The role of project management professionals in new product development is the most inclusive role of any involved in creating and marketing new products. It is an extremely dynamic role that changes frequently with the climate of the industry. In recent years, some project management professionals have found themselves less concerned with a wider swath of all of the responsibilities that are associated with development.

Changes in the Job of Project Management Professionals

Some new methods of manufacturing are changing the face of product development. One current trend in product development is to use an ODM (original design manufacturer) for many of the engineering responsibilities of product development. ODMs are usually remote manufacturing services that are able to inexpensively produce complex electronic components and build key technologies to design specifications. As the price of manufacturing electronic goods continues to decrease, many people speculate the use of ODMs will continue to rise.

The way that using ODMs could affect project management professionals depends on the industry in question. For the personal electronics industry (one industry where the use of ODMs is becoming very popular) project managers may find themselves less concerned with the specifics of engineering, as long as the ODM delivers the right product on time and on budget. The role of project managers in this situation may swing towards assembly-line style coordination (from the hands of designers into the hands of the ODMs, and finally to the client) instead of coordination of many departments at once.

This may allow project managers to have a more hands-on approach to new product design issues. They may be able to focus more tightly on human-centered design questions, such as ergonomics, aesthetics, and functionality due to the reduced need to give constant attention to engineering concerns. Ideally, this may result in a new generation of products in which the user's relationship with the product is considered the most important aspect of new product development.