Software development and new product development: potentials for cross-domain knowledge sharing

Software development (SD) and new product development (NPD) share several similarities. However, scholars in the two fields have generally focused on different aspects of “development.” Specifically, the SD literature emphasizes development methodologies, techniques, and process metrics, while the NPD studies typically focus on organizational factors like teamwork, cross-functional integration, internal/external communication in teams, performance, processes, and project leadership. Further, there has been a limited exchange of ideas and research findings between the two domains. This paper establishes the potential for SD and NPD to learn from each other by addressing several important product development challenges. Specifically, we demonstrate this potential by deriving significant cross-domain lessons in three areas, namely, teamwork management, development process maturity, and development process acceleration