Business Case to Development

This unit develops the business case and moves concepts into the formal development phase by teaching students how to align technology capabilities with customer needs, structure partnerships, resource projects, and manage cross-functional teams. Students will learn to plan and execute prototype testing, measure outcomes, mitigate globalization and technical risks, and prepare products for the final push toward launch.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze customer insights, market data, and technology capabilities to prioritize new product features and produce a documented Phase 2 business case with projected costs, revenue assumptions, and go/no-go criteria
• Develop a resourcing and partnership plan that details staffing, IT infrastructure needs, external supplier relationships, and risk mitigation strategies to transition a product concept into Phase 3 (development)
• Lead and facilitate cross-functional team activities and an internal communication plan that coordinate design, engineering, marketing, and testing efforts during prototyping and customer trials
• Evaluate prototype test results and performance metrics to recommend product adjustments, brand positioning, and the final release strategy