For businesses developing and manufacturing in China or other parts of Asia, the journey through the New Product Introduction (NPI) process is complex and filled with potential pitfalls. It’s hard enough to launch a new product, so reducing worries is welcomed by most importers. Somewhat surprisingly, some of the most common challenges stem not from technical issues, but from the mindset and approach of the individuals driving the project.
Different types of project leaders tend to run into difficulties that we have repeatedly seen and can flag for you—whether it’s skipping crucial steps, mismanaging risks, or underestimating costs.
Keep reading as we explore the 8 most common personas for project leaders undertaking new product development and the pitfalls they fall into, helping you identify and avoid these traps.
The 8 Project Leader personas and the pitfalls they tend to encounter
1. Inventor Syndrome
Persona: The inventor enthusiastically tackles the first two phases of the NPI process, the concept validation and feasibility study, but often runs out of steam during the third prototyping phase or when it comes to the hard work of industrialization (phases 4 and 5). This results in promising ideas that never make it to mass production and end up on the scrap pile.
Our tips: Do you recognize yourself? Look for a businessperson (or ideally someone with both a technical and business background) to manage the projects and ensure trains run on time. Persistence is key.
(You may be familiar with our 6-phase NPI process. The first 2 phases are highlighted here and are mainly concerned with ideation, description of the concept, writing product requirements, getting to a ‘proof of concept’, and getting early feedback from customers…however, as you can see, there is a lot more work to be done beyond them).
2. Business Bro Syndrome
Persona: This entrepreneur is more focused on pre-selling the product on Kickstarter or raising investor funds than on developing a solid product. They delegate manufacturing but neglect the early design and development phases, leading to costly mistakes later. They don’t want to worry about product reliability/durability, about the ease of manufacturing and of procuring components, about compliance, or any other of those “boring” but necessary aspects of the project.
Our tips: If this is your situation, focus on sales and fundraising, but also team hiring & building. A strong team will help you reassure investors and also manage the project much better.
3. Indie Developer Syndrome
Persona: Determined to do everything independently, the indie developer learns to design hardware, write software, and even assemble products in their garage. While admirable, this approach often leads to suboptimal designs, production inefficiencies, and scalability issues. It’s not wrong to reach out to experienced suppliers; in fact, it could be the difference between success and failure.
Our tips: Learning by doing is good, and getting designs reviewed by experienced engineers and manufacturers is even better.
4. Risk Obsession Syndrome
Persona: Overly concerned about intellectual property theft and supply chain risks, this individual keeps their project in “stealth mode” for too long. They spend excessive amounts on legal fees, such as investing early in expensive patents, while neglecting critical prototype and validation work, delaying or even preventing product launches.
Anyone concerned about IP security may also like this free guide: IP Protection in China when Developing Your New Product [Importer’s Guide]
Our tips: If you feel you may be falling into this pitfall, step back and look at all the risks that weigh on your project. Don’t over-focus on just 1 source of risk and be overly exposed to other risks…
5. The Speed Freak
Persona: Obsessed with rapid market entry, this leader pushes each phase at an unsustainable pace. In their rush, they overlook quality control and risk management, resulting in major product issues, costly recalls, and damaged brand reputation.
Our tips: You may have read stories about the ways Steve Jobs pushed the Mac team, and later other development teams, to achieve great things. It can be inspiring. However, please keep a few things in mind. The first version of the Mac was not a good product. Jobs got fired by his board and founded another company that failed in the marketplace. His character had mellowed and matured considerably by the time he came back at Apple.
Being driven is good, but not knowing when to slow down and follow the road signs is a big problem.
6. The Micro-Managing Engineer
Persona: With an eye for detail, this project leader ensures the product is meticulously designed. However, they become so absorbed in technical perfection that they neglect marketing and sales, leading to a great product that no one knows about.
Our tips: Are you in this situation? Maybe you need to consider your company as a product in itself – it needs to be built and fine-tuned to deliver certain objectives. It takes design, development, and maintenance work. Don’t just focus on the tangible materials – you should also work on your team and your business processes.
7. Big Thinker Syndrome
Persona: Focused on vision rather than execution, this individual avoids complex discussions and ignores critical product development details. Their lack of involvement can lead to poor decision-making and misalignment between teams.
Our tips: Being a visionary who sells big ideas and inspires customers, suppliers and partners, employees, and investors is great. But you need at least one project manager who will work on the nuts and bolts of the project. Overlooking too many details will drive your project into a wall.
8. Budget-Tight Syndrome
Persona: This leader vastly underestimates costs, operating on a shoestring budget. By cutting corners and skipping crucial steps, they end up with a substandard or failed product that never reaches its full potential.
Our tips: Being frugal is good. Coupled with the “indie developer syndrome” described above, this can work. If you don’t have the technical skills to handle the project from end to end, though, you will tend to work with the cheapest service providers for product development. That means slow progress, massive rework, headaches for integrating the various designers’ work, and more.
Conclusion
Successful new product development requires a balanced approach—one that values both vision and execution, speed and thoroughness, cost-efficiency and quality. If you recognize yourself or your team in any of these personas, now you know what not to do. Hopefully, you can reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and adjust your approach accordingly.
By respecting the structured NPI process and listening to experienced professionals, businesses can increase their chances of launching an innovative product and having a successful venture.
Which pitfall do you see yourself falling into? More importantly, how will you avoid it?
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