| Summary: | The central aims of this research are: 1. To investigate the new product development process in the wound care market 2. To identify the strengths and weaknesses of this process 3. To develop a model to improve processes of requirements capture during the early stages of new product development. Examination and development of the early stages of new product development in a mature industry, like woundcare, have been ignored previously. The principal notion in this area of research is that a new product should include all the elements that will satisfy major stakeholders in the product, both internal and external to the company developing the product, to improve likelihood of success when launched. Current investigations into the early stages of product development have looked at how requirements are integrated into a new product and how this is achieved in high technology firms but have not investigated the processes, competencies and people management involved in mature and heavily regulated industries like wound care. A survey of personnel at a company involved in wound care was carried out, in addition to development of a case study of the same company. This was complemented by a case study of a company operating within the healthcare field and a benchmarking exercise was completed. The new product development and requirements capture processes were described by several individuals, with different perspectives, involved in product development at the companies. This led to the identification of strengths and weaknesses of the process. The questionnaire also elicited information from different individuals who may, or may not, have been directly involved in product development. The benchmarking study enabled the author to compare the product development and requirements capture process of companies involved in the healthcare market. This led to emerging factors for improvement in product development, particularly during the early stages. The research was used to develop a process model of requirements capture to be implemented during the early stages of product development with particular reference to the healthcare market.
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