This book is a concise, comprehensive and balanced treatment of the field of new product planning which integrates product development and product management in a common framework. It describes the various initiatives that are necessary for successful product planning and addresses the strategic issues that emerge during the life cycle of a product.
From idea generation and evaluation to technical development, commercialization and eventual product dismissal, Kenneth Kahn provides key managerial insights and perspectives that can be readily applied to product planning. He describes and illustrates the various tools and techniques which are essential to the success of new products. Also discussed are all the important product planning issues, such as:

- defining customer needs

- translating the needs into technical specifications

- generating concepts

- evaluating results

- developing marketing plans and market testing

- product launch

- brand management

Special topics covered include public policy, international issues and intellectual property. An interesting summary of the best practices of product development from several companies is provided at the end of the book.