Prototype Sample of Development

1. Concept Model
Fabricated from quite simple and commonly available materials. It's purpose is to communicate a concept such as needed for any concept selection. It may only focus on a subset of specific design features.

2. Industrial Design Prototype
Demonstrates the "look and feel" of a specific product and is generally used to obtain customer feedback.

3. Developmental Model
Used for "proof of concept" and also in house or outsourced developmental testing. Further testing is performed on the prototype to develop the design and gather data to optimize the design. It is also used to determine the reliability and functional operation under specified operating conditions. Little if any emphasis is placed on the "look and feel" of the part or assembly.

4. Alpha Prototype
This prototype contains most of the full features, but may have some scaling in size. It is primarily seed for in house testing and evaluation.

5. Beta Prototype
This prototype contains the full features and scale of the production part or assembly and is used primarily for internal and external evaluation and testing. Beta prototypes are typically final production processes.

6. Pre-production Prototype
The final prototype prior to release is a full pilot production prototype which is produced in small volumes. It is used to finalize the manufacturing processes, assembly assessment analysis and final production tooling. It may be used for limited release to priority customers.

Product Management
Product Management is the process of dealing with the planning or marketing of a product for all stages of the products lifecycle.
Product Management typically follows two sequential processes: product planning and product marketing.

Processes:
Product planning consists of: defining new products, gathering market requirements, building product roadmaps, particularly technology roadmaps, Product Lifecycle considerations, product differentiation.
Product Marketing consists of: product positioning and outbound messaging, promoting the product externally with press, customers, and partners, Bringing new products to market, monitoring the competition.
Program management consists of: product portfolio management.
Project management consists of: managing timeline, scope, and budget to bring a product or new release to market.

Technology Lifecycle
New Technologies follow what is called a "technology lifecycle" which describes the technologies maturity into a viable product through to its obsolescence wither planned or not.
Technology adoption and maintenance are difficult arenas to manage as industry lifecycles are unpredictable. New uses of resources must be continually updated or become laden to being sidelined by new, more exciting emerging technologies.

Lifecycle terms:
Bleeding edge
Leading edge
State of the art
Dated
Obsolete

Manufacturing
Manufacturing can be categorized as an industry that makes products from raw materials by the using of manual labor and/or machinery. Manufacturing articulates the fabrication or assembly of parts into finished products on a fairly large scale. The most common manufacturing industries include production of aircraft, automobiles, consumer electronics, chemicals, clothing, computers, heavy machinery, refined petroleum products, ships, electrical equipment, furniture, steel, and tools and dies.
Manufacturing is categorized based on industries and can be described dependent on the production of the specific parts or assemblies relative to each category. Some manufacturing processes include the automotive industry; aerospace industry; ship construction; chemical industry; soap and detergent; industrial polymers, major; mineral deposit; textile; dye; pharmaceutical industry; explosive; elastomer; plastic; man-made fiber; surface coating; adhesive; papermaking; building construction; clothing and footwear industry; floor coverings; furniture industry; electronics; food preservation; industrial ceramics; industrial glass; printing. Some manufacturing topics include automation; production system; industrial relations.

The Economy of manufacturing
According to many economists, manufacturing is the wealth-producing sector of an economy, opposite to the service sector which tends to be wealth-consuming. Economists who favor a strong manufacturing output oppose the outsourcing of manufacturing for the sake of producing cheap labor. Emerging technologies provide new growth in advanced manufacturing employment opportunities. Furthermore, Manufacturing itself provides important material support for each nations infrastructure and for its national defense.
Sequentially, any form of manufacturing has social and environmental impacts on the ensuing nation to be considered. Hazardous waste can affect the environment as hazardous materials can expose workers to health risks. Very often the more developed countries can regulate manufacturing activity by utilizing labor and environmental laws. In the United States manufacturers are subject to regulations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. In Europe, pollution taxes to offset environmental costs regulate manufacturing activity. Labor Unions play an important a role in the negotiation of worker rights and wages. Environment laws and labor protections that are usually available in most developed countries may not be available in some third world countries.

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