Future Studies and new Product Development: Scenario and the Fuzzy Front end

This paper contains reflections on connecting two disciplines, Future Studies and New Product Development. Of the tools and methods that belong to Future Studies, the focus is on Scenario Planning, while within New Product Development, it is the Fuzzy Front End phase of the development process that is highlighted. The paper investigates the literature from these two disciplines with regard to overlapping of useful tools and practices for better performance, i.e. reducing the risk of an unexpected future. It considers possible gaps or lack of interaction between the two disciplines. The paper gives a short overview of Future Studies and New Product Development as a field of study and the tools and methodologies used in Future Studies as well as the Fuzzy Front End of developing products and services. The main theme of the paper is to probe the importance of further research in this area, for dialogue on effective tools that would improve performance and the effectiveness in commercialisations of new product and services. There is literature which underlines the importance of Scenario Planning in this respect, especially in dealing with strategy and innovation planning. Moreover there are also indications and findings that show that the usefulness of this tool can be much wider. Other tools under the discipline of Future Studies are also mentioned as possibilities for dealing with the unpredictable futures and challenges in Strategy Planning, and the process from idea-to-launch. However there is limited research on the benefit of different tools and approaches in the area of Future Studies in connection with performance and effective use in the New Product Development processes. Overall, there is a need to research the commonality of these fields with the objective of improving the innovation and performance of companies. It is also important for these two platforms to foster synergy, thereby increasing knowledge and improving effective management practices.