Best practice project management: an analysis of the front end of the innovation process in the medical technology industry

There are strong motivating factors for more effective project management practices at the front end of the innovation (FEI) process. Shrewd management of these pre-development activities has proven to be one of the greatest differentials for success. This study presents findings from an empirical case study analysis of a large organization operating in the medical technology industry in Ireland. We synthesized the literature to identify five critical success factors (CSFs) known to be effective in the successful management of the FEI process. From this analysis an instrument to assess best practices was developed. Data was collected from 66 engineers in the R&D discipline. The findings of the study show that the organization’s FEI phase aligns well with best practice. However, a difference between the level of agreement about the extent to which the critical success factors are in place in the organization and the level of importance placed on these practices emerged. This paper contributes to knowledge by (a) assessing the relative importance of critical success factors for the FEI in the medical technology industry, (b) examining whether these initiatives are implemented in practice and, if so, to what extent, and (c) providing a series of recommendations to help bridge the gap from theory to practice.