Launching a new medical device represents the culmination of years of dedicated work in validation, development, testing, and securing regulatory approvals. It is a critical phase for the Marketing, MedEd, and Commercialization teams to execute their strategies and deliver results. Successful launches hinge on a blend of innovative strategies and tactical plans that the entire team can effectively implement.
The saying “Fail to plan – plan to fail” underscores the importance of thorough planning. I emphasize preparing for contingencies and ensuring that the focus on new product launches doesn’t allow competitors to encroach on existing products.
Moreover, I strongly advocate for competitive simulations. While preparing and executing these activities requires significant effort, they yield considerable benefits beyond just enhancing preparedness and mitigating risks; they also foster team bonding and camaraderie, which are invaluable.
Keep these four strategies in mind:
- Learn from past launches: Continuously improve upon previous launches.
- Build robustness by pressure testing and planning for “what ifs”: While no plan is perfect, there’s always room for strengthening it.
- Plan for a series of ironman triathlons: Develop multiple proactive roadmaps for the longer term, rather than focusing solely on launch day (e.g., Days 2-90, 91-365, Year 2, etc.).
- Align launch and run-the-business plans: Ensure that regular business activities are not neglected during the new product launch to prevent competitors from gaining an advantage.
See Additional Details on these strategies below.
Leaders and Launchers: Use this guide to align with each other on this journey because you are both in it TOGETHER.
Launchers: Before spending months planning and then sharing the plans with stakeholders, consider gathering early feedback regarding their expectations for what could propel or hinder this launch. This approach helps you understand their expectations and proactively incorporate them into your plan.
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Additional Details
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Learn from past launches
Continuously refine and enhance each launch. Repeating the same approach can be risky if conditions have changed.
Considerations:
- Consult multiple stakeholders to identify ways to improve this launch over previous ones
- Gather insights from team members on lessons learned from other launches
- Analyze the successes and failures of competitive launches
Build robustness by pressure testing and planning for “what ifs”
Although no plan is perfect, there is always room for improvement.
Considerations:
- Conduct a Competitive Simulation (also known as a Wargame) to anticipate potential challenges during the new product launch
- Balance top-down and bottom-up planning by involving the right stakeholders, including field team members
- Ensure the plan addresses various “What if ___” scenarios to prepare for contingencies
Plan for a series of ironman triathlons
Develop multiple proactive roadmaps for the longer term, rather than focusing solely on launch day (e.g., Days 2-90, 91-365, Year 2, etc.).
Considerations:
- Acknowledge that some customer segments will not be ready on day one and will need time before they begin
- Plan foundational activities to help bridge the gap with customers who take longer to adopt
Align launch and run-the-business plans
Ensure that regular business activities are maintained during the new product launch to prevent competitors from gaining an advantage.
Considerations:
- During Competitive Simulation activities, have teams anticipate how competitors might exploit existing business opportunities
- Involve the field team in building the plan from the start, rather than waiting for them to identify weaknesses during rollout