The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development

30.4. Defining the Launch Team

Clearly defining the roles and goals of launch team members, implementing a structure for launch teams, and choosing launch team membership are all critical to the success of the new product or service.

NOTE

Successful launch teams work together to proactively uncover problems or risks, and find solutions both inside and outside individual team members' functional roles.

Traditional roles for effective launch teams include both managing the launch from plan through postlaunch review, and raising and resolving critical issues prior to the product or service reaching the market. Successful launch teams work together to proactively uncover problems or risks, and find solutions both inside and outside individual team members' functional roles. Team members meet periodically to communicate and assess progress but do most of their work outside of the meeting. They communicate program progress, issues, goals, and action items within their functions. When necessary, they escalate roadblocks and propose alternative solutions to management sponsors. Team accountability does not disappear when the product reaches the market but continues through the sales, service, and support ramp-up until the team has reviewed results of the launch.

Goals for the launch team are set and measured either by each individual team or by standard metrics within a company, as discussed in the "Establishing Goals" section. If launch team members do not report to the person leading ...