The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development

22.3. The Seven Steps to Winning Product Review Approval

Winning product review approval is straightforward if you understand and implement the following seven steps:

• Identification of critical success factors, key influencers, and stakeholders

• Background preparation and research

• Building a winning product review team

• Preparing the product review presentation

• Internal selling

• Giving the product review presentation

• Follow-up and feedback

This chapter will guide you through each step in the process. This approach is essentially the same regardless of the stage in the product life cycle, from concept development to release to ongoing maintenance and end of life.

22.3.1. Critical Success Factors, Key Influencers, and Stakeholders

This section addresses how to identify the key elements necessary to win product review approval. First, we will review the leader's role in gaining product approvals.

22.3.1.1. The Leader's Role.

Project leaders are asked to wear many hats in the performance of their duties. They need to be adept at understanding design and development issues, taskmasters who pay minute attention to details about resource allocations and project schedules. They also need to be skilled at marketing and positioning their product, work well with manufacturing to meet demand and wrestle production problems to the ground, and be astute business persons who can make key business decisions that affect the company's revenue and profitability. Effective project leaders also are good ...