Examining Extension's Product Development Dilemma

As agents decide which programs to develop and implement, they are also deciding how precious Extension resources such as time, money, and space, will be expended. They must select the ideas that will best serve Extension's mission and provide a good return on the taxpayer's investments. How do they decide? Successful businesses have an organized way of deciding, involving comparing key elements of a new idea to an established set of product and service with elements that are based on the values and goals of those businesses. This article adapts that systematic approach and applies it to the selection of Extension programs and introduces the process of assigning weighted values to specific characteristics that commonly describe Extension programs. It offers agents a way to begin to make calculated guesses about which ideas will make the wisest use of the organization's resources.