New Product Development Professional Certification Study Guide
The NPDP Certification Study Guide provides a list of suggested study references and readings. This is not a required reading list but is meant to support your individualized preparation for the NPDP exam.
If you feel the need for additional preparation on one topic or another, focusing on the suggested readings below should help you prepare for that section of the exam.
Primary references within each section are in bold font; secondary references are in regular font.
New Product Development General Overview
The following resources provide a broad view of product and service development.
Primary
- Cooper, Robert G., Winning at New Products
- Crawford, C. Merle and Anthony DiBenedetto, New Products Management
- Kahn, Kenneth B., Editor, The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, 2nd Edition
Secondary
- Wheelwright, S. C. and K. B. Clark, Revolutionizing Product Development
New Product Strategy
Primary
- Cooper, Robert G., Winning at New Products - Chapter 12
- Crawford, C. Merle and Anthony DiBenedetto, New Products Management - Chapter 3
- Wheelwright, S. C. and K. B. Clark, Revolutionizing Product Development - Chapter 2
Secondary
- Christensen, Clayton M., The Innovator's Dilemma - General Reference
- McGrath, Michael E., Product Strategy for High Technology Companies - Chapters 1 and 2
Portfolio Management
Primary
- Cooper, Robert G., Scott Edgett, and Elko Kleinschmidt, Portfolio Management for New Products - General Reference
Secondary
- Belliveau, Paul, editor, PDMA Toolbook 1 for New Product Development - Chapter 13
- Wheelwright, Steven C., Leading Product Development - Chapter 3
New Product Process
Primary
- Cooper, Robert G., Winning at New Products - Chapter 5
- Crawford, C. Merle and Anthony DiBenedetto, New Products Management - Chapter 2
- Cooper, Robert G. and Elko Kleinschmidt, "New Products: What Separates Winners from Losers?", Journal of Product Innovation Management (available free from PDMA office - call (800) 232-5241 or (856) 439-9052)
Secondary
- Smith, Preston G. and Donald G. Reinertsen, Developing Products in Half the Time - Chapter 9
Tools and Metrics
Primary
- Crawford, C. Merle and Anthony DiBenedetto, New Products Management - Chapters 5 & 11
- Griffin, Abbie and Albert Page, 1996, "PDMA Success Measurement Project: Recommended Measures for Product Development Success and Failure," Journal of Product Innovation Management (available free from PDMA office - call (800) 232-5241 or (856) 439-9052)
- Kahn, Kenneth B., Editor, The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development - Chapters 12, 31 & 32
- Rosenau, Milton D. Jr., Successful Project Management - Chapters 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 17, 18
Secondary
- Griffin, Abbie, Drivers of NPD Success: The 1997 PDMA Report - General Reference
- Griffin, Abbie, "PDMA Research on New Product Development Practices: Updating Trends and Benchmarking Best Practices," Journal of Product Innovation Management (available free from PDMA office - call (800) 232-5241 or (856) 439-9052)
- Hauser, John and Don Clausing, 1988, "House of Quality," Harvard Business Review - (can download from Harvard Busness Review web site for $6) OR Clark, Kim B. and Steven C. Wheelwright, The Product Development Challenge - Part 5, Chapter 1
Market Research
Primary
- Crawford, C. Merle and Anthony DiBenedetto, New Products Management - Chapters 9, 16, 19 & 20
- McQuarrie, Edward F., The Market Research Toolbox: A Concise Guide For Beginners - Chapters 3, 4, 5 & 6
Secondary
- Burchill, Gary and Christina Hepner Brodie, Voices Into Choices: Acting on the Voice of the Customer - General Reference
- McQuarrie, Edward F., Customer Visits: Building a Better Market Focus - General Reference
Teams, People, and Organizational Issues
Primary
- Aranda, Eileen K., Luis Aranda, and Kristi Conlon, Teams: Structure, Process, Culture, and Politics - General Reference
- Wheelwright, S. C. and K. B. Clark, Revolutionizing Product Development - Chapter 8
Secondary
- Crawford, C. Merle and Anthony DiBenedetto, New Products Management - Chapter 14
- Kahn, Kenneth B., Editor, The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development - Chapter 9
