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Paul J. O'Connor, NPDP

Paul O'Connor is an expert in the field of New Product Development. For nearly twenty-years he has worked with executives and facilitated teams of senior managers. In 1984, Paul founded The Adept Group Limited, Inc.

Capitalizing on his skills in business strategy, marketing research, technology assessment, organizational process and team facilitation, Mr. O'Connor influences and guides the product development and innovation efforts of clients in both consumer and industrial markets, around the globe. 

Paul O'Connor, New Product Development Professional

Mr. O'Connor has conducted successful assignments, implementation initiatives and benchmarking activities with such firms as Akzo-Nobel, Hercules, Shell Chemical, Procter & Gamble, Black & Decker, L & F Products, DuPont, Polaroid, Kraft, Raychem, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Bausch & Lomb, Exxon Chemical, Nabisco, Ameritech, Corning, Dow, Eastman Chemical, Pitney Bowes, S.C. Johnson, Blue Cross Blue Shield, NOVA Chemicals, Lucent, Johnson & Johnson, Eaton, US West, Calgon Carbon, Milliken, Reynolds Metals, Kodak, Mead Paper, AT&T, McNeil Labs, AlliedSignal, Praxair, W.R. Grace, Senco, Ashland Chemical and Stanley Tools.

As a frequent speaker for professional organizations and corporate seminars, Mr. O'Connor addresses such topics as :
  • "Leveraging SAP for Improved New Product Development"
  • "Coupling New Product Development to Business Strategy,”
  • "Optimizing the Probability of Success in New Product Development,”
  • "Using RiskAssessorSM: A Process Approach Yielding High Performing Cross-FunctionalTeams,” 
  • "Managing New Product Development Risk,”
  • "Using Predictive Metrics in Portfolio Management,”
  • "Expert Brainstorming in Product and Business Development,”
  • "Product Strategy Deployment through Front to Back Process Architecture," and
  • “SpiralUp Implementation of Portfolio and Pipeline Management.”
Mr. O'Connor is a Past-President of the Product Development and Management Association.  He is a contributing author to the Journal of Product Innovation Management, the first and second editions of The PDMA Handbook of Product Development (1996, 2004), and The PDMA Toolbook of Product Development (2004). Paul is also a past contributing editor to R&D Magazine. His SpiralUp capability maturity implementation methodology, based on primary research at several hundred organizations, is widely recognized and in use by firms around the world. 

Since 2002, Mr. O'Connor has worked with members of SAP solutions management on roadmapping SAP's NPDI solution. In 2007, he initiated and facilitated the SAP NPDI lead user group designed to drive exchange among SAP Software Integrators and SAP Customers about NPDI challenges and the recourse to such challenges. In collaboration with Platinum-DB, a leading SAP Software Integrator, Mr. O'Connor created and delivered the first SAP NPDI dedicated, in-depth workshop entitled "Leveraging SAP for Improved New Product Development." 

Mr. O'Connor also teaches Master Courses on NPD Portfolio Management, Product Line and Technology Roadmapping, as well as NPD Risk Assessment and Forecasting.  Paul pioneered the development and application of RiskAssessor, a statistical model of critical factors influencing the success or failure of new products.  Numerous companies now use RiskAssessor, for benchmarking individual projects, analyzing and managing NPD portfolios, and teambuilding across functional disciplines.

Mr. O'Connor is Managing Director and principal shareholder of The Adept Group Limited, Inc.   He received a Master of Business Administration from Babson College and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.  He is also a Certified New Product Development Professional (NPDP) and holds the distinction of contributing and shaping the first test for receiving such professional certification.

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