Stages of Product Development

Question 1

what are the 7 stages of product development?

Answer 1

1. concept generation
2. concept screening
3. prototype production
4. product testing
5. first production run
6. marketing plan
7. product launch

Question 2

what is concept generation?

Answer 2

F: the starting point for developing ideas for new products, and the initial thinking stage where new ideas and gaps in the market are established

C: important to the manufacturer that the ideas are new or modified so they don’t replicate existing products

Question 3

what is concept screening?

Answer 3

F: all the ideas gathered in concept generation are screened and the best ones are taken forward for further development and investigations

C: important that the manufacturer rejects the others at this stage so they will be more likely to produce a successful product that will sell

Question 4

what is prototype production?

Answer 4

F: a sample of the new products and packaging will be made for the first time which allows manufacturers to see what the product will look and taste like

C: important to the manufacturer as if issues arise with the product, they can be fixed before moving on - so the manufacturer doesn’t waste money

Question 5

what is product testing?

Answer 5

F: samples of the products are given to a panel of product testers to get their opinion on them

C: important to the manufacturer as they can use the results to alter the products and improve them before moving onto the next stage - preventing money being wasted

Question 6

what is the first production run?

Answer 6

F: after changes have been made, the initial recipe is modified for mass production and a small number of the new product will be produced through the factory

C: important to the manufacturer as it allows any recipe alterations to be made and they can check for any quality issues of the product after it’s been produced by the factory equipment - saves money before mass production

Question 7

what is the marketing plan?

Answer 7

• where the product will be sold
• advertising strategy
• cost to customer

made by the manufacturer and is essential in attracting customers to buy the product

Question 8

what is product launch?

Answer 8

F: the product is piloted in usually a small sector so that sales can be monitored and adjusted before a full launch takes place

F: important to the manufacturer as it helps maximise sales and profit, and the products will be monitored to check sales so any marketing adjustments can be made