Managing Reearch Design & Development

Manage your research, design and development

Managing the design process

A successful design stems from a collaborative process involving good planning and communication. Research and development should be part of your overall business plan with objectives, budgets and timeframes included to demonstrate your commitment to the process. This can then be expressed and communicated in more detail in a project plan. See the page in this guide on your strategy for research and development.

The design brief

Whether you use an in-house designer or an outside agency, their work will only be as good as the information you provide. Your product designers need full details of your aims and objectives. Their brief should include every function and feature you want your product to have. They also need comprehensive information about your marketplace and your business and its objectives.

Be clear about who will own any intellectual property arising from the collaboration.

See our guide on how to choose and work with a designer.

The concept stage

Once your designers have analysed all the elements of the design brief, they'll draw up their first proposals. These may be on paper or involve making models of the proposed product. Research and testing is important as the proposals are refined.

Implementing and reviewing your design

As the product is prepared for production unforeseen problems can arise. This may make a review of what is possible and subsequent redesigns necessary before manufacture can happen. For this reason it is important that the designers are still fully involved during the implementation process.

Production

After successful testing, it's time to move to the production stage