'Expected' and 'discovered' value to every one of the prototype stakeholders is what it's all about; get all the stakeholders involved early so they can provide discussion and feedback and be prepared for their turn in the PD process.

Richard M. (Dick) Haney, of the CMT Group, a technology consulting company in Palo Alto, CA., specializes in product engineering, manufacturing and technical management consulting.


This article is directed to the philosophy, strategy and business nuances of prototyping during the Product Development (PD) process. We'll describe what a prototype is, when one uses prototypes, what the well-known values of prototyping are, and what values prototyping provides beyond the obvious benefits.

The details about prototyping: e.g. type of prototype, how one is constructed, used and measured and other tactical issues are left to the reader to investigate. Various references to details will be given at the end of the article.

Since prototyping brings measurable value to the business case beyond what one would normally consider, the business strategy of the prototype is useful to consider during the genesis of a product concept - especially if you seriously intend to go through a full PD program.

This article is generic in the sense that it applies to various prototyping ventures such as hardware, software, systems, processes and services. Consequently, there are details specific to each area that will not be covered in this article.

The term 'product' as used herein is meant to include all ventures listed above.

Also, the term 'research' as used herein pertains not to basic, scientific research per se, but to research done with specific commercialization in mind.