Core Insights - The article highlights the chaotic nature of R&D project initiation in many companies, likening it to "improvised creation" without systematic evaluation, leading to resource waste, market disconnection, and inventory backlog [1] Group 1: Issues in R&D Project Initiation - Many companies respond immediately to sales demands without thorough assessment, resulting in 80% of product costs being locked in during the design phase [1] - R&D teams often create products that do not meet real market needs, leading to excess features or "pseudo-needs" [1] - 80% of inventory issues stem from design decisions rather than production or supply chain problems [1] Group 2: Principles for Precise Project Initiation - R&D project initiation should focus on three core principles: necessity, feasibility, and universality to ensure products are both marketable and manufacturable [3] Group 3: Necessity in R&D - Companies should shift from a "technology-driven" mindset to a "market-driven" approach, assessing whether products address real pain points and if the market is willing to pay [4] - Market feasibility analysis should utilize tools like SWOT and user research to avoid "pseudo-innovation" [4] - Companies like Huawei and Honda require detailed project proposals to ensure clear commercial logic [4] Group 4: Feasibility in R&D - Companies must evaluate their technical, manufacturing, and resource capabilities to determine project feasibility [5] - Technical feasibility analysis should assess the compatibility of processes and equipment [5] - Tools like Value Engineering (VE) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) can help optimize design and translate customer needs into technical parameters [5] Group 5: Universality in R&D - Universality should focus on supply chain and production standardization rather than merely broadening product functions [7] - Standardized design can reduce the number of new drawings, with companies like Huawei aiming for 60% of designs to use existing modules [7] - Modular design, as demonstrated by Zoomlion's CBB approach, can cut costs by over 50% [7] Group 6: Evaluation Tools and Methods - Various tools and methods are recommended for assessing market analysis, technical validation, cost-effectiveness, risk assessment, and resource matching [8] - Establishing a cross-departmental review mechanism and data-driven decision-making can enhance project initiation accuracy [8]