Conducting successful new product field trials

Rapid technology advances have created a continuous stream of new products. Additionally, competition among product vendors increases the pressure to quickly market these new products. This pressure can drive companies to prematurely release new products. To ensure real world product operation, many customers now demand that products pass extensive field testing prior to wide scale product deployment. Thus, successful field trials are a critical component of successful new product introductions. Field trials also create conflicting expectations that must be managed. By the time a new product is ready for field trial, the development team and management are anxious to complete the product and move personnel to new development efforts, At the same time, sales and marketing are pushing hard to book an order. Meanwhile, the customer may want product modifications that were identified during the trial process. The field trial manager is often caught in the middle of these conflicting objectives. This paper presents recommended processes, a series of lessons learned, and advice to help smooth the way for conducting successful new product field trials.