ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership has developed a New Product Development Framework that has changed the way we do business. All new-product ideas now receive strategic, systematic review, complete with numerical scores. Legacy products are also reviewed to see if they have outlived their usefulness. This slide deck describes what we're doing and offers guidance for other nonprofits or associations that want so start their own New Product Development Framework. By Mariah Burton Nelson, VP, Innovation and Planning, ASAE

1. New Product Development
(NPD) Framework
Spark Innovation.
Serve Members.
Strengthen ASAE.

2. What Is New Product Development?
A disciplined, strategic
process
for deciding
what to create,
what to discontinue,
and how to balance
the whole portfolio.

3. How does ASAE Benefit?
• Better decisions
• Better products
• Better ROI

4. What Are Our Goals?
• Green-light products that…
– Serve members AND
– make good business sense…
• “Sunset” products that…
– have outlived usefulness
– OR generate low ROI

5. … on What Matters

6. Three Interconnected Parts
Product
Review
Portfolio
Analysis
Idea
Generation

7. How Does This Work?
All NEW products
receive a careful
strategic review
before approval
All “legacy”
products are
reviewed
periodically
All are
encouraged
to search for
new ideas

8. What Counts as a “Product”?
Anything
ASAE
produces &
distributes,
for a fee or
for free

9. What Does NOT Count as a Product?
• “Support and Enablers”: Governance,
Executive Management, Finance, IT, Web,
Social Media, Marketing
• Projects (plans, undertakings, tasks) e.g. Web
updates, research, presentations, meetings.

10. What Criteria Does the NPD Team Use?
Innovation (not required, but desired)
Value (Strategic Fit, Member
Needs, Market Viability, Feasibility)
Financial Net (Projected $)
Red Flags (potential problems)

11. Scoring
1) If Value scores <3.5 = RED (unless high on innovation)*
2) If Value scores = 3.5+, proposal reviewed for Projected
Net.
a) If Net >0 and low Red Flags = GREEN.
b) If Net <0, decision made via NPD consensus.
c) Similarly, Red Flags scores >3.5 trigger in-person
NPD discussion.
3) *If Innovation scores >3.5, this triggers development
and exploration, even if Value scores are low – because
a disciplined NPD process can squelch innovation if
you’re not careful.
4) Yes, this sounds complicated but we prefer to think of it
as sophisticated . Seriously, we do believe in the
“keep it simple” rule, but this was as simple as we could
make it. And, so far, it’s working.

12. How Was This Process Created?
1) Corporate best
practices, especially
Robert G. Cooper’s
Stage-Gate, modified
for ASAE
2) Staff input via
“Listening Tour”
3) Pilot testing

13. Staff Requests of NPD Team
1) Inclusion
2) Transparency
3) In-person communication
4) Departmental trainings
5) Clear information in variety of formats
6) Systems thinking
7) Research and data-based decision-making
8) Simple software design
9) All info in one easily accessible place
10) Streamlined, fast process
11) Decouple discontinued products from staff
performance. Don’t say "Product X is being
discontinued because it was run poorly."

14. Who’s on the NPD Team?
9 Review Team staff members
with expertise in business,
fundraising, innovation,
membership, programs,
publications, & partnerships.
6 Resource Team
members (IT, Web, HR,
Meetings, Research,
Marketing, Finance)
develop the budget

15. APPLICATION STEP ONE
Staff/Members Develop Idea

16. APPLICATION STEP TWO
Applicant Proposes Idea to NPD Team

17. APPLICATION STEP THREE
NPD Team Reviews Proposal
with input from CEO

18. Two Possible Decisions
Green: Approved
(often with recommendations)
Red: Declined
(with explanation)

19. Idea Generation
Study Portfolio and Market Analysis
Choose Strategic Buckets
Solicit ideas from members, staff
Develop some into proposals

20. Complaints and Challenges So Far
1) “Who gets to be on the NPD Team?”
2) “Will decisions be fair?”
3) “We’re losing autonomy.”
4) “Hurry up – but everyone must be included & happy.”
5) “We were already successful without this.”
6) “Why focus on money?
7) “How many products DO we have?”
8) “How many products SHOULD we have?”
9) “How can we be truly innovative?”

21. How Can You…
Spark Innovation,
Serve Members,
& Strengthen Your
Organization?

22. Three Key Steps
1)People
2)Products
3)Process

23. People: Build the Team
a) Who will be the decision-makers?
b) What expertise should they have?
c) Who will be in charge?
d) How will you involve others (staff and
members)?

24. Products: Clarify What’s In, Out
a) How will you define product?
b) How will you define new product?
c) Will you evaluate all, or just new
products?

25. Process: Create an Efficient Method
a) How will you review products?
b) How will you analyze the portfolio?
c) Where will you start?

26. Let’s stay in touch
MNelson@asaecenter.org
ASAE Member Collaborate
Group: Ideas & Innovations
Twitter: TallMariah
Innovation is always unfinished:
a work in progress!