PDMA Connections - September 2024

The 2024 Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) Annual Conference, held in St. Louis, Missouri, was a resounding success. From thought-provoking keynote addresses to engaging workshops and networking opportunities, this year's conference brought together leading minds in product innovation and management.

Keynote Speakers: Thought Leadership in Action
We were privileged to welcome several renowned keynote speakers who delivered insightful presentations, offering attendees a glimpse into the future of product innovation and strategy:

Tony Ulwick, pioneer of Jobs-to-be-Done Theory and Outcome-Driven Innovation, spoke about organizational challenges that impede innovation success and proposed a unified innovation process as the solution.
Atif Raiq, a seasoned Silicon Valley and Fortune 500 executive who has managed over 10,000 knowledge workers and spent the last three years exploring AI’s real-world applications, gave a compelling talk on The Human-AI Collaboration Revolution.
Dr. Gina O’Connor, Professor of Innovation Management at Babson College, addressed how industry practitioners, service providers, and academic researchers can meaningfully partner with one another to achieve their goals. Dr. O’Connor drew on her significant expertise in academic-industry innovation projects to present proven approaches for overcoming difficulties and building bridges across groups.
Jason Case, Vice President of Research & Development within Medtronic’s Acute Care & Monitoring operating unit, spoke about how healthcare can be improved through the design, development, and seamless integration of connected technologies and turning data into actionable insight.
Chris Elmore, “Startup Hero” and Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Computer Science, Business and Arts department at UNC – Charlotte, delivered an informative and entertaining talk focused on how to develop and implement a successful innovation strategy, effectively communicate unique innovative qualities, manage and leverage challenges that come up when implementing new ideas, and how to integrate various new product development (NPD) capabilities for greater success.

Engaging Sessions and Networking
Throughout the event, attendees participated in numerous breakout sessions and workshops designed to provide practical tools and techniques for product managers at every career stage. From agile development to customer journey mapping, the diverse range of topics allowed for a tailored learning experience. The networking sessions were equally impactful, fostering meaningful connections among professionals from various industries.

Celebrating Outstanding Corporate Innovators
2024 OCI award winners—Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and MSA—had representatives onsite to accept their awards and speak to their innovation practices. Attendees also heard from OCI Honorable Mention winners Reckitt Benckiser Group and Miele & Cie. KG. It was an honor and informative to hear how they each achieved their companies’ strong and sustained innovation practices.

A Special Thank-You
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all attendees who traveled to St. Louis for this year's conference. Your passion for innovation and dedication to excellence are what make this community so dynamic.

We would also like to recognize the tireless efforts of our Conference Planning Committee:
Spike Ross-Corbett
Bill Reid
Sue Burek
Cheryl Nakata
Jerry Fix
Drew Rapplean
Tony Belilovskiy

Their commitment to creating a seamless and enriching experience was evident in every detail, from the speaker lineup to the event logistics. This event would not have been possible without their vision and hard work.

As we look forward to 2025, we remain inspired by the knowledge shared and the connections made in St. Louis. Thank you for being part of the PDMA Annual Conference, and we look forward to seeing you next year in Chicago!

PDMA’s 5th Annual Global Student Innovation Challenge 2024 Finalists presented their ideas at PDMA’s Inspire Innovation Conference and Research Forum September 14 (poster session) and 17 (presentations) in St. Louis to determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize money and bragging rights.

And the winners are...

1st place: Bloom Speculum team from Clemson University, South Carolina, USA. Vaishnavi Kanduri, Karen DeGuzman, Elizabeth Dods, Angeline Chen with Academic Advisors John DesJardins and Tyler Harvey.
2nd place: E-Walk team from Clemson University, South Carolina, USA. Amanda Beall, Maria Chavez with Academic Advisor Jordon Gilmore.
3rd place: PowerHouse team from Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Shubham Kar, Srishti Jain, Rasika Gname, Hrishikesh Pawaskar with Academic Advisor Soren Salomo.

Congratulations to all 125 students representing 15 universities and 34 teams from 8 countries that submitted their understanding of product development to compete for prize monies by submitting a product/service/software idea and detailing the unique value proposition, evidence of demand, and mockup or embodiment of that product. GSIC 2025 will be open for submissions early November 2024 through June 1, 2025.

Products today often get released by team member heroics despite the process. Most teams are dealing with chaotic processes that few understand. And yet, every organization is unique—so your planning process should be, too. Most organizations need a small number of living documents—fewer than 10—to guide market insights and product innovation.

Innovate your planning process to better align with the agility of your organization using the Quartz Open Framework. Throw away outdated methods and define a process as nimble as your organization.

In this dynamic virtual workshop, you'll dive into the art of customer interviews and discover how to turn raw data into actionable insights that drive product success. With hands-on exercises, expert guidance, and real-time feedback, you’ll not only learn the best practices for interviewing but also how to leverage the Voice of the Customer (VOC) to elevate your product strategy, prioritization, and marketing efforts. Get ready to sharpen your skills and make a lasting impact in your company!

Recent kHUB Postings:

- New Product Development expert Bob Cooper has submitted a series of 3 articles related to incorporating Artificial Intelligence into New Product Development. Access his insights and recommendations in kHUB’s Product Innovation Process section:

Adopting Artificial Intelligence for New Product Development: The RAPID Process discusses the challenges and strategies associated with adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in new product development (NPD). Despite promising benefits like reduced development times and increased innovation, AI adoption in NPD is slow, especially in the U.S., where only 18% of firms had adopted AI by early 2024.

Key barriers include lack of trust, insufficient management commitment, and ethical concerns. Many AI projects fail to deliver expected business value, with only 53% progressing from prototype to production.
The article introduces the RAPID process, a roadmap for AI procurement and deployment, designed to mitigate risks and address common reasons for AI project failures. RAPID emphasizes understanding user needs, conducting thorough front-end research, and incorporating iterative testing cycles. The process also focuses on building a robust business case, vetting AI vendors, and aligning projects with user needs to avoid the "solution looking for a problem" scenario.
The article concludes by urging firms to commit to AI initiatives and follow a structured model like RAPID to navigate the complexities of AI deployment successfully. By doing so, companies can avoid common pitfalls and gain a competitive advantage as early adopters of AI in NPD.

Selecting the Right AI Solutions for Use in New Product Development provides a comprehensive examination of the challenges and strategies involved in integrating AI into new product development (NPD). Cooper, a distinguished expert in NPD processes, addresses the high failure rates of AI projects, which often stem from poor project selection and inadequate business cases. Key Insights:

The Adoption and Performance Impact of AI in New Product Development: A Management Report shows evidence that the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into new product development (NPD) is transforming the industry, though adoption rates remain low. Leading companies have demonstrated the benefits of AI, including faster time-to-market and enhanced innovation. Despite this, as of early 2023, only a small fraction of firms—13% globally—have adopted AI for NPD. Current usage is modest, with an average adoption rate of just 23% across various AI applications. The most utilized AI tools are for market and competitive analysis, with Natural Language Processing (NLP) also gaining traction. However, advanced applications like AI in project and portfolio management are scarcely used, even though they offer significant potential.

The research underscores that while AI has shown positive impacts on NPD performance—such as improved decision-making and accelerated product development—its adoption is still in its infancy. Businesses using AI report an average 35% improvement in key performance metrics. However, the lack of widespread adoption, especially in complex applications, indicates a significant gap between potential and practice. Key barriers include a lack of demonstrated business value, insufficient senior management commitment, and general mistrust of AI-driven decisions.
For firms to better integrate AI into their NPD processes, they need to increase awareness of AI’s potential, ensure strong executive support, and avoid fragmented, isolated pilot projects. A strategic approach, guided by a structured roadmap like the RAPID process, is essential for successful implementation. The urgency to adopt AI is highlighted by the expectation of a significant peak in AI adoption within the next decade. Companies that fail to adapt risk falling behind in the rapidly evolving landscape of product innovation.

- In this kHUB Culture and Teams webcast Sustainable Product Innovation: Integrating B Corp Principles & UN SDGs, Dr Dawn Rennick of Piercing Sun Consulting shares why it’s important and what it takes to incorporate sustainability and ESG practices as part of your organization’s innovation process. Dawn provides the definition of B Corps and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She provides actionable insights and strategies for embedding sustainability at every stage of product development, from ideation to end-of-life. Learn how adopting these holistic frameworks can drive innovation, enhance brand value, and contribute to a sustainable future, all while meeting consumer demand for responsible products. Learn more by watching the full webcast here.

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PDMA welcomed these new members in August 2024. We look forward to working with you!

Individual Members

Lars Jonas Barsing
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Pan Chen
Chin-Tsung Chen
Shawn Clark
Kelley Coleman
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Arun Rasika
Karunakaran
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Chih-Lung Lin
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Academic Members

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Student Members
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