The Ostensive and Performative Effects of a Formal IT-Based Process for New Product Development

This paper presents findings from a detailed workpractice study of new product development in a hightechnology manufacturing firm. We examine the ostensive and performative aspects of a formal IT-based new product development process (IT-NPD), a high level routine designed to achieve required quality and profitability standards in new product releases. With this analytical framework we assess the influence that the ITNPD makes to the practice of new product development, in particular the coordination of knowledge, and the contribution to the achievement of its own ostensive, highly significant outcomes, in particular as a authorization and audit framework.