Unlocking Innovation in New Product Development: Four Essential Techniques

Seminar Overview

A prominent seminar titled "Unlocking Innovation in New Product Development: Four Essential Techniques" will be hosted on October 6, 2026. This informative session will be led by Toshio Kimura, a Senior Consultant at the Japan Management Association Consulting.

Seminar Details

- Date and Time: October 6, 2026, from 1 PM to 4 PM
- Location: SSK Seminar Room, Zaimax Nishishinbashi Building, 4th Floor, 2-6-2 Nishishinbashi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
- Participation Options:

- On-site attendance
- Live streaming via Zoom Webinar
- Archived access for two weeks for convenient viewing.

Target Audience

This seminar is particularly beneficial for:

- Management and leaders within research and development or technical development organizations.
- Laboratory heads, development team leaders, and product development project leaders.
- Research planning staff.

Seminar Themes & Objectives

The primary focus of this seminar is to enhance understanding and innovation within the new product development process, which is essential for sustainable corporate growth. The seminar will delve into the following critical phases of development:
1. Theme Generation
2. Business Planning
3. Development Practice
4. Business Viability Evaluation

Key Content

The seminar is designed to address common challenges faced during the product development process, including the over-reliance on individual expertise and the need for systematic management practices. Participants will learn practical methodologies for transforming the new product development process through structured frameworks.

Four Innovation Techniques

1. New Business Planning (NBP): Participants will learn how to harness the collective intelligence of the organization to create compelling themes.
2. Customer Focus (CF): This technique emphasizes centering business concepts around customer value to drive successful outcomes.
3. Fact Finding & Front Loading (FF): This approach accelerates development speeds by implementing 'source-type development' practices.
4. Future Value Evaluation (FVE): Attendees will explore proper theme evaluation methods that maximize the return on investment.

Knowledge Acquired

Through participating in this seminar, attendees will enhance their skills in several key areas:
1. Generating Ideas: Approaches to systematically elevate both the quality and quantity of innovative themes.
2. Business Concept Planning: Strategies focused on maximizing theme value based on customer insights.
3. Development Acceleration: Techniques for constructing hypotheses around goals and managing progress in real-time.
4. Theme Evaluation: Systems for identifying truly valuable themes through effective evaluation litmus tests.

Program Structure

1. Importance of the New Product Development Process and its four management innovation subjects.
2. Innovating the Idea and Theme Generation Phase - NBP.
3. Innovating the Business Planning Phase - CF.
4. Innovating the Development Practice Phase - FF.
5. Innovating the Theme Evaluation System - FVE.
6. Concrete steps for reconstructing and strengthening the new product development process.
7. Q&A and Networking session.

Contact Information

For further inquiries, please reach out to the New Social System Comprehensive Research Institute at:

- Address: 2-6-2 Nishishinbashi, Minato, Tokyo, Zaimax Nishishinbashi Building, 4th Floor, Japan.
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: +81 3-5532-8850
- Website: SSK

About SSK

Founded on December 6, 1996, the New Social System Comprehensive Research Institute (SSK) has been committed to providing high-level business seminars approximately 500 times annually for over 28 years. SSK aims to contribute to the creation of business opportunities by delivering quick insights on management strategies, marketing, and technological information adapted to a diverse business landscape. Furthermore, SSK extends its services beyond seminars, including operational support, lecturer dispatch, and market research report sales, ensuring clients receive essential information for their business success.