GGI RapidNews: Volume 9, Issue 3 - R&D

GGI RapidNews R&D Product Development eZine: Volume 9, Issue 3 - March 5, 2008
GGI RapidNews is published approximately once a month.

A. Cindy DeMaio, the primary RN Editor for the past 18 months, has found a position much closer to her home in southern Rhode Island and will be leaving GGI this month. This issue is Cindy's last issue as primary author. We wish Cindy well in her new position with a Safety Harness & Equipment manufacturing company located in southern Rhode Island.

B. Paul Szulewski, a senior member of GGI's Consulting Staff, will become a Contributing Editor to RapidNews. Paul will be doing the monthly book review section for RapidNews in the months ahead.

This section is an update for the many RapidNews readers that participated in our Biennial Product Development Metrics Survey. The theme of the research this year was "Tangible Innovation" practices, tools, techniques, and metrics. Our research period extended into January 2008 and is now closed.

We received 218 original responses which, after eliminating duplicate and invalid responses, yielded 209 valid surveys. The results will be statistically significant.

We are now entering the analysis and writing phase of the research effort and expect this to take two months. Participants can expect their complimentary copy of the results some time in May 2008. The report will be available for purchase by non-participants at that same time.

Thank you to all the RN readers that participated in this research effort! You are making a difference for your profession!

Condensed from "Industrial Research Institute's R&D Trends Forecast for 2008," January-February 2008, Volume 51, No. 1, pages 19-23, published by Industrial Research Institute, Inc., Arlington, VA, ISSN 0895-6308.

Results of the Industrial Research Institute's (IRI) 24th Annual Trends Forecast show that IRI member companies are planning a significantly higher level of R&D spending along with continuing growth in open innovation.

Total company R&D expenditure is forecast to increase, with 38 percent of the companies expecting five percent or greater growth. However, unlike last year, it appears that the R&D growth level will increase faster than that of company sales.

Members also anticipate that their companies will continue to support open innovation, making increased use of outsourcing and licensing technology from others. They also are scheduling more work outside of their own companies, as shown by planned increases in research at universities.

When asked to identify their biggest problem as R&D leaders, respondents said that "growing the business through innovation" is their number one issue. This was followed by "accelerating innovation" and "balancing long-term/short term R&D objectives/focus."

The project is based on surveys from almost 35 percent of the IRI member companies that conduct R&D in the United States. The companies also have 157 research centers outside of the U.S.in 31 countries.

Ocean Tomo's Spring 2008 Auction Catalogue containing 89 lots of IP assets is available for immediate viewing online. This live auction will be held April 1-2, 2008, at The Ritz Carlton, San Francisco.

IP assets offered for sale will include those in the following categories: computer systems and software, online and mobile advertising, entertainment and gaming, information management and data systems, and aerospace and automotive.

Established in 2003, Ocean Tomo, LLC, specializes in understanding and leveraging intellectual property assets. To view the online catalogue, go to the Ocean Tomo Web Site.

An integrated metrics program will result in greater speed in new product development, more profitable products, and improved performance of your research and development environment. What does such an integrated program entail? Find out by attending Goldense Group, Inc.'s Product Development Metrics Summit to be held June 17-19, 2008 in metro Boston.

The Metrics Summit is a series of 3 seminars, focused on 3 major areas of importance to R&D executives and managers. Download a Brochure. Download a Summit At-A-Glance.

All three seminars are geared to top-level professionals that manage entire organizations, departments, budgets, and senior program management executives. An excellent approach would include two to four key staff members who could produce a result for the R&D organization as a whole

If you wish, please view a list of Companies who have participated in prior GGI Summits. We are grateful to the September and December 2005 participants who provided us with a Testimonial, Testimonial. We are grateful to the March and September 2006 participants who provided us with a Testimonial, Testimonial. We are grateful to March and August 2007 participants who provided us with a Testimonial, Testimonial. We are grateful to the January 2008 participants who provided us with a Testimonial.

Reserve your place today - space is limited. Visit us on line to Register. Register by April 18, 2008 to take advantage of our Early Bird Discount.

Bring your team and come away with your company's solution! This is an excellent opportunity to quickly leverage the power of metrics. Discounts apply for teams of 3 or more attending from the same company. Team of 3 or more receive a discount of $225 per person.

Project Valuation Using Real Options: A Practitioner's Guide, Dr. Prasad Kodukula, PMP and Chandra Papudesu, J. Ross Publishing Inc., Fort Lauderdale, FL, 2006, Copyright 2006 by J. Ross Publishing, Inc., ISBN 1-932159-43-6.

Business leaders must frequently decide whether to invest in a new or ongoing project. The challenge lies in deciding which projects to choose, expand, defer or abandon. This book explains how to use real options analysis to make these decisions.

A real option is a right, not an obligation, to take action on an underlying non-financial asset, referred to as a real asset. Real options analysis is a tool that helps to qualify the value of an option.

This book has something to offer for people throughout the organization. Corporate executive and senior managers can use it to understand real options principles. It can provide program and project portfolio managers with tools to handle valuation and portfolio management. Finally, financial analysts can use the tools, step-by-step calculations and insights presented in this book in their daily jobs.

For more information about Project Valuation Using Real Options or to order a copy of the book, go through GGI's Bookstore to the Amazon.com Web Site.

Learn how to hear what your customers want at the upcoming SCPD conference on "Capturing the Voice of the Customer Throughout the Value Chain." Scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, 2008, at the Boston University Conference Center in Tyngsboro, MA, this one-day conference and workshop is hosted by the Society of Concurrent Product Development.

Former Chrysler executive and noted speaker John Miller will share his experiences with Impact Zones and Voice of the Customer processes. Other speakers include Professors Frank Hull (Cass Business School) and Paul Collins (the University of Washington) as well as Peter Fritz of 3M and Mary Kotler of PTG Industries.

To register for the conference, go to the Society of Concurrent Product Development Web Site and click on the Register Now Online Link.

Discounted Item: Periodically, GGI's iStore features one item that we discount 40%. We are now offering our Design Review Checklist, DR10PAKc.

Design Review Checklists (Electronic Copy - Corporate License), Goldense Group, Inc., Needham, MA, USA, $570.00 [List Price $950.00]

The document covers all ten checklists, including a wide range of products, from those with a single technical domain (like mechanical), to those with mixed domains (such as mechanical, electronics and embedded, operating system and/or applications software).

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

Price: T70h (hard copy) = $192.00, T70c (electronic corporate license) = $240.00, T70sc (electronic corporate/supply chain license) = $360.00.

Description: The paper begins with an overview of advances in product delivery and development from the 1970s through the present. It identifies the importance of setting proper product requirements early in the development cycle and lists key factors that inhibit an organization's ability to do so. The paper reviews key aspects of Quality Function Deployment and "The House of Quality" matrix charts.

T70 provides a case study on a one-year project at Hewlett Packard in which the company identified 10 best practices that helped it achieve its goal of cutting product break-even time in half. It then shifts gears to examine the role of "Lead Users" in new product development. It describes how 3M uses a four-prong technique to identify and work with lead users in its markets.

The technical paper concludes with a list of attributes that allow properly instituted Voice of the Customer techniques to contribute to a company's bottom line.

2004 Product Development Metrics Survey - Product Selection, IP Management, and Top Corporate Metrics: The Summary Report (MR32h) and Highlights Report (MR31h) 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 five areas of product selection and IP management:

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.

The three 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).
3. 2004 SURVEY RESULTS: A report of composite results, where the survey respondents are analyzed as a whole AND five different cross-sections of the survey data contrasting Public vs Private, High Tech vs Low Tech, Big vs Small Revenues, Large Number of Employees vs Few Employees, and Process vs Repetitive, vs Discrete vs Job Shop (313 pages, includes a full set of graphed answers for survey questions).

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.

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 The Wisdom iStore. Information about the purpose and focus of prior surveys may be found in our Biennial Survey Archives.

GTK- Gateway 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:

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

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 60 upcoming conferences and seminars throughout 2007. The categories we follow are:
Seminars
Distance Learning Centers
Colleges & Universities
Executive Education
Corporate-Sponsored Universities

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.

Alexander Haig's World Business Review: Brad Goldense has made several appearances on Alexander Haig's World Business Review. 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.

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.