Some final comments…

Innovation in product development is the exploitation of an idea or thing that is intended for commercial value gain. Sometimes an innovation may or may not result in a successful business venture; in fact it's almost always proven successful only in retrospect - after a product has a measured success. One can argue whether innovation must be successful 'to be a real innovation', but I submit that it can also be a failure and still be an innovation. Many times a failed innovation is the precursor to a successful incarnation, and even in failure some value gain can be found in the technologies, processes, markets, attributes, etc. that one runs across or develops during the development of a product.

Innovation happens in three basic product development areas: design, processes and tools. Design is always thought to be the most important phase for innovation, but much thought has been put forth in process and tool innovation, as this is where a large part of cost control and market satisfaction occurs. Innovation in design and tools is largely a discrete or 'corralled' event. Such innovation can usually be evaluated and validated 'on-line' as product development occurs.

Innovation of a process, however, is either 'incremental' or 'corralled'. If it is incremental it can be spread out over an entire development cycle and throughout a corporation. Because incremental innovation has such global efficacy, it should be evaluated and validated 'off-line' before it is implemented. Corralled innovation, however, should be easy to evaluate and validate 'on-line'