Critical Success Factors in New Product Development Projects in a Weak Matrix Structure: An Aerospace Case Study

Abstract

Successful new product development (NPD) is needed for firms to remain competitive, especially for the high technology industry, where product lifecycles are relatively short. We use an empirical model to study the contribution of critical success factors on the performance of NPD projects in a high technology firm to find relationships between synergy and expertise of teams, managerial support, the use of a project champion, integrating mechanisms, and well as uncertainty’s moderating effect on project performance, within the context of a matrix organization. Results show that communication and excellence, expertise, and team synergy have the greatest impact on project performance