New Product Development Processes in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Some Australian Evidence

This article examines the new product development process (NPDP) in Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Findings from a sample of 276 innovative Australian SMEs suggest that marketing-related activities were undertaken less frequently and were less well executed than technical activities in developing new products. However, marketing-related activities were important in distinguishing between successful and unsuccessful new products. In addition, resource and skill availability and new product planning were positively associated with the quality with which NPD activities are executed. Further, the existence of a new product strategy seemed to have a significant positive impact on the quality of NPD activities.