All Teams Use Some Method for Choosing a Concept
Whether or not the concept selection process is explicit, all teams use some method to choose among concepts. (Even those teams generating only one concept are using a method: choosing the first concept they think of.) The methods vary in their effectiveness and include the following:
• External decision: Concepts are turned over to the customer, client, or some other external entity for selection.
• Product champion: An influential member of the product development team chooses a concept based on personal preference.
• Intuition: The concept is chosen by its feel. Explicit criteria or trade-offs are not used.
The concept just seems better.
• Multivoting : Each member of the team votes for several concepts. The concept with the most votes is selected.
Web-based survey: Using an online survey tool , each concept is rated by many people to find the best ones.
• Pros and cons: The team lists the strengths and weaknesses of each concept and makes a choice based upon group opinion.
• Prototype and test: The organization builds and tests prototypes of each concept, making a selection based upon test data.
• Decision matrices: The team rates each concept against prespecified selection criteria. which may be weighted.