Critical Success Factors of New Product Development: Evidence from Select Cases

Abstract Background: The unique, yet complex, new product development (NPD) process represents one of firms’ most significant operations that impose high weightage onto its profitability margins and market reputation. Objectives: The object of the research is to identify critical success factors (CSFs) of a new product development in Dubai firms. Methods/Approach: The paper uses literature as a basis for identifying critical success factors for a new product development, which is supported by a semi-structured interview of senior management-level executives in Dubai. Results: To pinpoint a set of the most influential CSFs, 12 factors for the NPD process are highlighted, based on their reoccurrence patterns in the literature and semi-structured interviews. Impact levels of 12 CSFs on the NPD process are expressed through a presentation from the highest to the lowest recurrent factor. Conclusions: Each CSF’s role in driving the NPD process to success has also been justified using real-time evidence, depicted throughout 4 case studies from different industries.