Web-enabled innovation in new product development

Knowledge management in the innovation process has become inextricably linked with intranets, with the Internet, and with networks public and private. This study takes the concept of knowledge flow for the new product development (NPD) process reported previously and considers the application of Web-based tools and methods to it (Web-enablement). A model, called the Web of Innovation, will permit an organization to benchmark and develop its own e-knowledge management program for the NPD process. A survey of software tools for enabling the web-based management of innovation within NPD shows that the most useful tools are not the most highly used, and commercial tools will usually require customization. Metrics have been difficult to apply to the use of these tools, and quantification of bottom-line impact remains elusive. This article develops a model of the web-enablement of the innovation process that we call the "Web of Innovation." It reflects the evolution of the knowledge flow process described in an earlier RTM article (1) into a web-enabled (and then, web-driven) process. It also provides a basis for further innovation in the design of web-based tools.