In the standard new product development process, which stage does the process usually start with?

Introduction / Context:
New product development is a structured process that companies follow to bring new offerings to the market. Textbooks and exams often present an eight step model that includes idea generation, idea screening, concept development and testing, marketing strategy, business analysis, product development, test marketing and commercialisation. This question focuses on the starting point of that process.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The process referred to is the conventional new product development process in marketing and product management.
• We assume the steps follow the widely used model in marketing literature.
• The options include several recognised stages from that model.

Concept / Approach:
The new product development process starts with idea generation, in which firms collect raw ideas for possible new products from sources such as customers, employees, competitors, distributors and R and D. Later stages evaluate, refine and develop these ideas into full concepts and marketable products. Therefore, the correct answer should be the stage that deals with collecting and creating ideas, not the later evaluation or development steps.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the standard order of stages in new product development.Step 2: Identify idea generation as the first stage followed by idea screening, concept development and other steps.Step 3: Among the options, option A is idea generation, option D is idea screening, option C is concept development and option B is market strategy development.Step 4: Since the process usually begins with generating ideas before screening or strategy, option A is the correct answer.Step 5: Confirm that the other stages logically follow idea generation, so they cannot be the starting point.

Verification / Alternative check:
If you think of how any new product emerges, someone must first think of the basic idea. Without an initial idea, there is nothing to screen, test or develop. Marketing references clearly label the first step as idea generation, where many raw ideas are produced with the expectation that only a few will eventually reach the market. This supports choosing option A as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, market strategy development, takes place after a promising concept has been selected and the firm plans how to position and market it. Option C, concept development, also follows after initial ideas have passed the screening stage and are turned into detailed product concepts. Option D, idea screening, is the second step, where poor ideas are dropped, but it cannot occur before idea generation has produced candidates to evaluate.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes confuse idea generation with idea screening, thinking that the process starts by filtering ideas. In reality you must first generate a pool of ideas before you can evaluate them. Another pitfall is to jump mentally to later stages such as marketing strategy or business analysis because they feel more concrete, but in the formal model these come after the basic idea is formed and refined. For exam questions, memorising the sequence of stages will help you quickly select the correct step in the process.

Final Answer:
Idea generation