Idea Management and New Product Development

The Wikipedia article on New Product Development suggests 7 stages of development of a new product (or service):

1. Idea Generation
2. Idea Screening
3. Concept Development and Testing
4. Business Analysis
5. Beta Testing and Market Testing
6. Technical Implementation
7. Commercialization (often considered post-NPD)]

Idea Management software products typically focus on at least the first of these two stages, with some products extending into the third and fourth stages. Typically the fourth through seventh stages are handled by other organisational systems outside the Idea Management System.

The first stages (overlapping into the second through fourth stages) constitute what Wikipedia calls the 'Fuzzy Front End' of the New Product Development process.

According to Wikipedia, the Fuzzy Front End consists of:

1. Opportunity Identification
2. Opportunity Analysis
3. Idea Genesis
4. Idea Selection
5. Concept and Technology Development