- Free Version: Available for teams of up to 10
- Pricing: Premium plan $24/month (with a free 30-day trial period)
- Platforms supported: Available on mobile app (iOS and Android) or a web-based software
Why use SafetyCulture?
Enterprise-grade manufacturers will benefit considerably from SafetyCulture, a highly acclaimed full-featured mobile-first platform. Aside from offering tools for project management, collaboration, and compliance, it enables teams to conduct various workflows even in offline environments, ensuring continuity of operations. With its extensive functionalities, companies can efficiently accomplish every step of the entire development process and create a product that customers will approve of.
Features:
- Ensure consistency and uphold quality throughout the product development process, from strategy and ideation to launch and post-evaluation, by utilizing relevant checklists from the Public Library.
- Ascertain that critical tasks are completed on time by prioritizing tasks, allocating the necessary resources, and creating flexible work schedules during the planning phase.
- Streamline workflows between different teams when presenting the product to stakeholders by enabling data sharing with all the company’s applications and systems.
- Optimize the resources provided by creating a centralized repository of the projects, complete with asset, labor, and resource information when product building starts.
- Evaluate the entire process and spot opportunities for improvement by generating and analyzing detailed reports.
Why use Roadmunk?
Considered one of the best new product development software, Roadmunk’s extensive features enable companies to align product development efforts with strategic goals and objectives. With its road mapping tool, teams can outline their course of action for the entire process, ensuring focus and direction.
Features:
- Intuitive Roadmap Planning
- Presentations with Branding
- Customer Feedback
- Free Version: None
- Pricing: Starts at $19 per month (with a free 14-day trial)
- Platforms supported: Web
Why use ProdPad?
Often utilized by software developers, e-commerce businesses, and telecommunications, this product development process software and management platform helps companies streamline workflows from idea management to customer feedback for evaluation. With ProdPad, businesses can guarantee success through an authentic customer-centric approach.
Features:
- Lean Product Roadmaps
- Product Portfolio Management
- Objectives and Key Results
- Free Version: None
- Pricing: Starts at $24 per editor per month, billed annually (free trial and demo may be requested)
- Platforms supported: Web
Why use Dragonboat?
A product management platform favored in healthcare, e-commerce, and finance, Dragonboat is the perfect platform for manufacturers that focuses on goal-driven roadmaps and team collaboration. By streamlining workflows for strategizing, planning, priority-setting, and evaluation, companies continuously improve their roadmaps and deliver high-quality products every single time.
Features:
- Lead Prioritization
- Objectives and Key Results (OKR) Framework
- Auto Track and Risk Alerts
- Free Version: None
- Pricing: Contact the Dragonboat sales team for more information (free trial provided up)
- Platforms supported: Web
Why use Productific?
Designed for start-ups in the tech and media industry, Productific is the most suitable platform for companies that aim to capture the wants and needs of their targeted audience. With their simple yet powerful tools, product management teams can capture, organize, and prioritize ideas so they can create and share roadmaps that will guide their development efforts.
Features:
- Lead Capturing
- Feature Requests with Feature Voting Page
- Roadmap and Changelog
- Free Version: Yes. This is suitable for basic product testing and hobby projects.
- Pricing: Starts at $9 per product per month (with a free 7-day trial)
- Platforms supported: Web
Why use MRPeasy?
A cloud-based and AI-powered manufacturing resource planning software, MRPeasy is also an effective tool for companies that aim to manage their production process effectively. With tools that digitize relevant documents and automate repetitive manual tasks, production teams can reduce lead times, minimize inventory costs, and improve overall resource utilization.
Features:
- Production Planning and Reporting
- Real-Time Inventory Overview
- Team Collaboration
- Free Version: None
- Pricing: Starts at $44.92 per user per month for up to 10 users, billed annually (with a free 30-day trial)
- Platforms supported: Web, iOS, Android
Why use Jira Product Discovery?
Created by the highly acclaimed software developer Atlassian, Jira Product Discovery is designed to support the company’s product development initiatives specifically. With an extensive suite of tools, the platform ensures alignment, provides transparency, and facilitates collaboration across teams to refine product offerings and features.
Features:
- Road and Story Mapping
- Idea and Insights Capture
- Backlog Management
- Free Version: Yes. This version has limited functionalities.
- Pricing: Starts at $10 per creator per month (free trial provided upon sign-up)
- Platforms supported: Web
What is Product Development Software?
Product development software is a specific set of digital tools that streamlines the process of developing new products or improving existing ones. Utilized by various industries, such as manufacturing, engineering, and software development, its primary purpose is to enhance efficiency, collaboration, and innovation throughout the product development lifecycle.
Importance
Generating ideas for a market-viable product, conducting thorough market research, and analyzing customer needs require a lot of work, time, and resources. Then there are the other pressing administrative issues like keeping costs within the budget, working within strict timelines, and collaborating with third-party vendors.
Managing the entire product development process, from ideation to launch, would not be as challenging with a software solution.
- Improves Communication – Product development involves various teams working on different tasks, including designers, materials suppliers, engineers, marketers, and testers, to name a few. With the platform’s robust communication tools, departments can collaborate in real time, leading to faster decision-making and better outcomes.
- Better Resource Allocation and Monitoring – Production requires numerous resources, from raw materials to labor. Thanks to the 360-degree visibility provided by the software for product development, stakeholders can better account for their stockpile and workforce and, more importantly, track progress, analyze bottlenecks, and resolve any issues.
- Enhances Productivity – With automation, companies can streamline workflows and repetitive tasks, saving time and reducing manual errors. Since the relevant personnel can mitigate risks early in the development cycle, especially while preparing specifications, they can minimize potential setbacks. And accelerate their time-to-market.
Key Features
Comprehensive quality management systems for any type of manufacturing usually include product management solutions, out-of-specification tools, and variant management applications. It would be prudent for top management to go for an all-in-one platform if the company has the budget. Otherwise, look for these essentials:
- Project Management
- Product Development Templates (e.g., APQP, product specification, design and development, etc.)
- Project Planning and Tracking
- Prototyping and Design Tools
- Version Control
- Document Management
- Task Tracking
- Timetables
- Collaboration Tools
- Workflow Automation
- Analytics and Reporting
- Integration Capabilities
- Security and Permissions
- Mobile Accessibility
Selecting the Right Product Development Software
Product managers, designers, engineers, quality assurance teams, and marketing groups will benefit from any of the software solutions listed above. Before deciding on your top pick, take another look at your options in the summary provided:
| Product Development Software | Free Version | Paid Plan | Mobile App |
| SafetyCulture | Yes | $24/user/month* | Yes |
| Roadmunk | No | $19/month | No |
| ProdPad | No | $24/editor/month * | No |
| Dragonboat | No | Contact for pricing | No |
| Productific | Yes | $8.9/product/month | No |
| MRPeasy | No | $44.92/user/month* for up to 10 users |
Yes |
| Jira Product Discovery | Yes | $10/creator/month | No |
* billed annually
Eunice Arcilla Caburao