An uneasy alliance [innovation management]

It is important for engineering organizations to be set up in such a way that the innovative spirit of their engineers are reinforced and their product development teams are able to perform at optimum level. The deployment of these teams requires setting and balancing multiple priorities. Many engineered product companies have to prioritize opportunities and resolve conflicts between new technology investment, new product platform development, smaller incremental product rollouts and the release of specialized or customized products based on these platforms. All of these opportunities require innovative engineering, all can be profitable and all are necessary for a well-balanced organization. Moreover, it can all go on simultaneously if R&D activities are effectively managed.