Recent progress in modeling R&D project-selection processes

The authors review the progress that has been made in the development of quantitative models of R&D project-selection processes. Future research needs in the area are assessed. R&D project-selection has traditionally been modeled in the management science literature as a constrained optimization problem. The deficiencies of this approach have been described, and the need for new approaches has been recognized. In particular, the optimization approach ignores the organizational context in which decisions are made. A new stream of research in R&D project-selection models emerged in the 1970s in response to this need. The philosophy underlying the new approach differs significantly from traditional optimization models. The new approach seeks insight rather than outcomes and focuses on the decision process