From Concept to Utilization: Where Do Most Product Developments Fail?

From the initial idea for a new product or an improvement to an existing one, through its development, market launch, and eventual use, numerous problems can arise. These issues can delay the process, make it prohibitively expensive, or cause it to fail altogether.

Here are some of the most common points of failure, with examples ranging from highly complex projects to everyday situations:

1. No Market NeedThe product is of good quality, but no one wants it. This happens when market analysis is neglected during the initial concept stages, or when customer needs are misunderstood.

• Example: Many attractive local businesses close shortly after opening because they fail to attract a steady stream of customers.

  
  

2. Poorly Integrated Parts. During assembly, components do not fit or connect correctly, requiring rework and incurring additional costs to fix the problematic parts. This occurs with mechanical fittings, electrical connections, and, increasingly, software interfaces.

• Example 1: The Dos Bocas Refinery in Mexico has been reported to have significant interconnection problems between its subsystems.

• Example 2: It is common for Home Depot customers to return items because the product did not fit or work in its intended location.

3. Early Operational FailuresMany products fail shortly after they start operating. The root cause can vary, but common issues include "infant mortality" in electronic components and part failures because they were not designed for the actual operating environment.

• Example 1: Appliance stores frequently receive complaints about new products that stop working after just a few hours.

• Example 2: The Mexican radio telescope in Sierra La Negra initially had numerous problems with specific motors because the suppliers were never informed they would need to operate in high-altitude conditions (i.e., sudden temperature shifts, extreme temperatures, high humidity).

  
  

4. Good Products That Fail Commercially. This seems contradictory, but a good product can fail when its development and production costs are higher than those of its competitors or market alternatives. You can have the best product on the market, developed by the best engineers, but if it is delivered too late or is too expensive, customers will simply choose other options.

• Example: Products A and B are competitors. Product A is 10% better than Product B, but it costs 100% more. Which one do you think will succeed?

  
  

There are many other ways a product can fail, and surely we can all think of more examples and causes. However, the question remains: How can we prevent this from happening to my product?

The answer is by implementing Systems Engineering, as explained in our previous post.

Share your experiences, examples, or opinions in the comments about where product development fails, at any level of complexity.