A groupware system for virtual product innovation management

We are experiencing a radical shift in the way organisations are designed, structured and organised. New organisational forms such as virtual strategic partnerships and networks are replacing traditional bureaucratic, hierarchical organisations. Business leaders are adopting project focused, re-configurable e-business models or networks to maximise core competencies in order to fulfil customers needs.  This is particularly evident in the area of product innovation where organisations are adopting new approaches or ways of working in order to compete. Product innovation management is a complex process because of the range of technical issues that must be addressed and the variety of competencies that must be employed over the life of the development effort. Such initiatives require a substantial investment in terms of resources such as time, money and effort, all of which are limited. Therefore it is imperative that this process is properly managed and supported by effective structures and systems. This paper focuses on product innovation management in a distributed or virtual environment. It reports on a qualitative case study targeted at product managers. The challenges to managing a portfolio of product innovation projects in a virtual environment are identified and discussed. From this analysis, a web-enabled groupware system is presented.