Individual Assignment (100%): 3,000 words
Course Objectives
Understand NPD Processes & their role in business success
Be able to evaluate appropriate NPD tools, techniques and methodology, (NPD process) for application to a given business need
Apply NPD processes to a product development program to deliver a feasible solution
Monitor, control and communicate NPD process status & risks
Assignments
Individual Assignment (100%): 3,000 words
Report on NPD Process
Review NPD methodology alternatives and recommend a suitable NPD process for a small company (SME), for a defined products & markets.
Select a product of your choosing
Should be something that is familiar to you as a user and which you can examine/observe
Use of secondary supporting data required
Report to be narrated PPT format
Draft by Midday 7th December
Final Submission Midday 21st December
Sample Products
Sample Products
Process NOT Product
The assignment is to develop an NPD process for a specific product.
The chosen product is simply an exemplar to set the context for the NPD decisions on what is an appropriate process to apply – It is NOT the detailed subject of the assignment.
Select a product that you are familiar with and understand something about its manufacturing and development.
Details of the NPD process stages should reflect the needs of all users, based on the product type and markets chosen.
You do not need to do any design or carry out the NPD stages, although examples or dummy data to illustrate the application of the NPD process would be useful.
Assignment Report Contents
Report to include:
Data Sources
Use should be made of appropriate secondary sources (Course text, Aston library resources, academic papers and articles, company information, good quality web-sites, etc.) to provide context and support your recommendations.
It is expected that at least 8-12 good quality publications will be referenced, from a variety of sources. These will be used to provide theoretical background, empirical evidence of current best practice and to support the recommendation in your proposal.
Good academic practice in referencing, citation and generation of your proposal should be applied. You are encouraged to work collaboratively on the concepts of your individual assignment with colleagues, but care should be taken to avoid plagiarism.
Submission
The submission should be in PowerPoint format
Slide set suitable for presentation, be clear and self explanatory
<25 Slides total, excluding title slide and references
Appropriate use of citations and reference to sources
Aspect 1: Slides – Good use made of appropriate graphics, tables, charts, images, etc. with minimal supporting text
Aspect 2: Notes – Notes section for each slide of ~300 to ~400 words approx. to provide supporting arguments and detail explanation (Guideline total 3,000 words)
Aspect 3: Narration – Highlight key points with 1-2 minute explanatory narration recorded for each slide
Submission File
Refer to example submissions in Blackboard. Note that these are only for guidance and were produced against a different set of assignment criteria e.g. they are not narrated or in the correct format.
All slides are to have a brief (1-2 minute) summary narration. Information on how to add narration to PowerPoint slides can be found on web video sites e.g. here & here, as well as through the Microsoft Help facilities.
Submitted files must be <25MB in size. Hints and tips on compression of files can be readily found in help blogs and through the Microsoft Help facility. Graphics are a source of large files sizes and these can be reduced using the internal Microsoft compression facility – see here.
Files are to use the naming convention ‘EM4054 Surname Forename 2021’* Files in pdf or zipped formats will not be accepted.
*Note: ‘2021’ refers to the 20/21 academic year, not the year 2021
Marking Scheme
10% Assignment Structure & presentation
Does the process have a logical structure, is easy to navigate and professionally presented
20% Understanding of NPD process/stages
Is there clear evidence of a thorough understanding of the NPD process and how it applies
35% Application of NPD to selected product/industry
Has the NPD process recommendation been appropriately applied to the example product/industry
25% Use of clear and convincing rationale
Is the NPD process recommendation convincing, with an assessment of costs and benefits
10% Overall assignment objectives
Have reasonable decisions been made in the process recommendation to achieve a balanced delivery of overall objectives
Final course grade may be moderated by bonus marks (+/-10%)
