Value chain vs life cycle approach for product extensions

The methodology presented in this paper aims at supporting the whole needs and the Stakeholder Requirements definition in product development or product extension projects. To achieve that goal, the methodology forces to take into account the relevant Stakeholders and the Product Life-Cycle phases they impact on for that product. The paper shows a practical example taken from a real product extension project where the methodology was used. Since the main inputs for product extensions usually come from the marketing department, it resulted to be very effective in broadening the perspective. Thus it ended up in a holistic list of requirements, covering the needs of all the Stakeholders. Requirements frame the development problem, hence, as more they are complete as less failure risks there are. The methodology requires further experiments in other industries to prove its generality. Nonetheless it is expected to provide great support in product extension activities by lowering failure risk and by helping in satisfying all the Stakeholder needs.