Product Development

Resource guides for individual inventors and small start-up companies who wish to turn their ideas into marketable products. You can access how-to fact sheets, checklists, samples and other tools as well as tap into expertise in your own community.

Overview

• APQC White Paper - The Basics of New Product Development
  In the most general terms, there are two elements needed for new product development: a process and the people to participate in it. For the context of this study, APQC created a generic new product development process model based on the combined processes of the best-practice companies.
  
  Source: American Productivity & Quality Center
• How to Expand Your Business Through New Product Development
  Edward Lowe PeerSpectives helps second-stage business owners discover, from their peers, how to take their companies to the next level through reliable information, insight and inspiration.
  
  Source: Entrepreneurial Edge
• Incubating Technology: Best Practices
  A technology-incubating program is an innovative system designed to assist entrepreneurs in the development of new technology-based firms, by providing a broad range of assistance.
  
  Source: Federal Partners in Technology Transfer
• Product Development - Regulatory Approvals and Standards
  If you intend to develop, licence or manufacture a medical technology product, you should consider three immediate actions.
  
  Source: British Columbia - Health Industries Network

Idea Evaluation

• Idea Evaluation
  All too often, the first-time inventor jumps into hiring a patent attorney before really knowing that he or she has an idea that is truly new and truly needed by others.
  
  Source: Inventors' Digest
• Screening Ideas
  Far too many inventors rush off to a patent attorney with their first idea.
  
  Source: Inventors' Digest
• Technology Evaluation: Challenges Facing Research Managers
  This is a powerpoint presentation by Alan Pelman V.P. of Research and Technology from MacMillan Bloedel Inc.
  
  Source: Federal Partners in Technology Transfer

Prototyping

• When to Prototype
  Many inventors starting down the road to protecting and profiting from their ideas encounter a minor stumbling block--when do they need a prototype? There is no simple answer to this question, but there are some basic guidelines to follow.
  
  Source: Inventors' Digest

Invention Disclosure

Industrial Design

• What is Industrial Design and Why Should I Care?
  Industrial Designers dream up products through drawings, sketches, renderings, even doodles, presenting to the manufacturing client their vision of what a certain product should look like.
  
  Source: Core77

Standards

• CSA International
  CSA tests products to Canadian and U.S. standards and issue the CSA Mark for qualified products. CSA International can also test products to European and other national standards.
  
  Source: CSA
• Intellectual Property, Standards and Regulations
  Here are resources relevant to patents, trademarks, standard associations and government regulations.
  
  Source: Strategis - Research, Technology and Innovation
• Standards Council of Canada
  The Standards Council of Canada is the focal point for standardization and conformity assessment in Canada.
  
  Source: Standards Council of Canada

Tools

• Business Start-Up Assistant
  The Business Start-up Assistant (BSA) is a one-stop site for information on starting a business in Canada. It covers topics such as market assessment, financing, taxation, writing a business plan and many more - all critical to starting a business.
  
  Source: Canada Business
• Stage-Gate TM
  Official website of the Stage-Gate process model developed by Dr. Robert G. Cooper. Stage Gate is a template, or roadmap, for driving new product projects from idea to launch and beyond.
  
  Source: Product Development Institute

Expertise

• Canadian Innovation Centre
  Their range of services includes invention evaluation, technology due diligence, market research and education programs.
  
  Source: Canadian Innovation Centre
• Canadian Technology Network
  The Canadian Technology Network connects innovative Canadian companies to technology and business assistance. Small or medium-sized technology related businesses can find links to the Network's advisors, members, and to other technology websites here.
  
  Source: Canadian Technology Network
• Product Development and Management Association
  PDMA's mission is to improve the effectiveness of people engaged in developing and managing new products, both new manufactured goods and new services.
  
  Source: Product Development and Management Association
• The National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP)
  Canada's premier innovation assistance program for small and medium-sized Canadian enterprises (SMEs).
  
  Source: Government of Canada; National Research Council Canada