The document provides a self-assessment of an organization's product development maturity. It recommends improving capabilities in four key areas: 1) defining a product strategy aligned with business goals; 2) establishing clear development phases and checkpoints; 3) balancing the project portfolio and cutting low-value projects; and 4) strengthening skills through training and cross-functional teams. Completing the assessment identifies strengths to build on and actions to enhance the product development process.

1. Product Development Maturity Assessment
Instructions
1. In the "Weighting" tab, set the weighting for each category based on relevancy and current business needs. Ranking Scale
2. In the "Self Assessment" tab, rank your organization on a scale of 1-5 on your compliance with each best practice. 1 - Strongly Disagree
3. Check the "Results" tab to identify your current/goal state in each category. 2 - Disagree
4. View the "Recommendations" tab for actionable advice on how to improve your capabilities. 3 - Moderately Agree
4 - Agree
5 - Strongly Agree

2. Product Development Maturity Assessment
Customize this tool by changing the weighting scale for each assessment category.
Weighting Scale
Strategy Process Definition Portfolio Management Skills & Discipline Total
25% 10% 25% 40% 100%

3. Product Development Maturity Assessment
Rank your organization's compliance with each best practice using the drop-down box in the Score column.
1. Product Development Strategy
Description of Best Practices Score Notes/Comments
We have a defined project development strategy with clear objectives, initiatives, measures, and time-
frames to achieve goal-targets. 1
Our product development strategy is closely aligned with our business strategy. 2
We use Product Roadmaps to highlight strategic areas of focus and L/T investment. 2
Management has long-term vision for product development beyond current projects. 2
Senior management views new product development as a top priority for growth. 1
We review our core competencies and conduct industry analysis to determine our market opportunities,
develop entry strategies, i.e, first-to-market, low-cost, niche. 3
2. Product Development Process Definition
Description of Best Practices Score Notes/Comments
Our Product Development Process is clearly defined, documented, and adhered to. 5

4. Our Product Development Process is clearly defined, documented, and adhered to. 5
We have deliverables and checkpoints for each stage in our development process. (1. Concept, 2.
Research, 3. Analysis, 4. Develop, 5. Launch) 1
Checkpoints are mandated to promote projects to the next stage of development. Sponsors use
scorecards with criteria for making Go/No-Go decisions at checkpoints. 5
Standardized tools & templates have been developed to assist project managers with completing their
deliverables, i.e, Product Development Charters, Business Cases, Product Feature Competitive
Analysis, Market Research Reports, etc.)
1
We conduct heavy up-front research to validate customer needs & problems, evaluate market potential,
forecast sales, examine fit with business strategy, etc. 2
Product development metrics are used to make resource allocation decisions and monitor success, i.e,
Net Present Value, Forecasted vs. Actual Sales, On-Time Launch. 1
3. Product Portfolio Management
Description of Best Practices Score Notes/Comments
Our portfolio of product development projects is well balanced. (risk vs. return, new product
development vs. existing product enhancement, S/T vs. L/T, etc) 4
We review our portfolio at least quarterly to review, rank, & re-prioritize projects. 5
Senior management uses a formal prioritization framework to score each project's attractiveness,
according to strategic fit, feasibility, and risk. 5

5. We effectively balance resources available with the amount of projects underway. Our staff have
enough time to produce quality deliverables for each of their initiatives. 3
Low value projects are identified and cut to ensure our portfolio stays lean and targeted on initiatives that
provide the most overall value to the organization. 3
We use the concept of strategic buckets to split our resources into clear categories for investment, i.e.
New Products, Enhancements, Customer Requests, Cost-Reducers. 4
4. Product Development Skills & Discipline
Description of Best Practices Score Notes/Comments
Our staff are fully trained on our product development process and understand how to complete high-
quality deliverables for their role. 4
Senior management enforces our process and attends all checkpoint meetings to make decisions to
continue, hold, or cut projects. 3
Marketing staff are capable of conducting formal market research to identify customer needs & market
size, and bullding business cases for new product opportunities. 4
Technical/Engineering staff are capable of translating market requirements into functional specifications,
building prototypes, and designing testing & QA programs. 4
We build cross-functional teams for new product development. Marketing and technical staff cross-train
each other to promote deeper understanding, improve collaboration efforts, and ultimately develop better
products for customers.
4
A product development process sponsor exists to ensure our process is followed, staff are well trained,
decisions are made, and deliverables are continuously improving. 2

6. A product development process sponsor exists to ensure our process is followed, staff are well trained,
decisions are made, and deliverables are continuously improving. 2

7. G
Current Goal
Product Success Drivers o Product Development Maturity Index
State State
a
Product Strategy
Product Strategy 1.8 2.3 5.0
4.0
3.0 1.8
Process Definition 2.5 3.0 2.0
1.0
Portfolio Management 4.0 4.5 Skills & Discipline 3.5 0.0 2.5 Process Definition
Skills & Discipline 3.5 4.0
Effectiveness Score (out of 100) 62 4.0
Portfolio Management
30

8. Product Development Maturity Assessment
Product Development Success Drivers Scores Recommendations
1. Product Development Strategy
Use a Product Management Strategy Scorecard to document Objectives, Initiatives, Measures, and
Product Development Strategy (objectives, initiatives, targets, measures) 1 Targets.
Review your business strategy to clearly link product development objectives with overall business
Alignment with Business Strategy 2 objectives.
Develop a high-level Product Roadmap to highlight trends, key markets, products, and technology
Product Roadmaps for L/T Areas of Focus 2 required.
Discuss long-term vision for product development to determine key areas of focus beyond current
Long-Term Vision for Product Development 2 projects.
Work with senior management to identify why product development is not viewed as a key to
Senior Management Commitment 1 sustained growth.
Conduct rigorous internal & external analysis before commiting resources to new product
Market Opportunity Identification 3 development.
2. Product Development Process Definition
Product Development Process Definition 5 0
Clear Phases & Checkpoints for Development 1 Refine your process to include checkpoints that are required for promotion to the next phase.
Checkpoints Used to Make Go/No-Go Decisions 5 0
Standardized Tools & Templates Exist 1 Build a set of standardized tools for project managers to use. Post on your intranet for easy access.
Formalize your market research process to gather more accurate data for decision-making at
Heavy Up-Front Research to Validate Concepts 2 checkpoints.
Work with Finance to create a standardized set of metrics that will be used to gauge & monitor
Product Development Metrics 1 success.
3. Product Portfolio Management

9. Portfolio Balance (risk vs. reward, new vs. old, S/T vs. L/T) 4 0
Regularly Scheduled Portfolio Review Process 5 0
Formal Prioritization Framework to Score Projects 5 0
Cut low value projects, and put some projects on hold. Focus on executing high value project
Resource Management (resources available vs. projects in progress) 3 flawlessly.
Lean, High Value Portfolio (low projects cut) 3 Set clear criteria for projects to continue. A benchmark on a scorecard is a simple, effective solution.
Investment Areas (new, enhancements, requests, cost-reducers) 4 0
4. Product Development Skills & Discipline
Training & Skill Sets of Team Members 4 0
Senior Management Attendance at Checkpoints 3 Secure buy-in from the CEO that senior managers must be present for the process to work properly.
Marketing Staff Skills (market research, business cases, etc) 4 0
Technical Staff Skills (spec design, prototyping, testing, QA, etc) 4 0
Cross-Functional Team Building 4 0
Product Development Process Sponsor Exists 2 Assign a senior manager to monitor the adoption & success of the new product development process.