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  1. Reducing project related uncertainty in the "fuzzy front end" of innovation
    a comparison of German and Japanese product innovation projects
    Author: Herstatt, Cornelius; Verworn, Birgit; Nagahira, Akio
    Published: 2003

    In this paper, we are going to report on the results of an exploratory piece of research about the typical front-end-related activities in 28 innovation projects carried out by 14 German and 13 Japanese companies to reduce project uncertainty. In all... more

    Location:
    Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

    Location:
    Technische Universität Hamburg, Universitätsbibliothek
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

    Location:
    ZBW - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft, Standort Kiel
    Signature:
    DS 322 (18)
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

     

    In this paper, we are going to report on the results of an exploratory piece of research about the typical front-end-related activities in 28 innovation projects carried out by 14 German and 13 Japanese companies to reduce project uncertainty. In all cases we observed a range of activities to reduce project specific risks and revealed differences in the practice of innovation management in both the German and Japanese companies. We interviewed managers of 13 Japanese and 14 German enterprises concerning 14 Japanese and 14 German New Product Development projects. The focus of our research was the so called "fuzzy front end" ;, activities and typical deliverables in the innovation process which might be affected by front end management practice. Overall, in the case of the German as well as the Japanese projects, the uncertainties affected by the market or technology could successfully be reduced during the "fuzzy front end" and the majority of projects achieved their objectives and efficiency targets. Nevertheless, our study revealed differences in the way such uncertainties were reduced by the companies in Japan and Germany. Generally speaking, the 14 Japanese projects relied on a thorough planning, delegation of front end activities and strict controlling mechanisms to minimize deviations from front end specifications later in the innovation process and hence, achieved efficiency. In contrast, in the majority of the 14 German projects we could neither observe such a formal planning nor such an intensive controlling procedure supported by methods and tools as in the case of the Japanese projects. Instead, the companies in our German sample integrated relevant functions like R&D, marketing, sales, production or customer service from the beginning of the innovation process, usually already during the idea generation phase, to ensure that all critical information and perspectives were taken into consideration right from the beginning, to reduce uncertainties and later deviations as well as enhancing efficiency. Responsibilities were assigned during the fuzzy front end and rarely changed during the implementation of the project. -- Fuzzy front end ; innovation risk ; uncertainty ; idea generation ; project selection ; project planning ; Japan ; Germany

     
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    Content information
    Source: Union catalogues
    Language: English
    Media type: Book
    Format: Online
    Other identifier:
    hdl: 10419/55493
    Edition: [Elektronische Ressource]
    Series: Working Paper / Technologie- und Innovationsmanagement ; 18
    Scope: Online Ressource (PDF-Datei: 26 S., 83 KB), graph. Darst.
    Notes:

    Literaturverz. S. 23 - 26
  2. The "fuzzy front end" of product development
    an exploratory study of German and Japanese innovation projects
    Author: Herstatt, Cornelius; Verworn, Birgit; Nagahira, Akio
    Published: 2002

    In this paper, we report the complete and unabridged results of an exploratory study of typical front-end activities in 28 innovation projects in German and Japanese companies. We further reveal differences in the practice of innovation management in... more

    Location:
    Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

    Location:
    Technische Universität Hamburg, Universitätsbibliothek
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

    Location:
    ZBW - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft, Standort Kiel
    Signature:
    DS 322 (16)
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

     

    In this paper, we report the complete and unabridged results of an exploratory study of typical front-end activities in 28 innovation projects in German and Japanese companies. We further reveal differences in the practice of innovation management in both countries. Based on these, we develop first evidence for effects of front end management practices on project execution and project outcomes. For this purpose, we interviewed managers of 13 Japanese and 14 German enterprises concerning 14 Japanese and 14 German new product development projects. The focus of the interviews was the so-called "fuzzy front end" and activities or deliverables later in the process which might be affected by front end management practice. Overall, most projects achieved their objectives with varying efficiency, which is therefore the focus of our analysis. Our study reveals similarities as well as distinctive differences between the projects studied in Japan and Germany. In sum, the 14 Japanese projects relied on a thorough planning and strict controlling to minimize deviations from front end specifications and enhance efficiency. The majority of the 14 German projects did not have a formal planning and controlling process supported by methods and tools like the Japanese projects. Instead, they integrated all relevant functions early in the process, partly already during idea generation, to ensure that all information and points of view were taken into consideration right from the start to reduce later deviations and enhance efficiency. Responsibilities were assigned during the front end and rarely changed during project execution. In addition, during the front end of the German and Japanese projects, market and technical uncertainty were strongly reduced prior to development to avoid later deviations and secure efficiency targets. -- Fuzzy front end ; idea generation ; project selection ; project planning ; Japan ; Germany

     
    Export to reference management software   RIS file
      BibTeX file
    Content information
    Source: Union catalogues
    Language: English
    Media type: Book
    Format: Online
    Other identifier:
    hdl: 10419/55440
    Edition: [Elektronische Ressource]
    Series: Working paper / Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg, Technologie- und Innovationsmanagement ; 16
    Scope: Online Ressource (PDF-Datei: 26, 4 S., 136 KB), graph. Darst.
    Notes:

    Literaturverz. S. 23 - 26

    Parallel als Druckausg. erschienen
  3. NPD-Process and Planning in Japanese engineering companies
    findings from an interview research
    Author: Herstatt, Cornelius; Stockstrom, Christoph; Nagahira, Akio
    Published: 2005

    In this paper we report on the results of an interview research about new product development (NPD) processes and planning in 15 Japanese mechanical and electrical engineering companies. We asked the companies to describe one successful and one less... more

    Location:
    Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

    Location:
    Technische Universität Hamburg, Universitätsbibliothek
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

    Location:
    ZBW - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft, Standort Kiel
    Signature:
    DS 322 (34)
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

     

    In this paper we report on the results of an interview research about new product development (NPD) processes and planning in 15 Japanese mechanical and electrical engineering companies. We asked the companies to describe one successful and one less successful project. All in all, we collected data for 29 projects, 15 of which were successful. We explore how these companies structure their NPD processes and conduct their planning activities in order to strike a balance between the needs for efficiency and flexibility, which often carry opposing implications for organizing and managing new product development projects. While the majority of the companies in our sample build their NPD efforts on a similar process model, we find them to employ diverse procedures to achieve their aims. In the companies we interviewed, there is a strong inclination towards planning R&D activities. New product development projects are based on well-defined procedures and written documents, which represent a standard approach to the companies' ; R&D efforts. However, not all aspects are planned in equal depth and later phases of NPD projects, such as the implementation of the product concept into production, which exhibit lower uncertainty, are planned in much more detail. The need for flexibility in planning is highlighted by our finding that the less successful projects failed to anticipate changes - especially within the environment - and therefore were often carried out according to outdated plans and information. Our results suggest that the quality of the initial project plan with regard to the information it is based upon is closely linked to success. Despite the environmental turbulence, there seem to be no pronounced differences between successful and less successful projects concerning changes of the plan throughout the course of the project. Consequently, our interview partners consider the project managers of the unsuccessful projects to be less skilled in marketing and management than their successful counterparts. -- New product development ; Japanese firms ; planning ; success innovation ; project management

     
    Export to reference management software   RIS file
      BibTeX file
    Content information
    Source: Union catalogues
    Language: English
    Media type: Book
    Format: Online
    Other identifier:
    hdl: 10419/55483
    Edition: [Elektronische Ressource]
    Series: Working Paper / Technologie-und Innovationsmanagement ; 34
    Scope: Online-Ressource (PDF-Datei: 13 S., 223 KB), graph. Darst
  4. The impact of the fuzzy front end on new product development success in Japanese NPD projects
    Author: Verworn, Birgit; Herstatt, Cornelius; Nagahira, Akio
    Published: 2006
    Publisher:  Techn. Univ. Hamburg-Harburg, Hamburg

    In a study of Japanese New Product Development (NPD) projects, the fuzzy front end of innovation is explored. Our conceptual model is based on the information-processing perspective. A structual equation model was fitted to data from 497 NPD projects... more

    Location:
    Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Göttingen
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

    Location:
    ZBW - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft, Standort Kiel
    Signature:
    DS 322 (39)
    Inter-library loan:
    No inter-library loan

     

    In a study of Japanese New Product Development (NPD) projects, the fuzzy front end of innovation is explored. Our conceptual model is based on the information-processing perspective. A structual equation model was fitted to data from 497 NPD projects from Japanese mechanical and electrical engineering firms to test the proposed model. The empirical analysis found support for all hypotheses except for one. Our study suggests that an early reduction of market and technical uncertainty and a draft initial planning prior to development have a positive impact on NPD project success. The model accounts for 17% of the variance of the efficiency and 24% of the variance of the effectiveness dependent variable. Thus, the front end phase is an important driver of NPD project success. Implications of the model are discussed.

     
    Export to reference management software   RIS file
      BibTeX file
    Content information
    Source: Union catalogues
    Language: English
    Media type: Book
    Format: Online
    Other identifier:
    hdl: 10419/55475
    Series: Working paper / Technologie- und Innovationsmanagement ; 39
    Scope: Online-Ressource (PDF-Datei: [9] S., 309,10 KB)
  5. “Fuzzy front end” practices in innovating Japanese companies
    Author: Herstatt, Cornelius; Verworn, Birgit; Stockstrom, Christoph; Nagahira, Akio; Takahashi, Osamu
    Published: 2004

    In this paper, we report on the results of a large-scale study about typical front-end-related innovation practices in 553 Japanese mechanical and electrical engineering companies. We explore typical activities concerning the generation and... more

     

    In this paper, we report on the results of a large-scale study about typical front-end-related innovation practices in 553 Japanese mechanical and electrical engineering companies. We explore typical activities concerning the generation and assessment of new product ideas, the reduction of technological as well as market uncertainty and front end planning. Finally, we report on differences between successful and unsuccessful companies. Our study confirms earlier findings about the frequent use of creativity techniques in Japan during the process of idea generation. We also find companies to intensively involve upper management and customers into NPD projects. While integrating upper management is of vital importance for assessing new product ideas, integrating customers and users is primarily used to developing product ideas and concepts. We further find evidence that successful companies integrate their customers more frequently in the process of developing and assessing new product ideas than non successful companies. In addition, the former integrate customer requirements into their product definitions more often and also translate these requirements into technical specifications more frequently than non-successful companies. Finally, successful companies more often systematically plan a project prior to its start than unsuccessful ones.

     
    Export to reference management software
    Source: BASE Selection for Comparative Literature
    Language: English
    Media type: Report
    Format: Online
    DDC Categories: 85.; 330
    Subjects: New product development; Japanese firms; planning; success innovation; Produktinnovation; Produktentwicklung; Operations Research; Firma; Japan
    Rights:

    info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ; rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
  6. Reducing project related uncertainty in the fuzzy front end” of innovation – A comparison of German and Japanese product innovation projects
    Author: Herstatt, Cornelius; Verworn, Birgit; Nagahira, Akio
    Published: 2003

    In this paper, we are going to report on the results of an exploratory piece of research about the typical front-end-related activities in 28 innovation projects carried out by 14 German and 13 Japanese companies to reduce project uncertainty. In all... more

     

    In this paper, we are going to report on the results of an exploratory piece of research about the typical front-end-related activities in 28 innovation projects carried out by 14 German and 13 Japanese companies to reduce project uncertainty. In all cases we observed a range of activities to reduce project specific risks and revealed differences in the practice of innovation management in both the German and Japanese companies. We interviewed managers of 13 Japanese and 14 German enterprises concerning 14 Japanese and 14 German New Product Development projects. The focus of our research was the so called “fuzzy front end”, activities and typical deliverables in the innovation process which might be affected by front end management practice. Overall, in the case of the German as well as the Japanese projects, the uncertainties affected by the market or technology could successfully be reduced during the “fuzzy front end” and the majority of projects achieved their objectives and efficiency targets. Nevertheless, our study revealed differences in the way such uncertainties were reduced by the companies in Japan and Germany. Generally speaking, the 14 Japanese projects relied on a thorough planning, delegation of front end activities and strict controlling mechanisms to minimize deviations from front end specifications later in the innovation process and hence, achieved efficiency. In contrast, in the majority of the 14 German projects we could neither observe such a formal planning nor such an intensive controlling procedure supported by methods and tools as in the case of the Japanese projects. Instead, the companies in our German sample integrated relevant functions like R&D, marketing, sales, production or customer service from the beginning of the innovation process, usually already during the idea generation phase, to ensure that all critical information and perspectives were taken into consideration right from the beginning, to reduce uncertainties and later deviations as well as enhancing efficiency. ...

     
    Export to reference management software
    Source: BASE Selection for Comparative Literature
    Language: English
    Media type: Report
    Format: Online
    DDC Categories: 85.; 330
    Subjects: Fuzzy front end; innovation risk; uncertainty; idea generation; project selection; project planning; Japan; Germany; Produktinnovation; Produktentwicklung; Produktforschung; Operations Research
    Rights:

    info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ; rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
  7. The “fuzzy front end” of product development: an exploratory study of German and Japanese innovation projects
    Author: Herstatt, Cornelius; Verworn, Birgit; Nagahira, Akio
    Published: 2002

    In this paper, we report the complete and unabridged results of an exploratory study of typical front-end activities in 28 innovation projects in German and Japanese companies. We further reveal differences in the practice of innovation management in... more

     

    In this paper, we report the complete and unabridged results of an exploratory study of typical front-end activities in 28 innovation projects in German and Japanese companies. We further reveal differences in the practice of innovation management in both countries. Based on these, we develop first evidence for effects of front end management practices on project execution and project outcomes. For this purpose, we interviewed managers of 13 Japanese and 14 German enterprises concerning 14 Japanese and 14 German new product development projects. The focus of the interviews was the so-called “fuzzy front end” and activities or deliverables later in the process which might be affected by front end management practice. Overall, most projects achieved their objectives with varying efficiency, which is therefore the focus of our analysis. Our study reveals similarities as well as distinctive differences between the projects studied in Japan and Germany. In sum, the 14 Japanese projects relied on a thorough planning and strict controlling to minimize deviations from front end specifications and enhance efficiency. The majority of the 14 German projects did not have a formal planning and controlling process supported by methods and tools like the Japanese projects. Instead, they integrated all relevant functions early in the process, partly already during idea generation, to ensure that all information and points of view were taken into consideration right from the start to reduce later deviations and enhance efficiency. Responsibilities were assigned during the front end and rarely changed during project execution. In addition, during the front end of the German and Japanese projects, market and technical uncertainty were strongly reduced prior to development to avoid later deviations and secure efficiency targets.

     
    Export to reference management software
    Source: BASE Selection for Comparative Literature
    Language: English
    Media type: Report
    Format: Online
    DDC Categories: 85.; 330
    Subjects: Fuzzy front end; idea generation; project selection; project planning; Japan; Germany; Produktinnovation; Produktentwicklung; Produktforschung; Operations Research
    Rights:

    info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ; rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
  8. NPD-Process and Planning in Japanese engineering companies – Findings from an interview research
    Author: Herstatt, Cornelius; Stockstrom, Christoph; Nagahira, Akio
    Published: 2005

    In this paper we report on the results of an interview research about new product development (NPD) processes and planning in 15 Japanese mechanical and electrical engineering companies. We asked the companies to describe one successful and one less... more

     

    In this paper we report on the results of an interview research about new product development (NPD) processes and planning in 15 Japanese mechanical and electrical engineering companies. We asked the companies to describe one successful and one less successful project. All in all, we collected data for 29 projects, 15 of which were successful. We explore how these companies structure their NPD processes and conduct their planning activities in order to strike a balance between the needs for efficiency and flexibility, which often carry opposing implications for organizing and managing new product development projects. While the majority of the companies in our sample build their NPD efforts on a similar process model, we find them to employ diverse procedures to achieve their aims. In the companies we interviewed, there is a strong inclination towards planning R&D activities. New product development projects are based on well-defined procedures and written documents, which represent a standard approach to the companies’ R&D efforts. However, not all aspects are planned in equal depth and later phases of NPD projects, such as the implementation of the product concept into production, which exhibit lower uncertainty, are planned in much more detail. The need for flexibility in planning is highlighted by our finding that the less successful projects failed to anticipate changes – especially within the environment – and therefore were often carried out according to outdated plans and information. Our results suggest that the quality of the initial project plan with regard to the information it is based upon is closely linked to success. Despite the environmental turbulence, there seem to be no pronounced differences between successful and less successful projects concerning changes of the plan throughout the course of the project. Consequently, our interview partners consider the project managers of the unsuccessful projects to be less skilled in marketing and management than their successful counterparts.

     
    Export to reference management software
    Source: BASE Selection for Comparative Literature
    Language: English
    Media type: Report
    Format: Online
    DDC Categories: 85.; 330
    Subjects: New product development; Japanese firms; planning; success innovation; project management; Produktentwicklung; Projektmanagement; Unternehmensplanung; Erfolgsplanung; Firma; Japan
    Rights:

    info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ; rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/