Kairos Group International (www.kairosgroup.com), a management-consulting firm that specializes in strategic development and technology management, has become a Strategic Partner with Sopheon/Teltech.  Sopheon is a leading international provider of information and knowledge solutions. Kairos Group, as Sopheon Certified Product Consultants, will market and implement the new Accolade^™ product, which offers the next stage in New Product Development (NPD).  

As part of Kairos Group International's client-centered services in new product development/innovation, Accolade will provide the client a new level in managing their development process.  It gives an option for automating the Stage-Gate process through a unique software application that transforms the process from a paper-based one to an electronic one.  The software is customizable and can, and should be, matched to the company's existing paper-based process, mapping exactly what the process does in concert with the organization's needs, the stages and gates, and the employees involved.  Kairos Group will work with the client to ensure an effective NPD process is developed prior to automation.

Getting to market faster with winning products requires both alignment to corporate strategy, and an efficient process that optimizes the entire portfolio with the content, research, expertise and automated tools that help do the right projects. Accolade provides the vehicle for an effective and efficient new product development process. Members of NPD teams using the web-based solution are guided through the stages of the product development process from inception to launch using a browser-based application accessible from their desktop PCs. This enables several project members to access the same information from any location. It stores all relevant project data in a central repository for portfolio analysis from an online dashboard.

The key benefit of the web-based NPD process to the new product professionals, particularly those who are members of trans-global project teams - is access to real-time information. The application manages all the projects and all the deliverables (results to metrics, reports) required for each of the stages, as well as the information on gate decisions, making the management of multiple projects and the individuals involved in those projects, easier. With the electronically managed process, product data, best practice documents, meeting minutes, reports, e-mails and other information are held centrally and are immediately available for re-call and re-use. This means that the resources that a company already has available to it for developing new products are strengthened.  

Addressing NPD Process Needs Through Accolade^™:

NPD Process Design. Identify, define and implement a state-of-the-art process including key decision points, information requirements, and the roles and responsibilities of team members within each process stage. This can be an extension of the current stage-gate process, a new process, or the next step from a paper-based process to an automated process.  It is essential to have an effective and efficient process that leverages the organization’s resources to meet strategic goals.

NPD Process Improvement:  Benchmark the process against best practices, identify opportunities for improvement and learn how to more effectively use information to improve decision-making.

Team & Process Facilitation:  Pilot the process within a project team to establish the foundation for broader process implementation while laying the groundwork for improved information use, collaboration, and internal knowledge sharing.  

Portfolio Management Process Improvement: Identify opportunities for portfolio management process improvement by analyzing existing process elements and past performance against proven metrics and best practices. Understand the impact of breakthrough, platform, and derivative projects relative to risk/reward and the organizations strategic goals. 

Understanding Accolade^™ and its Benefits for NPD:

View the resources and the status of all activities related to a project through the project home page (example).

 View the Project pipeline at each stage (example):

 
The Benefits of Accolade^™

Increased product development success.

Accolade's unique integration of software, allows integration with other process steps/information such as best practices, Early-stage identification of winners and losers, to help make informed process stage and gate decisions, benchmark progress and invest in products that will succeed in the marketplace.

Accelerated time to market and improved cycle time.

Accolade software supports critical decision-making within each stage and gate of the NPD process, so informed decisions and can be executed with speed.

Enhanced quality of execution.

Accolade automates the management of all related process activity, monitors process adherence and facilitates consistent execution of each step as a measure of accountability for the process deliverables.

Time saved managing portfolio activities.

Accolade's online dashboard provides a quick review of the complete portfolio to assess a project's status within the process.

Risk diminished in duplicating work.

Accolade captures project learnings as you go, helping to avoid duplication of work effort, keep from repeating developmental mistakes, strengthen processes and build intellectual property for use in future efforts.

Improved process adherence.

Accolade organizes the predefined project deliverables and activities including team member responsibilities, so that process adherence can be assessed, which results in faster time to market and launch success.

Advance project team communication.

Accolade provides a home page for each project capturing any information and documentation for all key project deliverables, communicating team member roles and responsibilities, and facilitating team collaboration. It provides an efficient mechanism for sharing project progress/decisions/dependencies/roles/expectations across multiple functions.

Decreased time spent on administrative activities.

Accolade collects project information as you go, providing consistent formats for fast, easy generation of project status reports and presentations. It also supports detailed project planning through an interface to Microsoft Project!  

Maximization of portfolio value.

Monitor, prioritize and allocate resources appropriate to projects, and ensure that projects are aligned with the latest business plans or changing market conditions.  Accolade's central data base of key process metrics lets you instantaneously analyze your portfolio.

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