Conceptualizing, assessing, and managing front‐end fuzziness in innovation/NPD projects

Front‐end fuzziness (FEF) within innovation/NPD projects remains unclear and under‐explored. In this research, FEF is clarified to have three change patterns of dynamic fuzziness levels and to have both positive and negative effects on the success of an innovation/NPD project. In this context, FEF sources are categorized into front‐end environment, means, and goals, and FEF dimensions are extended to include uncertainty, equivocality, complexity, and variability. Accordingly, a management template is developed to help innovators track specific FEF to relative sources, assess FEF quantitatively, and manage both the positive and the negative effects of FEF. Finally, the article concludes with suggestions of the applications of the FEF management template.