New Product Introductions (NPI) is a workstream that defines all of the steps necessary to define, design, develop, and launch new products.  We also describe this workstream as Design to Deploy.

We can help you to establish a process that incorporates TQM concepts, establishes a cross functional or “concurrent engineering” approach, and to ensures that the voice of the customer or VOC is heard.

The idea is to avoid costly late-stage formulation or packaging changes and to ensure that the cannibalization of existing products is limited.

Robust NPI workstreams include a set of stage gates with pass through criteria that must be satisfied before progressing to the next phase.  The idea is that there are many potential ideas at the feasibility or idea phase but if we take a rigorous approach many will not hold up through the stage gate criteria.

This ensures only the best products make it through to production. It protects against “pet projects” that are championed through to only fail because the voice of the customer or cross-functional input is ignored or missing.

Adroit can help you to establish the stage gate, project management, formulation, and content controls.  A typical set of stage gates could include:

1. Define – set the product performance, taste profile, etc and incorporate the voice of the customer. Formally document the specifications.
2. Feasibility – this could include concepts from the test kitchen, business cases, process plans, sourcing reviews, etc.
3. Develop – establish detailed formulas, packaging, labels, product photography, etc.
4. Validate – test runs on production lines, customer taste testing, detailed cost analysis,
5. Launch – take the product to market in test regions, scale-up, etc.
6. Evaluate – document lessons learned and improvements necessary