The fuzzy front end-technology identification, staging, and maturation: where the battle is often lost without firing a shot

Summary form only given. Success in the development and introduction of new products, one of the most crucial activities a company must undertake, depends crucially on managing and synchronizing the "fuzzy front end." To be successful, this effort must be "grown" from strong rootstock. The rootstock, in turn, must be nurtured by a systemic enterprise-wide effort. As product and technology development becomes more distributed, that is, R&D, product development, marketing and other groups are scattered around the country and even around the world, the need for taming and synchronizing the fuzzy front end becomes even more painfully obvious. One of the first steps a company takes in developing new products is to decide what it will take to win in the future, what technology is implied, and what could be ready and when. The on-going processes of technology identification are accomplished through the use of "scouts" and "futurists." Scouts survey, evaluate and communicate "what is, and what will be." Futurists ask the business question, "what if?" The activities of both groups need to be synchronized. A suggested approach is through a "technology opportunity panel". This is a team of key players in the product development process throughout the company. This team provides the coordinating and synchronizing functions by assessing opportunities, prioritizing resources, and assuring that both the product and technology roadmaps work together.