Assessing the validity of new product development techniques in Spanish firms

Recent articles in the business press and academic literature affirm that one of the primary means for achieving competitive advantage through product development is by accelerating the development process. A wide range of advanced technologies and techniques have become available to accelerate the design, engineering and manufacture of new products. However, much attention has been focused on new product development techniques but little empirical research has been conducted to validate these techniques. In this exploratory study, we try to identify those techniques that are more useful to accelerating the product development process. Our findings, based on data from 54 Spanish firms, suggest that some available techniques are not effective in achieving this goal of reducing the time to market. Implications for researchers and managers are discussed.