Systems, apparatus, and methods for facilitating product development

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods are provided to facilitate product development by linking stages of product development with the allocation of resources and support for the product. Products are developed based on a structured framework having distinct stages in which each stage builds upon information of previous stages. At the end of each stage, a review is conducted to determine whether the product is suitable for further development. Upon each review, an integrated set of tools is used to identify and link the product with resources and support needed for the product. In addition, the tools assist in automatically identifying the resources and support needed for the product as it progresses through each stage.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of developing a product, comprising: 
 receiving information indicating a concept for a product;    determining a plurality of features associated with the concept affecting respective organizations; and    planning resources in the respective organizations for implementing the concept as a product.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 developing the product based on the planned resources.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 deploying the product.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving information indicating a concept for a product, comprises receiving information in a form having a plurality of required fields.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining a plurality of features of the concept affecting respective organizations comprises: 
 determining a set of requirements for the concept; and    determining the plurality of features that satisfy the set of requirements.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein planning resources in the respective organizations for implementing the concept as the product comprises: 
 identifying resources in the respective organizations capable of providing the features of the concept; and    assigning the identified resources in the respective organizations to the concept.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein developing the product based on the planned resources comprises: 
 determining a set of requirements for providing the features of the concept; and    developing a test to confirm that the identified resources meet the set of requirements.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein deploying the product comprises: 
 determining a set of metrics to indicate the performance of the product; and    measuring the performance of the product based on the set of metrics.    
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for developing a product, comprising: 
 means for receiving information indicating a concept for a product;    means for determining a plurality of features associated with the concept affecting respective organizations; and    means for planning resources in the respective organizations for implementing the concept as a product.    
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the means for receiving information indicating a concept for a product, comprises means for receiving information in a from having a plurality of required fields.  
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the means for determining a plurality of features of the concept affecting respective organizations comprises: 
 means for determining a set of requirements for the concept; and    means for determining the plurality of features that satisfy the set of requirements.    
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the means for planning resources in the respective organizations for implementing the concept as the product comprises: 
 means for identifying resources in the respective organizations capable of providing the features of the concept; and    means for assigning the identified resources in the respective organizations to the concept.    
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the means for developing the product based on the planned resources comprises: 
 means for determining a set of requirements for providing the features of the concept; and    means for developing a test to confirm that the identified resources meet the set of requirements.    
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the means for deploying the product comprises: 
 means for determining a set of metrics to indicate the performance of the product; and    means for measuring the performance of the product based on the set of metrics.    
     
     
         15 . A system for developing a product, comprising: 
 at least one client providing information indicating a concept;    a server for receiving the information indicating the concept and for providing a set of templates for developing the concept as a product; and    wherein the at least one client provides information for developing the product based on the set of templates.