How long does it take you to launch a new product? Doesn’t it always seem to take 2-3 times longer than anticipated? I’ve been involved in the launch of over fifty new products, and it’s always the same routine.
We have a great idea, which seems so simple. If we take our existing product and just tweak it a little here and there, we can introduce something new. Simple enough, right? Wrong.
Products take an incredible amount of time to mature. A few tweeks suddenly turns into a handful, and then more. Current products need attention, drawing your resources away from the new one. Excitement wains when people realize the instant payoff won’t be there. This is turning into work… We never expected this!
I’d like to hear your project team experiences with new products, and new revisions. How smooth is it for you?
–ray