On the nature, origins and outcomes of Over Featuring in the new product development process

Developing new products and services beyond what is required by the needs of users, market demand and the resources of companies ranks among the top 10 risks leading to new product development (NPD) failures. This study defines and refers to this multifaceted phenomenon as ‘Over Featuring’ (OVF) to group different forms of excessive product development, from scope creep to overspecification and feature creep. The classification and theoretical development of the various forms of OVF is proposed, also origins and adverse outcomes, such as feature fatigue, are explored. Stage-Gate and Agile approaches are discussed in the light of the OVF phenomenon.