The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development

12.3. Types of Time-To-Market

Much of our confusion about improving cycle time stems from differing notions about how cycle time is measured. When does your cycle begin and when does it end? For example, one company did a wonderful job at cutting their cycle time in half, from the time they approved the project until the product was available for sale. However, they did this by bolstering front-end activities to reduce uncertainty later. When we added the extra front-end time back in, there was no net improvement. So, they decided that they needed to start measuring time earlier, when the product opportunity arose, and this changed their whole approach to shortening cycle time.

In addition, when organizations launch a cycle time initiative, they are seldom specific about the aspect of cycle time they wish to improve. To focus attention on suitable tools, the organization needs a clear business objective for speeding up development. Here is a sampling of the possibilities:

• All-out speed: This can be important in certain high-tech markets where products become outmoded quickly.

• Minimizing schedule variation: Many products depend on hitting a certain launch window, such as those that are seasonal or holiday related and those launched through an annual trade show. Predictability is more important than raw speed here.

• Improving agility: Many acceleration techniques also allow you to make changes, such as product features changes, more easily and later without disrupting the launch date. ...