Benchmarking firms' new product performance & practices

Results are presented of an extensive and objective benchmarking study to determine the critical success factors which drive new product success and to gauge how companies perform on these factors. 'Best practices' which help to drive success are also identified. The study is designed to overcome some of the traditional problems associated with benchmarking. A rather large sample study of 135 firms is considered. Rigorous research methods in the form of data collection and analysis are used to ensure validity of results. Relationships between practices and performance are explored, i.e. the impact that each practice or characteristic has on performance.