NPDP 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.

Each section of the exam is highlighted in green. 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

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
• 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
• 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

• 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