. Just ask any Harley-Davidson rider.

Lindstrom predicts that sensory branding will be adopted by three categories of industries:

Sensory pioneers: The leaders of sensory branding will include auto manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. The pharmaceutical industry, in particular, will be active in this field as their patents last a limited number of years.

Sensory adapters: Because they compete in a commodity-driven environment,telecommunications companies and those in the computer industry are part of this group. For example, Asian manufacturers are now ready to offer multi-sensory experiences in their product. Every aspect the their phone, from the tactile qualities, to branded sounds, to the smell of the phone, will be enhanced in the next few years.

Sensory followers: This group includes an array of industries characterized by fast-moving consumer goods, the retail trade, and entertainment.

We believe this book can provide useful ideas for marketing managers, development engineers, and R&D managers. While we feel it is unrealistic to expect every product to develop the appeal of an Apple computer or a Harley-Davidson, no one knows if their product will be the next big hit. And which ever product it is, it most likely will have features with strong sensory appeal.

You can find more information about this book or purchase it through Amazon.com.


UPCOMING PUBLIC SEMINAR - INNOVATION SUMMIT Jun06

This is a preliminary announcement for those who wish to mark these dates on the calendar. Web registration should be available by the August issue of RapidNews.

GGI will sponsor its R&D -- Product Development Innovation Summit on Dec 5-7, 2006 in metro Boston. Please join us for eight comprehensive modules that surround the subject of Innovation in R&D and Product Development.

The Innovation Modules that will be offered are:


All modules feature some level of case study discussion and examples from a range of industries. There will be three group exercises where attendees will "try out" well regarded innovation methodologies to achieve some level of "hands-on." With all GGI Summits, we will pave the road for you to direct the selection and implementation of tools and processes that will bring leverage to your organization.



CONFERNECES OF INTEREST

MRT 11th Annual Metrics Conference: Management Roundtable will hold its 11th annual conference, "Product Development Metrics: Assess, Predict and Foster Innovation," on November 6-8, 2006 in Chicago, IL. The conference will explore how to most accurately assess new product opportunities, predict the value of your innovation pipeline, and ensure that your company's metrics will foster innovation. This year's program features an exceptional line-up of metrics gurus, thought leaders, advanced practitioners, and those "in the trenches" who must bridge theory with reality.

Conference keynote speakers include: GGI's Brad Goldense, Dr. Scott J. Edgett (CEO and Co-Founder of the Product Development Institute), Dr. Liisa Valikangas (Managing Director of Woodside Institute), and Wayne Mackey (Principal, Product Development Consulting, Inc.).
Brad Goldense will deliver a keynote address titled "The Impact of Innovation on Corporate Strategy, Tactics, and Metrics. The address will highlight trends in innovation and the resulting changes in business strategies and tactics. It will also identify initial measurement areas and metrics that are likely to be central to the emergence of innovation as a new management science. Brad will also conduct a pre-conference workshop on Monday, November 6, 2006, titled "Proactive and Predictive R&D Metrics."

For more information, go to the Conference's Registration web page.


PureInsight Seminar: PureInsight, (formerly Knowledge Roundtable Europe) will present an intensive two-day seminar titled "Driving Predictable, Sustainable Innovation into New Product Development," on November 15-16, 2006 in London. This seminar will help executives and senior managers improve their ability to generate profitable innovations.

The seminar will begin with a discussion on differences between Innovation and The Innovation Process. Industry benchmark information including: product selection, and intellectual property management and decision processes; pipeline yield rates from ideation to commercialization; and relative innovativeness of tools and techniques used by today's product developers, will also be presented.

The second section contains in-depth information on four major innovation-enablers including: Lead User Analysis, Six Hats, Triz, and Semantic Processing.

The seminar will conclude with a discussion of insourcing and outsourcing innovation, metrics and measures for innovation environments, and reward and recognition processes and mechanisms.

Seminar Leaders will be Bradford L. Goldense and Donald M. Stewart of Goldense Group, Inc. (GGI), Needham, MA. Brad Goldense is Founder and CEO of GGI, a 20 year old consulting and education firm. Mr. Goldense has consulted to over 200 of the Fortune 1000 companies and is an internationally recognized expert on both rapid product development and R&D metrics.

Donald Steward has been practicing in the marketing and new product business strategy areas for the past 35 years, and in the concurrent engineering area for 15 years. Mr. Stewart worked for 20 years with Teradyne, Inc., the leading U.S. designer and manufacturer of semiconductor test systems.

For more information on the seminar, visit the PureInsight Web site


THE WISDOM iSTORE FEATURED PRODUCT

Discounted Item: Periodically, GGI's iStore features one item that we discount 40%. We just changed the item a few days ago. For the first time we are discounting our primary research report, including ground breaking research on staffing ratios and time spent on new product development, that we performed in 2002 and published in 2003.

MR24h "2002 Product Development Metrics Research Results (Hard Copy)" [list price $1,784.00]

Goldense Group, Inc., Needham, MA, USA

March 28, 2003 [223 pages] $1070.00

The 2002 Product Development Metrics Survey focused on resource and capacity management practices and metrics. Results of the research are offered in three reports of increasingly detailed description and analysis: Research Highlights (MR21), Research Summary (MR22), and Research Results (MR24). These three separate reports provide, respectively, an executive summary, middle-management-level, and detail-level view of the survey data.

The 2002 Product Development Metrics Research Results is a 223-page report containing text and presentation slides that describe and analyze the survey population both as a whole and segmented as follows: Public vs. Private Companies; Smaller vs. Larger Companies; Process vs. Repetitive/Discrete vs. Job Shop Companies; Higher vs. Lower Technology Companies; and Companies with More vs. Fewer Employees. The report summarizes the overall survey results and provides details on the profiles of the survey respondents. The five research subject areas were loading the RD&E capacity pipeline, providing capacity for RD&E activities, balancing cross-functional resources (staffing ratios), systems, tools, and metrics used to manage capacity, and RD&E metrics used in industry.

This research provides interesting results regarding the methods companies use to select projects and to establish and manage backlog. The report provides details on staffing ratios and the resources, both within the development function and in the cross functions, that companies are allocating to new and existing products. Also discussed is the infrastructure in place to enable resource and capacity planning and management.

GGI's Featured Item changes approximately every other month and is always offered at a 40% discount. To order this material, please go to GGI's Featured Item.

Recently Released Items: While not a featured item, we want to make you aware of a recently released coursebook, the one that is used for GGI's 3-Day Innovation Summit (S8).


S8 "R&D - Product Development Innovation Summit Coursebook"

1st R&D - Product Development Innovation Summit, Goldense Group, Inc., Needham, Massachusetts, USA, Copyright � 2006 Goldense Group, Inc., ISBN 1-932468-44-7

January 2006 [520 pages]


This coursebook covers the range of topics around the subject of innovation that are of interest to persons responsible for directing and managing innovation at the corporate and business-results levels. This is the material that underlies GGI's 3-Day R&D-Product Development Innovation Summit which was first offered to the public on January 17-19, 2006 in Norwood, Massachusetts, USA. While in MS Powerpoint format, this is a data-intensive document that is consistent with GGI's industry reputation in the quantitative aspects of product development and innovation.

The first section of the R&D Innovation Summit Coursebook contains industry benchmark information about: product selection and intellectual property management and decision processes, pipeline yield rates from ideation to commercialization, relative innovativeness of tools and techniques used by today's product developers, top management short list of practices that fuels R&D productivity, and an inventory of "all" innovation tools in the marketplace today.

The second section contains more in-depth information about four major innovation-enablers: Lead User Analysis, Six Hats, Triz, and Semantic Processing. The second section also contains more in-depth information about: Trade Secrets, Trademarks/Servicemarks, Copyrights, and Patents.

The third section contains information on five subject areas that are part of an overall innovation environment: additional software such as self assessment and DSS and IP management, insourcing and outsourcing innovation, metrics and measures for innovation environments, and reward and recognition processes and mechanisms. The Summary highlights the contributions of five prominent books in the field of innovation that are used by corporations. The brief Conclusion indicates the places in product development processes where the use of innovation tools may have the best impact, along with positioning innovation strategically, and within technical and product management functions.

For more information, or to order, any GGI products please go to The Wisdom iStore. S8 is specifically located at The Wisdom iStore.


THE WISDOM iSTORE NEW LISTINGS

No new items were added to the The Wisdom iStore since we last wrote you.

For more information, or to order, any GGI products please go to The Wisdom iStore. T60 is specifically located at The Wisdom iStore.


BIENNIAL METRICS SURVEY RESULTS

2004 Product Development Metrics Survey - Product Selection, IP Management, and Top Corporate Metrics: The Summary and Highlights Reports for GGI's 2004 Biennial Product Development Metrics Survey are now available for purchase by the public through GGI's Wisdom iStore. These reports are completely based on primary research performed by GGI researchers. The research includes 202 respondent companies. There was a 5% response rate.

McKinsey & Company, Texas Instruments, Rockwell, Kimberly Clark, JDS Uniphase, Shure, Curtiss Wright Flight Systems and Datacard are representative of companies that purchase market research from GGI.

The 2004 Survey focused on the following 5 areas of product selection and IP management:

  • Product Selection Process
  • Product Selection Tools
  • IP Management Process
  • IP Management Tools
  • Top Corporate Metrics Used in Industry RD&E


We have already shared many results with GGI RapidNews readers since we began this line of business in 1998. 2004 Survey results ran in six RN issues, RN V5I11 - RN V6I5, which may be found in the RN archives, along with results from prior years.

Some additional complimentary information about the survey is available:


The 2 commercial versions of the survey results that we currently offer for public purchase are:

1. 2004 SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS: A text-only report (75 pages), including the full text of all the results and analysis of the survey population analyzed as a whole, and

2. 2004 SURVEY SUMMARY: A report of composite results, where the survey respondents are analyzed as a whole (149 pages, includes a full set of graphed answers for every survey question).

Individual sections of the research reports, as well as logical combinations of sections are also available. All reports are available in printed or electronic versions.

These reports are available in the Market Research section of GGI's Wisdom iStore.

 

2002, 2000, 1998 Product Development Metrics Survey: The Summary and Highlights Reports for GGI's prior Biennial Product Development Metrics Surveys are also available for purchase by the public through GGI's Wisdom iStore. These reports are completely based on primary research performed by GGI researchers. Information about the purpose and focus of prior surveys may be found in our biennial survey archives.


GATEWAYS TO KNOWLEDGE

GTK-Gateways To Knowledge is a DIRECTORY OF THOUSANDS OF LINKS to providers of engineering, purchasing, and manufacturing technologies and services. If you hit the right subjects, it is more useful than a search engine! The "main entrance" to GTK can be found at:

http://www.goldensegroupinc.com/gateway/index.shtml

For those of you that do not want to risk going through the main entrance above, some of the Gateways that we believe you will find useful or entertaining are highlighted below.

CALENDAR OF INDUSTRY EVENTS

GGI's Calendar of Industry Events contains an up-to-date listing of links to Conferences, Seminars, Distance Learning Centers, Colleges & Universities, Executive Education, and Corporate-Sponsored Universities. The calendar has just been updated with more conferences and seminars throughout 2005. The categories we follow are:

The categories of conferences, seminars, and distance learning are further organized into the following subject areas:

  • Strategic, Knowledge & General Management
  • Marketing & Sales - Mechanical, Electro-Mechanical, Electrical, & Electronic
  • Marketing & Sales - Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, & Life Sciences
  • Product Development - Mechanical, Electro-Mechanical, Electrical, & Electronic
  • Product Development - Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, & Life Sciences
  • Manufacturing & Automation - Mechanical, Electro-Mechanical, Electrical, & Electronic
  • Manufacturing & Automation - Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, & Life Sciences
  • Software, Internet & IT
  • Project Management
  • Metrics

If you are looking for a conference or other learning opportunity, check out the Calendar. This free service for our readers is front and center on GGI's Home Page. Or, go directly to the Calendar of Industry Events MEGA Gateway.


TELEVISION EVENTS

Alexander Haig's World Business Review: Brad Goldense has made several appearances on Alexander Haig's World Business Review in the past year. Streaming video is available for all shows, which aired on August 4, September 29 and December 15, 2002 and on May 20, 2003. See below for details.

May 20, 2003 Broadcast of September 29th In-Studio with Alexander Haig (22.5 minutes): Streaming video for this segment is available on GGI's web site.

December 15, 2002 In-Studio with Alexander Haig (7.5 minutes) on CNBC paid programming: Streaming video for this segment is available on GGI's web site.

September 29, 2002 In-Studio with Alexander Haig (22.5 minutes): Streaming video for this segment (as well as the entire 30-minute show) is available on GGI's web site.

August 4, 2002 On-Location at GGI (3.5 minutes): This On-Location field report is available in streaming video on GGI's web site.

The web page includes links to download a streaming video player, if you do not currently have one installed on your computer.

For more information on any of Brad's appearances on television, go to:

http://www.goldensegroupinc.com/ggi-goldense-product-development-tv-television-broadcast.shtml

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GGI RapidNews is an e-mail publication from Goldense Group, Inc (GGI). Its subject matter includes survey findings, company news, book and article reviews, key industry conferences and R&D information of interest to clients and associates. Please send communications to rn(at)goldensegroupinc.com. Thank you.